The Telegraph - Why would you even ask this 'Napoleon Complex' question?

Recently Art Garfunkel was interviewed by the Telegraph, by Nigel Farndale. I didn't pick the interview up because it's behind a paywall, but it's been summarised by a website I've never seen before called Breitbart.

It is entitled 'Art Garfunkel: Paul Simon a jerk with short man syndrome'

Here is the key passage

When asked if 5’3” Simon might suffer from a Napoleonic complex, Garfunkel replied: “I think you’re on to something. I would say so, yes.”

He then claimed he initiated a friendship with the short man in school because he felt sorry for him, and offered his love as compensation. He added: “that compensation gesture has created a monster.”

I have no idea what actually went down between Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon. I wasn't born and I don't care. I'm assuming the interviewer, Nigel Farndale, wasn't there either - so why does he jump to the conclusion that Paul Simon's decision to stop performing with Art Garfunkel was related to his height and the mythical short man syndrome?

Why not simply ask 'Why do you think Paul Simon stopped performing with you'?

Why phrase the question in such an offensive way? Was it an attempt to be insightful? If so it was a cheap shot.

As for Art Garfunkel's comments, well, I now have my own working theory as to why Paul Simon might not have wanted to be in his company any longer.

Height - the other wage gap!

This article from the Atlantic takes a look at recent studies which seek to examine why shorter people tend to earn less and be less likely to acquire executive roles then taller people.

The article seems to suggest that nutrition is the major factor because as well as growing taller a well nourished child is more likely to have better social skills and be more intelligent - thus making them more employable.

No where in the article does it say that any of the studies cited have considered that the wage gap may be due to heightism, although there is an acknowledgement that taller children tend to be treated better.

It's a good article in terms of the statistics it provides about the difficulties faced by shorter people, but it's frustrating that it doesn't give heightism the consideration it deserves.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/the-financial-perks-of-being-tall/393518/

"Probably that I'm short, that might not be what everyone expects."

I came across an article today about Minnesota Women's Business Hall of fame and 8 women who are about to join this institution.

Amongst the eight women is Esperanza Guerrero-Anderson who runs her own consultancy firm. The article states

She climbed the corporate ladder quickly, citing just one small obstacle.

“Probably that I am short, that might not be what everyone expects,” Guerrero-Anderson said.

But while she may be short, her career accomplishments certainly aren’t.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/04/07/8-women-to-be-honored-in-minn-women-business-owners-hall-of-fame/

Here it seems to me that Ms Guerroro-Anderson is highlighting societies prevailing attitude, that assertiveness is a trait that belongs exclusively to taller people.

It reminded me of an incident from my past, one which I might have spoken about before. Many years ago I lived in a block of flats and there were a number of problems with them. I decided to try and get some of the residents together to discuss these issues and I arranged a meeting and advertised by leafleting, rather then knocking on doors and speaking to people in person. No one had seen me before the meeting.

After the meeting I got to chatting with one of the men who had attended. He was a fairly tall man. He made a comment which confused me at the time, but that I now think I understand. He said something along the lines of "I was shocked by how short you were when you opened the door. I expected to look straight into your eyes."

Now in fairness I am shorter then average so I suppose my height can surprise people. But what I now wonder, in the light of Ms Guerroro-Anderson's comments is if he was shocked because he didn't expect a shorter person to behave in the assertive way that I did. Organising that meeting was an assertive act, almost an act of leadership. I do wonder if his surprise at my height was partly based on his internalised heightism? Did he subconsciously view my actions as those of a taller person? He had no other reason to suppose I was going to be as tall as him. He was a perfectly nice man and his comments were not intended to hurt me or even said in a critical matter, just said in a very matter of fact way.

I suppose I'll never know.

A clarification about this blog's comments policy.

Today I received a comment from a reader on one of my old blog entries, which was about shoe lifts.

The reader commented that he felt that shoe lifts gave some men confidence.

I am open to debate about the issue and I am happy to allow comments of that nature in most cases.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the reader's comment also included a link to a website which sells shoe lifts.

I'm not prepared to allow that. My blog is an anti heightism space and I don't want to encourage my readers to buy products that encourage heightist thinking.

I couldn't find a way to keep the comment while loosing the link, so unfortunately it was necessary to remove the comment entirely.

I hope that has provided some clarification.

Apparently film stars are shorter because they are more 'touchy-feely'

First off, sorry for the extended absence. Life gets in the way!

Apparently it's a slow news day as the Daily Mail have kindly brought us this gem.

"Why ARE today's stars so short?" Emphasis on the 'are' is theirs.

Subheading 'Actors were once strapping hunks and muscular specimens. Now the modern leading man is more likely to be required to burst into tears, says Quentin Letts.'

LINK

The article starts with the line 'Actors were once strapping hunks, thick thighed he-men who only had to arrive at a film premier to make everyone's eyes bulge. 

To illustrate this point the article includes an infographic of actors who came in at over 6 foot tall.

It conveniently leaves out famous actors who didn't fit in with this image including possibly the most famous actor ever Laurence Olivier (reportedly 5 foot 6) , famous heartthrob Rudolph Valentino (reportedly 5 foot 10), Richard Burton famously sexy actor married to screen siren Elisabeth (reportedly 5 foot 10), James Dean famously sexy rebel without a cause (reportedly 5 foot 8) and Steve McQueen once known as the King of Cool who was reportedly 5 foot 9.

The article is then full of charming comments such as this one discussing the actor Eddie Redmayne, describing his appearance in the audience at the 2015 Oscar ceremony.

'The actress Cate Blanchett loomed over him - she look so much bigger then him, he could have been her lunch'

At least we now know the real reason there are not many shorter actors in Hollywood. Cate Blanchett eats them all.

Other highlights include . . .

Generally, films these days are less likely to contain the sort of bar brawls, tough-guy scraps and derring-do scenes requiring brawn. The modern leading man is more likely to be required to burst into tears and go shopping. 

By the way does any one remember that Yul Brynner, reportedly 5 foot 8, played a gun fighter in the Magnificent Seven?

The hunks of old Hollywood were gorgeously suited, big as nightclub bouncers and radiated reliability. But today such men have given way to fluttering, scrawny types in torn denims, who perhaps - like Eddie Redmayne - model Burberry machintoshes in their spare time. 

The article blames Feminism and Hollywood directors for this apparent change between shorter actors and taller actors. It claims that directors want to show men as emotionally responsive and suggests that shorter actors are therefore more desirable. It also contradicts itself by pointing out that famously shorter actor Tom Cruise takes steps to make himself appear taller and that Arnold Schwarzenegger felt the need to conceal his true height.

What annoys me about this, is that I know that somewhere there will be a shorter man or perhaps young boy who will be reading this and taking in all of the negativity that is being spewed his way. He will be internalising the message that if he is a shorter man he isn't  truly masculine but that he is a 'fluttering scrawny type' who will look ridiculous if he even stands next to a women who is taller then him.

To me the tone of the article seems to suggest that real masculinity has been whittled away by Hollywood. I think that the problem is our heightist society's failure to accept that masculinity comes in men of lots of shapes and sizes, some of the taller and shorter.

Reality TV Star Jonathan McNally commits suicide - worries about height a factor.

This is heartbreaking.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2751832/Reality-TV-star-hanged-worries-short-5ft-7in.html

A father-of-one who was due to star in a new reality TV show set in Birmingham killed himself because he feared he was too short, an inquest has heard.

Jonathan McNally, 27, a personal trainer, was due to appear in a Birmingham version of The Only Way Is Essex called The Project after auditioning for the show in May.

However, just a few weeks later he hanged himself in a friend's back garden after a battle with depression sparked by issues over his height - despite the fact that he was 5ft 7in. 

 Speaking after Mr McNally’s inquest on Tuesday, his sister Gina McNally said: 'He had issues with his height from a young age. 'All through school he was tiny and had tests which showed he was behind by about two years. He was depressed from a young age about it. But he eventually shot up and was around 5ft 7ins. 

'Other things added to the way he felt. All this should have been picked up from when he was a child, but it never was.' 

Birmingham Coroner’s Court heard that Mr McNally, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, died six days after being found hanged on June 1. Coroner Louise Hunt recorded a verdict of suicide. 

At an inquest into his death, Mr McNally's family said his depression was sparked by issues over his height when he was a child, despite the fact that he eventually grew to be 5ft 7in 

Sisters Jamie, 32, Gina, 23, and Leanne, 34 , believe Mr McNally did not intend to kill himself, and blame a lack of support from metal health services for his death 

However, Mr McNally's family said they did not believe he had intended to take his own life and called for improvements in mental health services. 

Gina, aged 23 and from Sutton Coldfield, said her brother had been given tablets for his depression but more could have been done. 

She said: 'Jon had gone to the doctors but all he got were tablets. He heard voices in his head. 

'He wasn’t offered any counselling and I don’t think enough was done to help him or take care of his mental health issues. There was a lack of support.' 

Mr McNally (left), a personal trainer, died six days after hanging himself in a friend's back garden on June 1 

Older sister Leanne Harper, 32, who also attended the inquest with brother Wayne, 36, and a third sister, 34-year-old Jamie, added: 'We don’t think he wanted to commit suicide. He was up and down over the years but did his best to cover it up.' 

Jamie thanked Mr McNally’s friend Kim Myles and her neighbour Amy Daniels, who both tried to keep him alive. 

Mr McNally's parents Micky, 49, and Lynn, 56, were too upset to attend the inquest but issued a joint statement saying: 'We forgive Jon for what he did. 

'It takes a brave person to do what he did, not a coward. We love and miss him loads. 

I'm so angry right now. I'm angry about what happened and I'm so sad for his family.

What sort of society is this? Where a little boy grows up depressed because he fears being short!

Sadly we cant ask Mr McNally what he was feeling but my guess is that it was along the lines of what other shorter men report feeling. I suspect that he was worried about being picked on, of being perceived as less masculine, of being a subject of mockery for others. All the wonderful things he achieved in his life, his family, his success in TV were not enough because on some level he felt he wasn't enough. Heightism made him feel like he wasn't enough.

I know that there were other factors at play here but it's clear that Heightism scarred poor Mr McNally so badly that it was a contributing factor to his bad mental health and eventual suicide.

Next time someone tells you that Heightism doesn't matter, that it's just a joke and that you should lighten up, point them this way.

Heightism hurts. Heightism destroys families. Heightism kills men.

RIP Mr McNally

High heels are never the answer

ABC Australia published a piece recently which you can see at the link below.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bodysphere/the-long-and-the-short-of-it/5362104

It's interesting because it takes a broad view of heightism, looking at the experiences of both taller and shorter people.

I did find it somewhat depressing however because of the contrasting ways the people in the article responded to the heightism they experienced and how these responses can be classified in my opinion.

Taller man Jeremy Eyers, prints a slogan t-shirt which effectively calls people out for staring at him - (activism)

Taller women Petra Tyers, creates support group for taller people - (activism)

Shorter man Mr Ngiau-Keng, creates shoes that make shorter men look taller, says "It's just nice to see the grooms so happy wearing the shoes and the brides very happy because in the photo's there's not going to be that height difference anymore" - (capitulation)

Shorter father and son Marco and Aaron Garboletto open a cafe called 'Two Short Men' and raise the floor behind their bar so that they appear taller then there customers - (can be seen as capitulation)

It's important when looking at these examples to bear in mind that these are just examples of people who were chosen by ABC, it's not a representative sample of how all shorter and taller people deal with heightism.

What is striking to me about these examples however is that the taller people respond to the heightism they encounter as though the fault lies with the world, not with them. By printing slogan t-shirts and creating support groups they are clearly stating that the problem lies with others perceptions.

On the other hand, the shorter people here have responded to the heightism they face as if the fault lies with them and not with the world. Mr Ngiau-Keng encourages men to change their appearance, is if it's their shortness that's at fault - not other people's prejudices. I don't like to have a go at another shorter person, and I understand that Mr Ngiau-Keng is trying to help and that this is his response to what were probably some very painful experiences in his life. Still, I'm saddened by it.

There is probably a big tongue-in-cheek element to Mr and Mr Garboletto's cafe and it's always fun to take the piss out of yourself and yet I'm still uncomfortable with this. Why does the cafe have to be about their height. Why does their height even have to be an issue? Why can't they just be the Two Awesome Chef's or something to that effect? What's the deal with the raised floor? Is it just another expression of the raised shoes?

I think I'm uncomfortable with the idea suggested by this cafe that shortness is something to be laughed at, to be noted, when really it should be something everyday and unremarkable.

I think what underlines all of this is the fact that heightism, particularly against shorter people is not really taken seriously. Perhaps Mr Ngiau-Keng's shoes exist because he knows deep down that he won't be taken seriously if he complains about all the nasty treatment that lead him to consider his height a problem in the first place - so he just tried to change his height instead?

Let's hope that articles like this begin to change minds so people don't have to buy high heeled shoes.

Business Day Live publishes shorter man hate letter

http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/letters/2014/02/27/letter-warner-falls-short

For no apparent reason, Business Day Live have published a hateful letter directed at Australian Cricketer David Warner, under the HILARIOUS title 'Warner falls short'.

You can read the letter at the above link but the essence of it is that Warner is a shorter man, so that explains why he is allegedly aggressive and argumentative. As shown in this quote.

Warner stands a mere 170cm tall — the same height as Napoleon Bonaparte. It seems likely that Mr Warner suffers from the same short-man syndrome as did many of history’s aggressive and dangerous characters.

So lets address what's wrong with this one point at time. 

Point One

For the last time world, Napoleon was average height for his time.

Also lets take a look at some of history's other aggressive and dangerous characters.

Osama bin Laden - 6 foot 4

Saddam Hussein - 6 foot 2

In fact if you look into the subject you will find that there are lots of aggressive and dangerous characters across the spectrum of height.

It's almost as though there is no correlation between height and personality. Shocking I know!

Point 2

Comparing a sportsman, however much you might dislike him, to a dictator is pretty disgusting. To my knowledge, David Warner has not instigated any wars or attempted to cease political power for himself. To compare him to a man who caused huge suffering and upheaval in people's lives is deeply unfunny.

Point 3

I don't follow cricket and I don't know David Warner. Perhaps he does say lots of things

in a highly aggressive manner designed to bring on controversy.

 and perhaps he does deserve some criticism for that. I  have no idea, but I do know that attributing this to his height in this cruel and mocking way is just wrong. Perhaps his personality is down to the fact he is a sportsman who are known for their competitive nature and well developed egos? Perhaps he was just born that way? Who knows.

Pulling out the oh-so-tired short man syndrome joke is wrong and ever so ever so dull.





 

Newspaper makes fun of womens sexual assualt - in order to make a height joke.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/cops-hunt-extremely-short-man-groped-woman-brooklyn-article-1.1612696

The NY Daily News recently posted the details about the alleged sexual assault of a women at a train station in Brooklyn. It is claimed that a shorter man fondled her before running away.

Sadly the NY Daily News didn't just report this story, they decided to lace it with heightism puns, because shorter people are hilarious!!

Some quotes

This little guy is going to be in big trouble when cops get their hands on him.

He's short geddit!! And he'll be in BIG trouble. Lolz!

 A man described as being “extremely short in stature” grabbed an unsuspecting woman’s backside at a Brooklyn train station and then hightailed it out of there

He hightailed it. Because he's short. Geddit! LOOOOLLLLzZZ!

They also refer to the man as a

tiny creep

There is an element of mockery here which is really cruel. The women involved in this case has suffered a traumatic experience, no one reporting on it should mine it for silly jokes. The jokes may not be directed at her, but she is the one who suffers from them. Linking her suffering with a few cheap jokes cheapens her and implies that her assault is funny too.

I also wonder if this story would even have made the papers if it had not involved a shorter man and lacked, what in some people's eyes, is a comedy element. I'm told that assaults of this nature on public transport are, sadly, fairly common. I imagine in a such a big metropolis as New York they happen every day if not several times a day.  Yet they don't seem to make the papers. Only this story with it's comedy shorter man has made the news.

I feel really sorry for this poor women.

They never say this about taller people

I saw a trailer for some sort of reality show today, one of those American ones which focuses on people running a business. Each member of the team was introduced with some comment about what they brought to the business. No comment was made about their bodies. Even the women, who was very beautiful, was only described in terms of her skills and no mention was made to her being 'hot' which is somewhat unusual and was nice to see.

There was a shorter man on the team and they said something along the lines of 'This is Bob, he's only 5 foot 5 but he has a big heart'.

Why on Earth did they feel the need to say this? It was almost like they were apologising for the fact that he was a shorter man. It felt like what they were saying is 'Hey everyone this is Bob, he's short, but don't let that worry you, he is still a fully functional human being with the normal amount of human emotions.'

The tone of the comment made it seem like being shorter was a defect so bad it needed to be offset by some other positive quality.

It's this sort of thing, just quietly tucked away in the back ground of everyday life, that I want to show people when they claim that 'heightism' isn't a thing. If no one cares how tall you are, why do people feel the need to explain away a mans height.

A women's view on heightism

Yet more articles prompted by the Oxford study. This piece was written by Daisy Buchanan, a journalist writing for the Telegraph not the one of Great Gatsby fame, and it's a really good read.

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/relationships/10608220/How-I-learnt-to-love-short-men.html

As a shorter women I found this section written by particularly interesting.

Looking back, I think my problems were mainly to do with my own insecurities. I’m no giant, at 5”7, but I’ve been that height since I was 12, and when the other girls around me seemed delicate and petite, I always felt a bit ungainly. It took me a long time to feel feminine on my own terms, but being on the arm of a tall man did the trick.

It's really sad to hear of yet more unnecessary pain and mental anguish caused by heightism.

Ms. Buchanan goes on to describe her initial prejudices against shorter men, but how she overcame them when she met her boyfriend. She goes on to decry the general prejudice against shorter men.

This next section particularly chimed with me.

Very occasionally, in my online dating days, I’d encounter men who would be ultra specific about a preferred hair colour, body shape or breast type, and be outraged. Surely you’ve got to be horribly shallow and creepy if you’re basing your requirements for long term happiness on cup size? But it seems far more common, and far more acceptable for women to rule out romantic suitors because they don’t measure up in feet and inches. It’s a damaging double standard, and one that women need to address if they’re looking for love, otherwise they might find themselves staying single for a long time.

 I particularly enjoyed the way she signs off the article.

 If single women make one dating resolution for 2014, I think they should give a shorter guy a chance. You might end up looking down a lot, but your odds of finding The One can only go up.

Good advice for all. 

Sean O'Grady's excellent comments on Oxford shorter people study

The story about the Oxford University study I mentioned in my last post has really taken off and been picked up by many news outlets, usually under patronising headlines about short man syndrome - alas.

However I really enjoyed this take on it written by Sean O'Grady, who writes for the Independent. It's great to see his take on the situation so do pop over there to have a look.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/short-shrift-a-new-oxford-study-confirms-prejudices-about-the-vertically-challenged-in-a-lessthanscientific-way-9094397.html

I particularly enjoyed his closing comments.

I would prefer to see a study of "Tall Man Syndrome", to discover whether those over, say, 6ft are predisposed to be arrogant, bossy and perhaps a bit too relaxed about their position in life. Or maybe, as I crane my neck to catch a glimpse of these tall poppies, I'm just being insecure.

Scientists prove what shorter people know all too well.

Scientists from the University of Oxford undertook an interesting virtual reality experiment, the results of which confirmed what shorter people already know - being shorter makes people nervous when interacting with others.

I wish I could find out more details but the article on the ITV website is scant on them and they posted the article under the awful headline 'Short man syndrome does exist - research finds'.

What I find interesting about this study is what it suggests about the mindset of people who are so called 'normal' height. It seems to me that people are aware of heightism either consciously or unconsciously, so much so that the experience of suddenly finding themselves in a shorter body is disturbing for them. They know they aren't safe from that type of prejudice anymore and they respond accordingly.

Interesting.

A real and imaginary dating anecdote compared.

Trigger warning for terms offensive to shorter people and overweight people

Yet more heightism courtesy of the dating world.

This time it's from 'Joanna'. I have no idea if Joanna is a real person or if she was made up by a journalist to fill some space in the Chicago Sun Times. Whether real or imaginary Joanna took the time to contribute to a piece about terrible blind dates. Here is what she had to say.

JOANNA: I had a friend who was always trying to fix me up with short guys. I’m 5’2” and she was a lot taller. She wouldn’t date a guy who was too short and passed up some really nice guys. I never turned a guy down because he was too short, but I did tell her I didn’t want to perpetuate a race of Munchkins.

It drove her crazy when I married my 6-foot tall husband. She’s still single.

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/25080826-423/when-bad-dates-happen-to-good-people.html

I've read this several times trying to find a thread of logic in what she's saying but so far I've failed.

Firstly she critises her friend for not wanting to date men shorter then herself whilst piously claiming she wouldn't do this herself. But then says she would because, heaven forbid, if she married a short man she might have short children. I guess she's trying to argue that her taller friend could get away with marrying a shorter man because they might balance each other out? How charming.

Then she married a 6-foot tall man. I hope he had some other redeeming qualities because this is the only one she seems to find worth mentioning.

It's funny how you can read something so breath-takingly shallow and still feel like you are drowning.

On this blog I often argue that things that are written about shorter men that you would never see written in a newspaper about any other group but I never really explored the point further. So I wrote it out again but this time I changed the genders and imagined that it was a man writing about fat women. I'm a fat women myself, so it wasn't pleasant to use these hateful terms but I found it a good exercise in challenging my thinking. 

JOHN: I had a friend who was always trying to fix me up with fat women. I'm fat but he was skinny. He wouldn't date a women who was too fat and passed up some really nice women. I never turned down a women because she was fat, but I did tell him I didn't want to perpetuate a race of Fatties. It drove him crazy when I married my skinny wife. He's still single.

I just don't believe that any newspaper would publish a thing like this. Blogs in the dark recesses of the internet - sure. The newspapers and established publications however wouldn't do it because they'd know that they would be on the receiving end of so many complaints it wouldn't be worth it. Something like this wouldn't make it through the editorial process. Even in our current atmosphere of fat shaming, where pictures of skinny actresses who've gained 2 ounces are tabloid fodder, you wouldn't get this. Nothing this nakedly openly hateful. I think there would be a lot of people saying John and his friends were small minded misogynists.

Yet a person writes something so hateful about shorter men and no one seems to care.

According to this women being short makes you unprofessional.

This is a really triggering piece so look away now if you don't want to be disturbed.

"Short man makes hospital insufferable"

This women, who is blogging for The Southland Times about her travels abroad, has unfortunately had a brief stay in hospital due to illness. During that time she was treated badly by male specialist who was responsible for her care. He was rude and condescending.

I don't doubt her account, but what I do doubt is what she attributes it to. Her are a few choice quotes.

Small man syndrome is a very real thing. If I look back at the one or two men I have encountered in life, who have truly inspired me to go all stereotypically raging ginger, both were afflicted with the curse of the "stuck in the 5'7 to 5'8 1/2-at-a-bloody-push-and-I'm-being-generous" range.

Charming.

I mean, it's difficult to blame them.
You'd be mad, too, wouldn't you, if everything was in woeful proportion?
Heaven knows I, of all people, would be upset if my shoe choices were restricted to speciality sizes only.

 Lovely

 I've spent the past week at the mercy of a specialist with small man syndrome.
Again.
Seriously, males that height should not be given positions of power. The only way things could get worse would be if you'd handed him an airport parking warden notepad.
I've had a finger waggled in my face, been yelled at, been talked over, stomped away from and generally left unamused.

This is what really really gets me annoyed. She falls into the heightist, body shaming trap of assuming that his bad behaviour is because he is short and angry at the world. It never seems to occur to her that it might be because senior and highly qualified doctors are renowned for having massive egos. Or that it might be because he is ratty because he works long hours. Or that maybe, he is just a massive prat.

No. It has to be because he is a shorter man. We all know of course that taller doctors by contrast are never rude or arrogant and that they bounce around the wards on glittery space hoppers smiling and giving lollipops to babies.

She doesn't stop there however and doles out a fantasy punishment to the man.

The trouble is, when you've got an IV in each arm, you really are at the mercy of whoever is in charge of doling out pain relief.
I spent the weekend - yes that's right, I was stuck in a hospital during a weekend - having deeply sinister thoughts about withholding fentanyl from the little shrimp.
Dangling it above his head, just . . . out . . . of . . . reach.

For those not in the know Fentanyl is a pain killer for severe pain. http://www.patient.co.uk/medicine/Fentanyl.htm

So I'm assuming from this that she fantasizes about seeing this man in pain and then denying him his pain relief. By mocking his height.

This, I imagine, is meant to be a humour piece. Ha. Ha. Ha.

What continues to horrify me is not that things like this are written, it's that someone else agrees to publish them. I just don't believe you could get away with writing something that body shames anyone else in this way, without drawing the wrath of the internet down upon you.

I am in love with this Tumblr

To who ever did this, I bow to you.

This is amazing.

Put a face to the hate

A must see.

Syndney Morning Herald Fail

So much heightism in this news story.

Lets begin with the headline.

"Small dogs behave badly, like short men: study"

According to a study by the University of Sydney small dogs, regardless of breed, may be more likely to be aggressive and noisy. I haven't been able to find the study so I can't confirm whether it was the researchers or the newspaper that first made the 'link' between small dogs and smaller humans, but who ever did it has been shockingly offensive and ignorant.

What is so disturbing about this example of heightism is that it is just so unnecessary. Shorter men don't even need to be discussed here. The story could easily have been confined to the discussion of animal behavior. The paper (or the researcher, whoever made the 'link' first) just threw shorter men under a bus for what looks like a cheap laugh.

There is also something very creepy about comparing humans to dogs, especially in such a dismissive flippant way. 

I just don't believe that any other group would find themselves the subject of an article like this. Can you imagine if scientists released a study which said sky-blue-pink female parrots were promiscuous, and this paper or any paper coming up with a headline which said "Sky-blue-pink female parrots promiscuous, like all women"?

I just don't believe that they would make another group a target of a joke like that because they know there would be too much backlash.

Sadly in the eyes of most people, shorter men are fair game. 

Shorter celebrity men with taller couples

The Huffington Post is at it again, this time with a slideshow of shorter celebrity males who have been in romantic relationships with taller women.  (Trigger warning for the comments)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/13/short-celebrity-men-taller-women_n_4270006.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment&ir=Entertainment

In one way it's nice that this sort of thing appears online because it reminds us that taller women and shorter men frequently have romantic relationships.

In another it's sad, because its further proof of just how widespread heightism is. The very fact that we need to be reminded that shorter/taller men/women relationships exist. That attention has to be drawn to it. That it's something worthy of note, not something commonplace and everyday.

This paragraph also caught my eye . . .

The dystopian hit brought about an on-screen love that was truly unique: Josh Hutcherson is shorter than Jennifer Lawrence. While this may buck the traditional silver screen trend, in Tinseltown height disparity among couples isn't nearly as novel.

For the record the HuffPost added the emphasis on the word shorter.

I don't think I've ever seen a more succinct description of just how endemic heightism is in film and how out of step it is with real life.

At the time of writing there are not many comments on this piece but already it's heightism central, so view the comments with caution. 

Huffington Post writer experiments with height and dating

Today the Huffington Post published a piece by Ben Rubenstein, who is 5 foot 4.

In brief he changed his height on his OKcupid profile to 5 foot 9 and found, unsurprisingly, that he got more responses as a taller man.

You can read the article here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/benjamin-rubenstein/surviving-shortness_b_4240731.html

I do see what he is getting at, but I'm a little bit frustrated by his conclusion. He states that out of the 31 women he contacted when he was being honest about his height, 5 replied. He also had dates with two women who had contacted him when he was lying about his height, after he'd come clean. These women felt height wasn't an issue.

However the women he chooses to focus on is the women who turned him down when she found out he was shorter then he had originally claimed.  He then notes that height can't be changed and that therefore, shorter mens' only options are "are moving to Asia or turning gay."

Now I'm sure that this is tongue in cheek and written to amuse but I find it a rather bleak conclusion. It gives the impression that dating for shorter men is hopeless, yet the rest of this article proves that is not true, as he did get dates. I don't really know why he's wasting his energies regretting such a shallow women as the one who saw height as a deal breaker.

I'm glad that he has brought heightism to the public's attention, but I wish he'd given his shorter brothers a bit more encouragement then this.

Five/Five - A a short film about Brandon Todd, a short man who taught himself to dunk.

Came across this video today about Brandon Todd an American man who is 5 foot 5 inches tall. He discusses the challenges he faced growing up as a shorter man, his interest in basket ball and how he taught himself to dunk.

http://www.sportsgrid.com/video/watch-fivefive-about-a-man-that-tall-who-taught-himself-to-dunk/

What struck me about the film was how Mr Todd talked about his lack of shorter male role models growing up. While their are sports where height isn't a big issue, it probably the case that the majority of famous sports men are on the taller end of the spectrum. I do have to wonder what this does to shorter young men and their feelings of self worth.

I must thank Mr Todd for all his efforts to redress the balance.