Yes, there are perks to being a very short gal (rocking high heels, taking advantage of child fares, etc). But there are also some painfully awkward and downright annoying realities that we, the petite women of the world, face every single day. Here are 23 daily stressors those tall folk will never understand:
1. Annoyingly hung bathroom mirrors are your worst nightmare.
2. “How tall are you?” is the first question people ask you when they meet you. Whatever happened to, “Nice to meet you??”
3. You then receive shocked looks when you reveal your height. There are small people in this world. This is nothing new, folks.
4. The top shelves in your kitchen are untouched territory.
5. People always ask how small your feet are. This is especially annoying when we don’t even have small feet.
6. Bartenders stare you down and scrutinize your ID for a solid five minutes. All of your friends got into the bar ten minutes ago…
7. You still look like you’re in high school, years after graduating from college. People find it very hard to believe that you are past your tween years.
8. People dismiss your body insecurities with a, “But you’re so tiny!” Yes, we’re petite — but we can still be self-conscious about our figures, just like everyone else.
9. Pants. You either have to cuff them, hem them or just give up on them completely.
10. This question: “Where do you shop for clothing in your size — the kids’ section?” Yes, we do shop in the kids’ section sometimes. And we save a lot of money.
11. You often see clothing items in stores you want to buy… but they don’t carry it in petite. It just isn’t fair.
12. People decide to pick you up without your permission.
13. Or they pat you on the head. We are not children.
14. CONCERTS. Get ready to spend a lot of time jumping or staring at the back of peoples’ necks. Oh, and someone will always ask you if you want to be put on their shoulders. No, thank you.
16. Related: Someone’s head is always blocking your view at the movies. Sometimes you feel like you should just sit in the front row.
15. You kind of have to stretch to reach the gas pedal.
The struggle is very real.
17. People ask if you could technically qualify as a “midget.” Which is usually followed with, “So could you get a handicapped parking spot?”
18. Everyone thinks your head is an armrest.
While it may seem convenient for you, we’d rather not be treated as objects.
19. Someone bumps into you with their hipbone when you’re walking on the street. They often proceed to yell at you and tell you to “watch where you’re going.” But shouldn’t they also look down?
20. Subway rush hour means being wedged underneath some random dude’s armpit. The smell is just wonderful down here.
21. When tall people’s arms go up (to grasp a subway pole, high-five a friend, put on a jacket…) they inevitably come down on your head. Yup, that’s a person your elbow just landed on.
22. Turnstiles meant to hit at the waist are basically steel beams aimed at your chest. Ouch.
