Short people strike me as being insecure and somewhat paranoid. Also, they are evil. :p

Huh? Sure - some short people are insecure, some are not.

Some tall people are insecure, some are not. Some fat people are insecure, some are not. Some blond people are insecure, some are not. Some black people are insecure, some are not. Some white peoplea are insecure, some are not.

Duh.

My shorter buddy keeps saying I'm unapproachable and too proud; I suppose that's because she looks at my face from the bottom and gets the impression that I'm always looking down on her or over her head. Of course, such interpretation is false.

But I agree with Gravity.

There are some unique advantages to all sizes.

I'm sure there were some great people.... Einstein, Alex The Great.... Bush is tall and sucky.... I'm bad with names, use your own knowledge.

Ah, Luis the Sun king was short and insecure and wore heels. But there were few instances like that.

(Warning: I'm not necessarily good with these historical references, history was one of my worst subjects in school.)

Stalin, Hitler, Saddam... Anyone have a clue if they were VC?

Napoleon Bonaparte was not short. That was English propaganda that said he was 5'2" in reality he was 5'7" which was average for a European man at the time.

I never thought about short people being insecure until an old college buddy of mine that I was out drinking with (he was 5'5")...head-butted a 6'4" guy....my short buddy beat the shit out of him! :eek: and I was very embarrased.

I'm 5'7"..short by todays standards, but not insecure. It makes me stick out in a good.. wierd way. People have shocked to see me after speaking on the phone..

I know a few guys below 5'5". Some of them display the short man syndrome; spiked hair, gangster clothes, pointing out the flaws in other people..etc. They seem to be growing out of it. Only a few of them have always been comfortable with their height.

Short people tend to have slightly fragile egos (a good thing). Not necessarily insecure.

I have a divine ego, but I'm not tall at all. All my male friends are taller than me. 1.74m.
p.s. It's easier to hide, when you're small

Having done full time competitive alpine skiing for a living for a long time - one thing that is very obvious in the industry is that different sizes have different strengths and weaknesses in competition. Shorter guys/gals excel much more in the more rapid fire events - SL & Moguls for example, and taller guys/gals excel more in the speed events such as SG & DH. It has to do with center of mass (lower CM means the ability to create faster changes in the position/direction of movement of the CM), aerodynamics (taller folks actually can make a more effecient tuck - hands and head further out/forward of the feet/knees), leverage differences, and more -- so while there are some tall folks who have excelled in the short turn events, and some shorter folks who have excelled in the speed events -- in general you see a clear seperation of body types.

So, I wonder if this is pretty much true of every sport and undertaking we take? That there are clear advantages and disadvantages to any body type?

I can agree that with the "sport" I know -> martial arts.
In tournaments the shorter people have shown to move fast and when they get close to the taller guys the taller guys can not hit them, because their arms and legs are too long and not usable in short distances. But then.. it's really hard to get close to a tall guy, because he can keep the distance with his long arms n' legs. Of course we always use their disadvantage of slowness to get close.

Short people strike me as being insecure and somewhat paranoid. Also, they are evil. :p
What do you mean by short? Below 5 feet? Is there a standard convention that defines a short-person? Why would a short person should be insecure?

I personally would define short as less than 5'9" for a man and less than 5'6" for women. But that's not exactly a standard convention. Short people are insecure because everybody knows that being tall is better.

Why being tall is better? Aren't there disadvantages of being tall ans much as there are for being short?

I'm 5' 5 and Mrs. Tabla is 4' 11. I'm not insecure and neither is the missus.

The worst thing about being short, is that clothes are sometimes too big depending on the fashion. I don't actually feel short, just compact and I enjoy my size.

Being small isn't all bad. I'm 5'4, people really do underestimate me when they see me walk on a tennis court. They think I will lack power and reach. Think again ;) Less weight, small fast steps, own big,slow heavy steps.


Fastest tennis players in the world, Coria (5'9), Grosjean (5'8). (they're the smallest)

I think tall ppl are arrogant, they look down at you like they're better/stronger. Once this huge guy who towered over me kept looking at me like that, so i turned round and said what the fuck are you looking at? he carried on walking on. ha,fucking pricks.

So the advantages of being small:
You can run much faster.
Just the same amount of power as taller people if you work out.

Disadvantages:
Walk slower.
You get taller ppl thinking they're better which they aint.


Peace

Try to lift a
long pole by holding onto just one end. Now try to lift a short pole. It’s
much harder to life the long one, isn’t it? The same thing is going on
with the tall and short person. The tall person has to work harder to move
their longer limbs.

Being an unusually tall female - i have noticed average to short males ready for a confrontations even before i start talking!!! LOL

"Confrontations"? Like they think physical battle is about to break out?! As an average height male I can say that male or female, tall or short - I don't usually find height has anything to do with any automatic bracing for a confrontation!

Though certainly an *attractive* female (tall or short) may give me wishful thinking for a certain type of ''confrontation''! :)

confrontations - not physical, but verbal & mental. They somehow feel intimidated due to my height (& weight) and have the sudden need to prove their selves (male) right. Most of them refuse to reason and start a debate/argument with the first word. I have not found such an attitude/problem with females though.

Being a short male and married to an even shorter woman, I find tall attractive women peculiarly desirable; maybe it's because they're unattainable to me.

Well, most men in our society (short or tall) - especially those under the age of 35-45 or so, are simply insecure when it comes down to it. Manifesting in different ways, with the shorter ones I'm sure height issues are one of the manifestations.

Atleast short people aren't arrogant.

Short people advantages.

Shorter people have faster reaction times, greater ability to accelerate body movements, stronger muscles in proportion to body weight, greater endurance, and the ability to rotate the body faster. They are also less likely to break bones in falling. Shorter people are also less likely to require surgery for herniated spinal disks. In addition, shorter people are less likely to break a hip from falling. Another advantage of smaller people is that they are less likely to die in auto crashes.One study found that people weighing less than 132 pounds had the lowest risk of dying or suffering serious injuries compared to bigger people.

An early paper illustrating the greater longevity of shorter people appeared in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization in 1992. Since then we have presented substantial findings showing that shorter, smaller people live longer. The reason for this is that bigger bodies have more cells and these cells are subject to replacement due to wear or damage. Ha!

A few years ago, a comprehensive study of about 300 height and cancer papers, concluded that taller people had a 20 to 60% higher incidence of cancer compared to shorter people. More recently, breast, testicular, and prostate cancer studies found taller women and men suffered from substantially higher cancer rates.

I'm really glad I'm small.

heard somewhere that short people are sly and sinister. Is it true? Any experiences?

just remeber that time that really tall guy got out of the small car in "the simpsons", y'know the one where he made neslon walk through the streets with his pants down >?

insecurity is everyones issue, that is why there are such things as fashion, make-up, obsessive workout techiques, obsessive dieting, yardy yardah .....

I'm only about 5'8", kinda short by american standards, and relativley light, maybe 145 lbs. (1.72 m, 68kg for those in the metric crowd) I dont think that I'm insecure, but I do notice that when I'm with my taller friends, and we meet someone new, the new person will usually give more respect to my tall friend than they do me.

So, I do find it sometrimes nescesary to interact with someone in a confrontational manner just so they know I'm around.

I've had instances, growing up, when I seemed to get picked on simply becuase of my small stature. It made me an easy target. Because of that I've had to learn to be a bit of a pain in the ass when required.

I dont push people around, I'm actually very polite and non-violent. But if people want to push me around, I'll push back hard.

People that think that small people have a chip on their shoulder may be disrespecting them without being wholly conscious of it.

confrontations - not physical, but verbal & mental. They somehow feel intimidated due to my height (& weight) and have the sudden need to prove their selves (male) right. Most of them refuse to reason and start a debate/argument with the first word. I have not found such an attitude/problem with females though.

I have similar experiences. As a 6'0" bodybuilder, a lot of guys are intimidated by my physicality, and it follows therefore, despite my boyishly handsome smile (heh!), many petite girls find me even more aweing, and not necessarily to my benefit.

As a fan of the larger lady, may I ask how tall you are? And..I won't ask your weight, being a gentleman, but would you describe yourself as Ecto, Meso or Endo?

I've always been a big fan of big women. Yes, I've seen a lot of beautiful petite women, but all other things being equal, big beats small. And that goes for both genders, indeed in most areas of life.


Jaybee

I'm 5'8" - taller than an average Indian male, being a female I stand head and shoulders above my counterparts. I'm overweight by about 20 kilos. Also, my build is quite braod, giving me a very large appearance. My dark large eyes, and my habit of looking straight into the other person eyes, while talking doesnt really help them feel comfortable.

Looking into peoples eyes only makes the insecure uncomfortable. It makes the rest of us feel more connected to the speaker.

Exactly the point. I look into the eyes to feel more connected. Most men (Indian), feel insecure just by the sight of a larger woman.

I'm 5'8" - taller than an average Indian male, being a female I stand head and shoulders above my counterparts. I'm overweight by about 20 kilos. Also, my build is quite braod, giving me a very large appearance. My dark large eyes, and my habit of looking straight into the other person eyes, while talking doesnt really help them feel comfortable.

I'm actually an NRI myself, and although I'm still taller than my NRI peers, the improved nutrition increased average heights by a couple of inches above the previous generation.

Taller women seem more prized here (and are DEFINITELY prized by me!) although if you exceed average male height, you are at a slight disadvantage in the dating pool here, a disadvantage that increases with every inch over 5'9".

I personally feel I have a duty to marry a taller, larger woman; a duty to my future kids. I definitely want my sons to be taller than I am, and my daughters to be taller than my mother.


Jaybee

"I personally feel I have a duty to marry a taller, larger woman; ....."

I have rejected many marraige proposals just becuase the man was shorter or the same height. ;)

How difficult has it been to get men to overlook your weight? Even at average weights, I find they value the sleek, slim look of Rai over the slightly larger boned Shetty (whereas my preference is the reverse) and of course, your country is overflowing with slim women.

I cannot imagine the disadvantage that an excess 20kg of fat must be when trying to find an Indian man...my comiserations.


Jaybee.

"Short people got no reason to live." (Randy Newman (http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/shortpeo.htm))

Remember that the taller man usually gets elected president; I don't think that's a uniform standard anymore, but I haven't cared enough to look. To the other, though, if anyone recalls the excellent movie Crazy People (http://imdb.com/title/tt0099316/), "Americans are just too damn tall!"

More appropriately:

• Neimark, Jill. "The Beefcaking of America". Psychology Today, Nov./Dec., 1994. See http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19941101-000021.html

• BBC News. "Does your height affect your life?" June 30, 2003. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3014106.stm

• Mangano, Joe. "Heightism - The Last Bastion of Discrimination". ShortSupport.org, May, 2002. See http://www.shortsupport.org/Essays/JoeMangano1.html

How difficult has it been to get men to overlook your weight? Even at average weights, I find they value the sleek, slim look of Rai over the slightly larger boned Shetty (whereas my preference is the reverse) and of course, your country is overflowing with slim women.

I cannot imagine the disadvantage that an excess 20kg of fat must be when trying to find an Indian man...my comiserations.


Jaybee.


20KGS in a 5'8" broad frame get lost. Though i dont look as slim as rai or any on that list.....i dont even appear to be fat - its an advantage that the height gives. But an overall impression of my physical appearance is like a mountain.

Also you view about females in India is not completely correct. An average Indian woman is slightly overweight - especailly after marraige and childbirth. Most of them never get back into shape. Maybe that's the reason Indian men look for a slim woman to marry to, so that she does not get toooo fat after childbirth ;)

But ofcourse your view will have formed only by the pictures that you see of India (usually they only show the poverty) and movies (bollywood is out answer to hollywood :D )

20KGS in a 5'8" broad frame get lost. Though i dont look as slim as rai or any on that list.....i dont even appear to be fat - its an advantage that the height gives. But an overall impression of my physical appearance is like a mountain.

I find it difficult to believe that 20kgs of flesh, blood, bone and fat can be hidden from the casual observer when dressing without the intention of concealment. When you say 'mountain', I presume you have a pear-shaped figure - narrow shoulders, widening out to the largest circumference at hip level, and then tapering slightly towards your feet.


Also you view about females in India is not completely correct. An average Indian woman is slightly overweight - especailly after marraige and childbirth. Most of them never get back into shape. Maybe that's the reason Indian men look for a slim woman to marry to, so that she does not get toooo fat after childbirth ;)

Well, that's the great thing about getting a tall wife; her height will NEVER vary!

I attribute any excess weight to poor diet. As wealth increases over there, so does the volume of food taken in, but I suspect that the type of food does not vary, or in fact gets worse; people are tempted to eat more of that sickly-sweet stuff that seems so popular over there, and the vegetarians eat very, very little protein indeed - I know this, as chapati/potatoes/vegetables contain very little Protein.


But ofcourse your view will have formed only by the pictures that you see of India (usually they only show the poverty) and movies (bollywood is out answer to hollywood :D )

Actually, not ONLY by Bollywood/the News; I have received some friends of my father at my house, and a minority of my peers have decided to marry women from India. One or two of them were of average build (by western standards), but the majority were built more like Rai than Shetty.

Incidentally, the second generation here doesn't watch much Bollywood, and I don't watch it at all; I concede that the quality of output has increased dramatically over the last 5-10 years (from what I've heard), but unless they start to produce non-weepy films of the calibre of 'The Matrix', or 'Collateral', I will not be tempted.

Going back to Indian women, how often do you notice women who are taller than you (aside from family) ?


Jaybee.

Shorter men are more likely to be insecure.

When discussing what women are attracted to, physical presence is almost always a factor. However, it is not the physical presence in itself which leads to the attraction - more often than not, it is the self-confidence that a physical presence can help provide. A larger man is, generally speaking, more secure in himself. That security derives largely from the knowledge that he is percieved by others as being able to enforce his will when neccessary, regardless of whether or not he is actually able to. To use a metaphor, a large man is like one born wealthy. Confidence can be found, or found lacking, in both large and small - but it is by far found more frequently in the large, given a good headstart. This can have its disadvantages, too, in that the larger man's confidence derives almost solely from others reactions to him rather than from any real knowledge of himself, but when speaking of social advantage that point is irrelevant.

Watch any action movie. Among the bad guys, there is the leader, the thugs he controls, and the nerdy scientific type who makes the bombs and hacks into computers. Note the physical aspect of each actor playing those characters. Note that the little nerd psycopath is never the leader.

When confronted by a larger man, a smaller has an instinctual biological awareness that he is in the presence of another who he thinks he is unlikely to be able to physically dominate. Thus, he finds other avenues. Humans adapt readily.
An interesting note. Take the fingers of your hand and measure roughly three inches - 7.5 cm. That is the difference between a man who is 5'8" and one who is 5'11" - in purely physical terms, next to nothing. Yet, when a confrontation occurs, individual perception can magnify that difference many times. That magnification is the result of an instinctual fear reaction.

Some smaller men become amiable, friendly types, able to get along with anyone simply because they must in order to avoid confrontation - and sometimes to have help nearby should it occur. Some become conniving, sharp and cunning. Some habitually confront those larger than they in order to "prove" themselves. Others will walk away from a fight, telling themselves that they are the bigger man for doing so - in order to mask their true motive. We've already seen in this thread the ones who will find advantages in being short...delberately. We've also seen those who stress that they would remain unbowed when beaten. That, too, is an admission in itself. It is also a means by which the smaller man seeks to earn the respect of the larger man who has just beaten him by remaining unbowed. That it makes him the supplicant is often not percieved.

In the modern work situation, we commonly see authority derived from a badge of office rather from any natural authority. While not strictly on topic, as others factors come into play in this, it can be a result of weakness sheltering under the wing of social control.

Some focus more on the intellect and assume superiority that way. This is only a temporary solution in a social situation. When speaking of initial attraction, the intellectual may do well with women who find an intellectual attractive - until he is confronted with another man who is also an intellectual but who happens to have a greater physical presence. It can be interesting to see a seemingly confident intellectual stammer in the presence of another who he knows can beat the shit out of him should the situation arise - or how his language changes from being a confident opinion to an opinion put in more polite terms.
Instinct. Powerful, largely subconscious, and almost uncontrollable.

(It is interesting to note at this point that some of the examples above exhibited by many smaller men are generally considered as being "feminine" social traits).

I am also considering, once again, the difference the internet has made in this regard. It has become a levelling factor in many ways - and yet, it also serves to magnify some aspects of personality as well. It is not difficult in many instances to spot the little man hidden behind the computer screen. Given the opportunity to transcend genetic boundaries, many instead show an unawareness of the self by magnifying insecurity instead.
Caricatures. I'm thinking of caricatures.

I *used* to be teeny-tiny, and I always felt like people were laughing at me behind my back. I'm semi-tall now, and not insecure anymore.

In my experience short people are particularly insecure. They're always trying to prove something. Completely transparent. "I know what your problem is. You're short!" Then I kick them.

/sneers/ What if the short one is a martial artist and you end with your bones scattered over a wide area?

I remember my previous experience, when almost everyone in my class was shorter than me. That made me insecure: I thought I was somehow abnormal, clumsy. What made matters worse was that the boys that seemed most worthy of my attention were hilariously shorter than me. I sense the same insecurity in many overly-tall people, as I watch them stoop to somehow make their heads on the same level as the heads of those with whom they converse (to perhaps hear better). That's a very unhealthy habit.

On the contrary, I've seen plenty of short people with great confidence (men as well). That's really what made me wish I was shorter in the past: I wanted to be as cute and confident as the short ones :( .