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Original poster

Men's height

268 replies

Jenna333 · 02/08/2015 22:43

I know this is a shallow question but having looked at some OLD profiles, I got wondering about mens height. I know ultimately it comes down to many factors but I was wondering how other women feel about shorter men e.g 5'4" ish?

OP posts:
Backforthis · 03/08/2015 17:43

Yes, how dare you have physical preferences that rule out some men! Bad woman!

tilliebob · 03/08/2015 17:49

I've never gone for men shorter than me. It's about the only physical thing that I would care about. I'm 5ft7 and DH is 6ft.

Branleuse · 03/08/2015 17:53

my dp is barely an inch taller than me, if that. Its not something I ever think about.

MysteryMan1 · 03/08/2015 18:05

Men think about all this and a lot more when looking at women so it's all fair!

badRoly · 03/08/2015 18:08

I'm 5ft 10 so probably wouldn't go for a really short man (thinking along the lines of Bernie Ecclestone and his 6ft+ wife).

However I am slightly taller than dh and tower over him when I wear heels. It doesn't bother me.

Roomba · 03/08/2015 18:11

I wouldn't have said I had any specific height requirements in a man, but now I think about it every male partner I've had has been over 6'. My kids' father is 6'6''. I am 5'2''.

I have also had several relationships with women, but oddly some have been taller than me, some the same height or shorter.

PrivateRyan · 03/08/2015 18:12

5'8" male here. That makes me about average I guess. But my wife is 6'1". With heels on she towers above me. No doubt some people think I look ridiculous but I'm not bothered in the slightest. I certainly don't discourage her from wearing heels as she looks amazing in them.

nooka · 03/08/2015 18:35

I don't think that couples where the woman is taller look ridiculous, but when I dated a guy that I thought was smaller than me (he might well have been the same height in fact) I felt enormous and unfeminine and just a bit wrong. Now that was partly because I was at the time a tall gawky teenager who felt uncomfortable about being taller than all my female friends and not terribly attractive. Nothing to do with thinking shorter men are 'unmanly' in any way. I hope that my dd despite being taller than me goes on feeling fabulous about her height, and that it's not an issue for her. Because otherwise it will significantly limit her pool of possible men.

I must admit I assumed that shorter women would not have the same hang up, I know plenty of couples who are both quite short (bearing in mind that I tend to think under 6' is relatively short) but few tall guys with very short women. I would have thought a size difference of more than 6" or so would be a bit awkward?

Oh and my dh doesn't really enjoy being tall, certainly he was pretty awkward as a teenager (when we met). I think he enjoyed being with a taller woman as it made him feel more 'normal'.

mrsdavidbowie · 03/08/2015 19:11

I think tall women have to be confident about being with a smaller man.
I know what you mean nooka
I think of the bawdy comic seaside postcards...big wife and little husband.

Lurkedforever1 · 03/08/2015 19:25

Having thought about it some more, it's not actually tall men per se in my case. I like men around my eye level or taller, and at my height that means over 5'10, which is 1&1/2 shorter than me. After that I'm not more attracted if someone is 5'10 or 6'6. So although I'm saying tall men, if I was 5'5 myself, chances are I'd fancy anyone over 5'3.

Northumberlandlass · 03/08/2015 19:47

I keep coming back to this thread, thinking I'll post again & deciding not to, but I'm back again now.

One point I will make, the most amazing sex I've had in my life was with a guy 4" shorter than me & with the smallest penis I've ever seen. Being confident & a good lover does absolutely not depend on penis size.

Also, being a taller woman dating shorter men, does rely on the man being confident in his masculinity.
I have battled most of my life feeling feminine at 6ft tall, i watched movies growing up, the woman with her head against the man's chest, looking up to kiss him.
I realise now at 42 that my femininity isn't how tall I am at all.

I'm not sure i have a point, but wanted to explain why I feel comfortable dating shorter men. If only the media would stop making -tall women/ shorter men seem like a freak show!

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 03/08/2015 20:37

Interesting. DD &DW are both 5'10", and DW likes me and my DBs (all 6+) because make her feel little.

DD on the other hand gets into 6 inch heels so she can overawe men who approach her socially.

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 03/08/2015 20:37

Insert "we" after "because".

TwistInMySobriety · 03/08/2015 21:30

DH is five foot four. And utterly lush :-)

TwistInMySobriety · 04/08/2015 12:36

Oh and there's definitely something more than just personal preference going on. If that were the case you'd expect the preferences to be evenly spread among taller / shorter / don't care like some people prefer blonds / brunettes / redheads or whatever. Here 95% of posters have said they have a preference for taller men.

Lurkedforever1 · 04/08/2015 12:52

So? That just makes it a common preference. And when you consider that on average men are taller than women it fits in nicely

roland83 · 04/08/2015 13:02

My ex was 6 foot, I'm 5ft 6.5", my boyfriend is 5ft 6" maybe a tad shorter.

I never saw it as a problem, although he is a slim 32" waist and I'm a size 22! That part of I don't like as I feel even bigger than I already am.. Blush

I also feel that he sometimes would have liked a shorter / petite girlfriend to make him feel more manly.

So sometimes shorter men have a preference for shorter women too, for their own reasons.

TwistInMySobriety · 04/08/2015 13:51

So it means there's probably a degree of social conditioning going on. But that's hardly earth-shattering news.

Preciousbane · 04/08/2015 14:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

milliemanzi · 04/08/2015 14:05

I wonder how many men prefer their partners to be shorter than them.

Lurkedforever1 · 04/08/2015 14:21

I don't think it is social conditioning. Look at how mammals select a mate, it's always about the best match to produce and raise healthy young, and that's about physical strength and just enough mental power to use it. Rather it's the opposite for humans nowadays, although the same primal physical urge may still play its role, we also look way beyond that in the way no mammal does. And so the physical attraction for many of us is not enough without the mental attraction also, which is never the case in any other mammals mate selection.

SoftBlocks · 04/08/2015 14:39

What TheBookofRuth said. I'm 5 7 wear heels most of the time, partner is 5 10, but have had relationships with people between 5 ft 6 and 6 ft 3 and actually didn't like getting a sore neck from looking up all the time! Don't get the thing about the man has to be taller but we've all got our deal breakers, haven't we?

LuluJakey1 · 04/08/2015 15:05

I am not attracted at all to small men. I am 5ft 7. DH is 6ft 1. It's build as well. I like men who are well built- not muscle men but just solid- broad and even a bit chunky. Skinny or very thin men leave me cold as well as short men. 5ft 10 is about my limit.

Not to say I can't see they are nice people but I am not in any way attracted to them. I love DH to bits for his nature and who he is but being physically attracted to him is a significant part of it too. He could probably lose a stone or so but he carrys it well.

bikeandrun · 04/08/2015 15:14

Any gay men or women on here who have a definite preference for their partner to be taller than them or smaller them, how does social conditioning work in these relationships?

SilverNightFairy · 04/08/2015 15:24

I'm 4'11. Both of my husband's(past and present) are over 6'. I just prefer large, tall men. That is just what it is a physical preference. I am not attracted to men who are blonde or thin or hairless. I am also not offended by men who bypass me for taller, darker or smaller breasted females.