Does height matter anymore?

[Johnny Impact]

Yes, height matters. Physical stature is one of the most obvious indicators of strength and health. Our instincts drive us to select strong, healthy mates. This is the same reason a jellyroll like myself will always lose out to a chiseled Bowflex-commercial bod. Muscle-guy isn't really going to be more useful -- I can lift a sofa / install a new kitchen sink / mow the lawn as well as he can -- but that means less than nothing in the face of instinct. A tall man literally stands above a short one, and we're programmed to accord status to that fact.

You're right. Height is often regarded as a sign of power.

As somebody who worked in venue security (and trained in kickboxing) through my university years, I believe that this perception simply doesn't mesh with reality. Height - in and of itself - is not a skill, or a golden ticket. If you asked me how many times some tall fella got lit up by a shorter guy during a shift, completely torpedoing his social value, the number would definitely be close to three figures. Experience tells me that confidence and talent regularly trump the superficial, just as the person who's 'built to go' can win over the person who's 'built for show.'

Oh definitely. One of my martial arts instructors was a five-nothing woman and I'm here to tell you she could destroy me, and likely you, six ways from Sunday. A large opponent merely afforded her the opportunity to scamper up and over you like a monkey as she brought the pain. She scared me more than the big-guy head instructor, who has the skills and conditioning to beat an entire NFL team in a fight and make it look easy. A big guy can afford to use restraint, a tiny woman cannot.

Being large can create some pretty serious no-win scenarios. The only fight I was ever in was against a kid half my size in school. He ran up and jumped on my back. If I had thrown him down and kicked his teeth in, the fact that he attacked me would not have mattered one little bit. I would have been the big bully picking on the little kid. If I had just let him hit me, I would have been a pussy. He, on the other hand, had nothing to lose. As it was, it basically ended in a draw when he saw a couple teachers heading our way and ran off.

The prevailing view is that height's a winning attribute for men. On the other hand, from what I have seen and heard, being tall is a double-edged sword for women. Their height will deter the lion's share of knuckleheads from making a cold approach, but there will also be plenty of decent people who are stupid enough to believe they don't have a shot.

Or smart enough to understand he really doesn't have a shot. Or courteous enough to understand that a pretty lady gets hassled and hit on everywhere she goes, and the best favor he can do for her is to leave her alone. The way I've typically heard it expressed is "being beautiful doesn't drive away the assholes, it drives away the good men." Since nothing short of a buzzing taser held at the ready is sufficient to drive away assholes, it's just another no-win scenario.

 

[likalaruku]

I guess it only matters if you're A)Trying to get a job as a model (or an HGTV host) or B)Living in China.

I saw a documentary about how just being tall guarantees you career advancement in China, get any job you want. Google "china height discrimination" if you want to read on it.

 

[lacktheknack]

I've only met ONE girl taller than me (which is weird, because I'm "only" 6'4"), but she was a dang attractive lady who was lovely to talk to. So no, I don't think that height matters to ME all that much, although I'm admittedly biased from inexperience.

Fun fact: She went into modeling, and was rejected for being "too tall" at 6'6".

EDIT: Regarding taller MEN than me... it still doesn't matter that much. It's actually kind of refreshing to look up at someone rather than down.

 

[Tiger King]

Yeah I have heard more than one woman state that she would not date someone if they were shorter than them.

I dunno people have their perfect partner sketched out in their head, but often the physical appearance and personality rarely match up.

 

[Abbyka]

Well I prefer tall guys mainly because I'm borderline short and need someone who can reach tall things... I have itty bitty legs and arms. I need help. lol Luckily my husband is a good 6 inches taller than me and has long arms. Even if a guy is only an inch taller that's still an inch closer to reaching that box on the top shelf at the store I can't get! LOL! Walmart is evil and always puts my favorite flavors or powerade on the top shelf!

 

[Hazy]

For men? Yeah.

Well, I mean, somewhat. Sadly, it's up there with small wrists as one of those things you'll have to live with as it's almost 100% based on your genetics. However, there are also a lot of women out there who look at the man as a whole. "So what if he's 5'6? He's got a great face and takes care of his body." That kind of thing. It's their preference and they're absolutely entitled to their criteria of sought after traits in a man, and so long as they're not belittling you or being shitheads about it, you have to respect that.

And just an aside: anyone else think it's absurd that "fat shaming" has so many supporters while "height shaming" has comparatively far less? I mean, one can be changed and the other can't.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Height is an allure in both men and women. For most of the species, it's representative of having money, a diverse diet, physical prowess and posture. A tall woman slumping her shoulders will still look more confidant and in control than a short woman trying to stand straight. Right or wrong as this may be, height does matter.

(Edit) I'm 5'10'' ... which kind of seems 'perfect' for both men and women. Most people (in my social context of Australia) seem to think this is a pretty desireable height regardless. It's tall, but it's not too tall and you don't stand out too much, save if you wear anything heeled. Though I guess it's more of a 'grass is greener' sort of thing. Though I don't like the fact that I'm about 3 inches taller than the average woman. 3 inches is more or less nothing much to worry about, but it still kind of erks me.

I have Klnefelter's, so I have long legs. So I suppose I should think it a blessing that I can have KS, and yet only be 5'10".

 

[Thatguyky]

I'd say I'm around average height for a guy (5'10), and I can't say its ever affected me personally. I have a few female friends who find tall guys attractive, but I think that's one of those features that's more of a bonus than necessity for most.

The height of the girl I'm with doesn't matter to me either. I dated a girl who was 5'11, and neither of us thought anything of it! To each their own I guess.

 

[Starik20X6]

I don't really give too much consideration to height- my preferences tend to be more about her width... What can I say, I like a girl with a little meat on her bones.

 

[Poopster]

I'm 24 years old and only 5'01". Being a short guy is really really hard for me. The insults i get, the ridicule, the disrespect. It's kinda depressing really because i know there's nothing i can do about it. I was born this way.

As for dating, it's just sad.

 

[Cavouku]

I'm about 5'10"/180cm, give or take a centimeter. I might be a little awkward with a girl who was taller than me, but I was able to date a couple girls only about an inch (I'm Canadian, we're inconsistent with measuring systems) shorter than me. They beat me when wearing heels.

Huh... it's funny I worded that like a challenge, when it's just biology. Says something about me, maybe.

Depending on the girl, I could probably deal, but I'd be hard pressed if she topped me by more than 3 inches (you thought I'd go for a left, but I swung right!).

 

[mrgerry123]

People keep pointing out how tall I am(happened today), then yeah, I'd say it matters to some extent.

It also matters every time I bang my head on the doorway in my house because London hates me.

Ever had a moment where you are on the train, mostly Network Rail, you stand up and hit your head on the over head railing for getting how tall you are? Or even how some brushes and branches over hang and you have to dip your head every damn time but your shorter friends are fine.

London does hate tall people lol

The fucking universe hates tall people. Back seat of most cars are too cramped, the height of a lot of public transports are too short. Things are either too small or too goddamn short (6'3 here as well, about 100kg).

I get a lot of the "Gee you look scary" comments. Doesn't help that my neutral face looks a bit menacing.

Anyone who's genuinely shocked about girls wanting taller guys? Well, you're kind of out of the loop aren't you. It's not rocket science. It's the average.

Also...do you people really not understand what short man syndrome is? Its when a short person tries to overcompensate himself because of his height.

I'm 6 foot 2 (188cm for all you sensible metric users out there) and I think being a bit taller than average is an advantage in terms of a larger dating pool as women (in my experience) prefer men who are taller than them. However I don't think height is as big an issue as people make it out to be. Let's say you are 172cm (5 foot 8). 75% of men are taller than you (based off US data) so you are "the short guy". However 9/10 women are your height or shorter so in terms of dating you are doing fine.

In terms of jobs yes tall people tend to earn more money on average.

Activities, it depends. Less chance of back problems, can fit in seats when you travel, better suited to gymnastics. However taller people are better at other sports eg rowing, basketball.

Emotions. Not that I know of. I think your height is a very small factor, if any, in your emotions.

Overall I don't think height is a huge deal, at least not to me.

How in the actual fuck did you come to the conclusion that you get paid more the taller you are?

http://www.livescience.com/5552-taller-people-earn-money.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/5887567/Tall-men-earn-more-than-shorter-colleagues-research-claims..html

http://www.businessinsider.com/if-you-have-any-of-these-20-physical-features-your-pay-check-will-probably-be-higher-2011-2?op=1&IR=T

 

[Janaschi]

I prefer taller women, although I have also been perfectly happy with shorter women (I used to date a Lithuanian lass that was only 4'11).

When it comes to the other way around, I am only 5'5, and I get a strong feeling that my height has affected a few of my relationships, or attempts at starting a relationship. But for the most part, height has never been a big deal for me, and it has not really affected my much outside of being refused to try-out for basketball back when I was still in school.

 

[Ishal]

It's hard wired into us for it to matter. Not really sure why it's even disputed, honestly. It's that protection thing, and it confers both power and success. Those things aren't necessarily true with all tall men, but it's often the impression that counts most.

In my time at Uni there are two sayings that proved very true when seeing them in practice.

"If a guy is good looking, he doesn't need to talk. If a guy can talk, he doesn't need to be good looking."

Tall is part of being good looking. It is by no means a guarantee, there are plenty of lanky creepy men around. In some cases it can even add to their misfortunes. But if they take care of themselves and get everything else in order, rarely is it ever going to be a disadvantage.

"Short men are to women, what fat women are to men."

It's just that simple. Being short is not a preferred trait. I'm 5'5.5" and I'm usually the shortest guy wherever I go. I was always the shortest among my friends. And yeah... it matters. To the degree in which it matters? That varies. But it does matter. Being taller and better proportioned makes you look better when you get a solid build and get some muscle. It means you won't look like a cuck while trying to reach for things and not being able to get them. Do you know how emasculating it is to have another guy grab something for you off the top shelf somewhere around a bunch of girls? See, it's the little things like that. Women notice.

It's not the end of the world. I've never been in a relationship, but I have been to several events with girls and been on dates. Most have gone well. But it is a disadvantage. On OK cupid I think there was a statistic where pretty much all women didn't want to see men who were under like 5'9" or something? Ridiculous.

It just means that if it were broken down in stats, tall guys would generally have 1 point over the short ones. 1 point is hardly a determining factor in most cases. Yet, in the end, it is still an advantage to have.

However, there are some disadvantages to being tall. Tall people don't tend to live as long. Studies have shown that a certain gene which protects against the more deleterious effects of the aging process occurs more in short people. So, there's that.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I am a few inches short for my gender and nation. (5'7" - Male - UK) and height does matter to me when it comes to relationships. I would feel uncomfortable dating someone who is taller than me. I hate being short and even have spent a lot of time and effort ammending my wardrobe to ensure my clothing doesn't accentuate this!

It annoyed me a lot when online dating. A lot of girls state on their profiles that they would only consider men 5'9"+ or even up to 5'11"+. This kinda got old, fast, especially when a lot of these girls were 5'3"-5'5" themselves!

 

[Zeljkia the Orc]

I'm 6'6" and come from a family of tall people, I guess I should go in order for this post...

Growing up I was about the average height with other kids until my growth spurts happened, by Highschool started I was THE tall girl in school. I think the next closest tall girl was 6'2" or something, I cant remember his name but there was one guy who was taller than me. It's been nearly 10 years since highschool. Being tall kind of messed with me though, no one really wanted to date a girl that was taller than them (or more than likely who could bench press them ^^ and I really didn't have friends.

For dating height? I would be waiting for a while to find someone taller than me, so I'm content with dating people shorter than me, my boyfriend is about 5'9" and we make it work. Sure, takes some twisting and bending sometimes, but nothing worth doing is ever easy.

Job wise, I'm self employed and my shop is specifically built around me. From my metal lathe and my precision tools to my sound proof test chamber, I really dont have to worry about things at 'work'.

The one thing I do have problems with is clothes shopping. I mainly wear jeans and t-shirts because they fit. You know how hard it is to find a dress that will fit me?

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I am a few inches short for my gender and nation. (5'7" - Male - UK) and height does matter to me when it comes to relationships. I would feel uncomfortable dating someone who is taller than me. I hate being short and even have spent a lot of time and effort ammending my wardrobe to ensure my clothing doesn't accentuate this!

It annoyed me a lot when online dating. A lot of girls state on their profiles that they would only consider men 5'9"+ or even up to 5'11"+. This kinda got old, fast, especially when a lot of these girls were 5'3"-5'5" themselves!

Given that you feel uncomfortable dating women taller than you (in which case, about 30% will be as you live in the West and you're 5'7") why exactly do you think that women wanting to date men higher than normal height any less peculiar? It seems weird that people seem to be asking women to give up their attraction to taller men, whilst men then turn around and say that having taller women puts them off.

As for me personally, I couldn't care less about the height of my partners, man, woman, neither or both. Though anything above 5'08" is kinda nice. Then I won't be constantly asked to pick stuff off the high shelf for them .... not only that we can share on the mutual pain of having to sit in bus seats being spaced a good 2 inches too close to each other, meaning you have to crook your legs at uncomfortable angles just to sit down. Or having your legs crushed by the little shit in front of you just dropping their chair down on the plane.

 

[Ariseishirou]

What, in dating, or in life? I'm a 5'11" (181cm) tall woman, and while that's certainly taller than average it's not particularly striking (at least not anymore). If I'd tried out for my high school basketball team I would have been the second-shortest one on it.

Personally I like men who are around my height, give or take a couple of inches. This isn't particularly hard to find, and I will - and have - dated guys a couple inches shorter than me, so... that's the vast majority of the male population. I do find, though, that if I guy is too short or too tall it's awkward and unpleasant. I think around 5'7" is my absolute limit because I once dated a 5'6" guy and it was annoying to crane my neck down, whereas the one 6'5" I dated was uncomfortable both to kiss and in bed (he loved it though, because normally I guess for him it was usually even more uncomfortable).

My current boyfriend is about 5'8" and it works out fine.

Uh... as for life? I find men are generally much, much more respectful towards me than they are my petite friends. If they do try to hit on me, it's polite and never overbearing; I never get the outright harassment I've seen other girls get. Also, when I was working a customer service job in college, people would act like assholes to me while I was sitting down, but rarely ever when I was standing. I had this one fat angry knob berating one of my (tiny) coworkers for a mistake he'd made himself in booking, but when I walked over and looked straight down my nose at him he fixed his attitude. I was wearing 3" heels and he was probably only 5'7".

I wonder if that's a primal, lizard brain thing. I could be a conceivable threat if I got angry or took something the wrong way; my 5'1", 90lb coworker, probably not so much. The douchebags of the world move on to someone they can more easily menace as a result. (For the record, I've had similar experiences with angry butch women being assholes until I walk over or stand up and straighten, too.)

 

[Hazy]

snip

In a perfect world nobody would be ridiculed or belittled by how they look. But I think if we're going to expend manpower to fix society's bigotry, it should be allocated to areas where someone absolutely cannot alter themselves in any way shape or form. Weight, I'm sorry to say, is not one of these things. It's difficult, absolutely, but you can lose weight. It's 100% dedication and willpower, and that's not just some phoney balogney jargon I'm spewing -- it's first hand experience as someone who was once 25+% pure body fat.

It was very difficult and took an insane amount of dedication to get where I am now, but I'm all the better for it and it's a feeling I wish I could bring to everyone struggling with their current body.

Maybe it's just me who feels this way, but I think something that sucks and can't be changed by a person outweighs something that sucks and can be changed. Because unless you fancy medieval torture devices you are stuck at your height.

 

[Flutterguy]

I'm the same height as you OP, and some shorter people do hold a grudge to me when we meet initially. For a select few that never wears off, but for the most part they'll make less shallow opinions later on.

For people of the opposite sex it is similar, but amplified, since guys and gals tend to approach each other on very shallow ground.

Obviously in out technological age it has and is becoming less and less of an issue.