Heightism - The Facts

Heightism – The Facts as I see them.

(Please note this page is constantly evolving and changing as I explore heightism and learn more. This is also just my personal take on heightism – other heightism activists may view heightism differently).

What is Heightism?

Wikipedia describes Heightism as ‘Heightism is prejudice or discrimination based on height. In principle it can refer to treatment of either unusually tall or short people.’

What this means in for shorter people in practice is

• The assumption that shorter people have various personality traits, most of which are negative. These include aggressiveness, selfishness, lower intelligence and social awkwardness.

• The view that shorter people are less or not at all desirable as romantic partners in comparison to taller people. This is most often and most frequently experienced by shorter men.

• The view that shorter people are not to be taken seriously or capable of holding positions of authority.  There is evidence that shows shorter people are less likely to be promoted at their place of work and are less like to be perceived as intelligent or authoritative.

Why does Heightism exist?

I wish I knew the answer to that and it is something I hope to understand better while I write more for this blog. I believe that Heightism, like all prejudice, is a social construct. I believe that it is reinforced by the media.

Do some people really believe that shorter people have negative personality traits?

If you have ever heard the term ‘Napoleon Complex’ then you know it is true. A shorter person, usually shorter men, will often be viewed as aggressive or trying to ‘compensate for something’. (For an excellent debunking of the Napoleon Complex please see http://thesocialcomplex.tumblr.com/ )

Some shorter people report being patronised intellectually or treated like a child when working or socialising.

As a shorter women I have been told that I am weaker and in need of more protection then taller females.

Do some people really believe that shorter people are less sexually attractive or desirable as romantic partners.

The key term here is ‘really’. Personally it is my opinion that some people perceive shorter people as less attractive, but that this view is a social construct reinforced by the media. In that sense people ‘really’ feel this way. If you watch sitcoms, scan Twitter comments or just generally read stuff you will see that many people subscribe to the ‘tall=attractive’ viewpoint.

However I don’t believe that they ‘really’ feel this way. I believe that ‘tall = attractive’ is an artificial construct. I believe that if people were free to explore their sexuality without outside pressures and influences that height would not be a factor in determining attractiveness. I will elaborate on this in later posts.

Is Heightism the same as the prejudice experienced by Little People and Dwarfs?

I don’t think so but I think it depends on your definition. While Little People can and will often experience Heightism, there is a unique and different form of prejudice that effects Little People. I'm not sure what term Little People like to use to describe the prejudice they experience, it may be referred to as disablism or by another term. I cannot vouch for this, but I suspect that Little People have to experience both.

Why do you use the term ‘Shorter People’ instead of just short.

I use the term because

1. Height is relative. You can’t be short, you can only be shorter. You are either taller or shorter then the person closest to you. You are probably shorter then most trees and taller then most dogs. It is a matter of perception not an absolute fact.

2. It is impossible to define the parameters of short when they are applied to humans. We could look at average height and declare everyone who is below this ‘short’. However this would not be a useful lens through which to explore heightism. The average height changes through time and from nation to nation. What is perceived as tall in one country would be seen as short to average in another. As a result a person of 5 foot 2 inches on one side of the globe may regularly experience heightism whereas someone of the same height elsewhere may never encounter it at all. It is more useful to use the term shorter because readers of this blog can decide if it applies to them or not.

3. I think using the term shorter points out the absurdity of Heightism. Short on its own sounds so different. It is othering. When used to describe a person it makes the person seem as if they belong to a different group, almost to a different species. When we use the term shorter this doesn’t happen in the same way. A shorter person is shorter in relation to other people not in isolation.