This thread reminded me of an incident that went down when I visited some loved ones last year. A friend and I went to a trendy spot he had been telling me about, hoping that it would live up to the hype. (it didn't) I secured a table as he went to fetch a couple of menus. When he reached the bar, a moderately attractive woman stood right in front of the stack, so he lightly tapped her on the shoulder and politely asked to cut in. Before he could finish, the arrogant twit instinctively spat some "
ugh, you're too short for me" nonsense, then stormed away when he informed her that he was after drink menus, not an NBA tryout. For the record, this 'short' man is about 5'10 in shoes,[footnote]Healthy, financially stable, well-travelled, and under 30. It's a shame he's soooooooooooo short!

[/footnote] and they were about the same height. (mind, she was wearing heeled shoes) The part that made this so memorable came a few minutes later-- the same woman ventured over to our corner of the venue, and started hounding him for validation. My personal highlight was the classic "
are you gay?" moment.[footnote]You see this quite often when a person gets blown out. Their bubble bursts, and they are desperate to know why.[/footnote] It was equal parts sad and entertaining. I ended up slipping one of the bar staff a couple of sly tenners to mix the poor sap something that would wash the taste of defeat away.
Johnny Impact said:
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.'
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. My friend from the above story had a pretty good long-term relationship with a woman who was about 6'4.