Ladies and gentlemen, I am a short girl.
In a society where the average Canadian female is 5 feet 4 inches, I fall below average at a whopping 5 feet 1 inch. Personally, I have no problem with my height. It’s a part of who I am, and I’ve learned to embrace it! With that being said, there are a lot of things that bug me about being short, and to all the short girls reading this blog post, I hope you can relate!
Right off the bat, everyone I meet seems to feel the need to comment on my height. Yes, I am very short. I do look like I’m twelve, I agree. Do I wear high heels? Not often, because they hurt! Pointing out my height is like saying that the sun is shining. It is totally obvious, and I am fully aware of it. It may be a conversation starter, but it’s boring, and I can think of better ways to start conversations! As for the short jokes, I’ve heard them all (and then some). Don’t even try.
Another short girl struggle is going anywhere that may be crowded. This is always nerve wracking, as I am guaranteed to lose track of my friends immediately. Pushing and shoving through multitudes of people (cough cough school hallways), especially when I’m carrying something, is really hard! I also have been the recipient of far more backpacks to the face than I’d like to admit, as my face is at the perfect height for someone to turn around and whack me right in the face. Thanks guys. At least apologize!
One of the most embarrassing things about being short is attending movies, or concerts. That feeling when you have the perfect seat with a perfect view, but then an extremely tall person comes along to sit in front of you, and there goes the view! Your options aren’t great: switch seats with someone, spend the entire time craning your neck, or try and make yourself taller. Last summer, my family and I attended a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, and I was forced to ask for a booster seat in order to see. Awkward.
Because I am about to graduate this year, I’m going to talk a little bit about buying a new dress. It was difficult. I visited countless stores, and had to continually ask employees to help me. “Excuse me, this XS dress doesn’t fit. Do you have a smaller size?” As well as the struggles of finding a smaller size, I also had trouble finding a floor length dress that fit me length wise. I’d come out of the fitting room in a gown, and it would be puddled around my feet! Getting it altered would be the only way I could wear it. However, I did find a dress in the end, and it didn’t need to be altered, so all is well that ends well!
Short girls do have to deal with a lot, but honestly, I wouldn’t change a single thing about my height! To end off, I’d like to leave you with one of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes:
