I am 42 going on 43 and where I'm from I rarely see men my height or shorter. When I'm out and about, I see taller men doing stuff with other people or hanging out with women of varying heights. 

In my area, which is predominantly white, the vast majority of whites in this area are quite tall. The average woman in this area is taller than I am to boot. At 5'6, that is supposedly the average height of a female, but where I am many or most are in the 5'7 - 5'9 range. As I mentioned before, being my height, average height men for sure tower over me when I wear sneakers without any boost (i.e Air Force Ones). My lack of height is very obvious and is often the first thing people bring up when we begin to converse.

Race may not seem to be important, but in this context it is. I notice shorter men in other groups tend to get a "pass" and live normal lives. If they are 6ft, it's an added bonus. Being white and under 6' is a huge minus. I wouldn't say race affects others as much if they're under 6'. I believe height acts as a multiplier for all positive character traits. If you are tall it compensates yoru positives. If you're short, it amplifies your negatives. Anyone else notice that?

At 42, I've had more than enought time to experince the world around me. In social environments in clubs and lounges in my 20s and 30s, when chatting up women, taller guys would often bring up my height in a negative way to make themselves appear better to the women they were trying to get with. Women often do not see you as a romantice option AT ALL. In the best case scenario, they show some type of motherly affection toward you. Worst case, they are extremely hostile. Women near my height and sometimes shorter really believed they were taller than me or could challenge me physically. 

Knowing this, I would be very careful when interacting with some women, I would be very careful to not show any indication of romantic interest becuase it would often be met with disgust.

At work, when interacting with other men, my expertise and experience is almost always doubted. My reputation was built from hard work. I noticed that taller men were automatically assumed to have competence in many areas. They could get by with just faking confidence. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there were actual scientific data showing that taller men are able to climb the corporate ladder due to this assumed competence which would lead to better relationships and willingness to be mentored. On the other hand, my words are always doubted until they are proven correct. 

The only time I don't have to deal with this is when I am not around people. I enjoy working remotely because of this. There is no one to doubt my skillset or knowledge. No one judges me on my physical appearance. When I make a mean baked ziti, the oven and stove don't care one iota about how high my head is from the floor. 

Perhaps this is why you may not see as many shorter guys out and about. It may also just be my area. 

It's real...

12 years ago we launched AtEyeLevel, a heightism observational blog on a social media site. 10 years ago, we went independent with the first iteration of this site under the same name. A year later, we rebranded. Today in 2024, we have rebranded once again and rebuilt the site from the ground up with the assistance of fantastic developers. Our mission is the same!

Here is a look back at an article which highlighted our original launch. 

Host of the Daily Show and comedian with thirty years in television. 

Height 5'6"

Actor, Photographer, Director and Former Rapper. 5'5"

Something is here.....

I am very ardent against being short and I discovered having Ebola or Smallpox is better than being short after all of my researches about short men's mental healths and my own feelings about it.

If there were 2 options for me:
1.Being around only 150cm-160 with healthy body.

2.Being around 188cm-190cm with Ebola/Smallpox.

I will never hesitate to choose the second one.

In spite of everything negative people say or the various ways they choose to insult you, disrespect you, or attack your dignity. In spite of however low you may feel inside when you see your small frame in the mirror........keep your head up, put a smile on your face, breath oxygen, live and love yourself. If YOU don't; who will?