Ask Lemmy

I'm 194cm (6'3") and my God do I wish I were a bit shorter. I would fit a lot more places, my back wouldn't hurt doing the dishes from bending over, my feet wouldn't hang off my bed and get cold all the time.

Average height guy here. Nope never shorter. Yep. Wanted to be taller.

I'm 5'10 or 70 inches tall. Being average makes you kinda invisible.

Short guy here, do you really?

I am 6 feet tall male and while I don’t feel particularly tall, I am still slightly taller than the statistical average American male, making it rather inconvenient. Clothes are too short, cars and power equipment is too short, bed is too short, tables, chairs and countertops are too short, ceilings are too short…

That second to last sentence, "I feel nothing like a man" stands out to me, as a transgender woman. Are you confident that you are a man? Just something to consider!

Height isn't a problem for me (I am short) but many taller trans women have gender dysphoria regarding their height.

I would prefer to take on the "feminine " role. I feel nothing like a man.

I can't tell you anything about yourself, but I think you should investigate this feeling further. Personally, my dislike of being tall made more sense to me when I realized I'm not a man.

I'm 6'7. Yes. I wish I was shorter.

I'd be able to have a normal childhood if i wasnt tall, instead of sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else play in the play places that have a max height/size limit to enter.

I wouldnt have a terrifying phobia of ceiling fans.

I wouldnt be crippled for days after having to travel on an airplane.

I wouldnt have a bad back form having to bend over almost double just to do normal everyday things like cook and wash my hands.

If you fall below the average height, the world can relatively easily be adapted so you still fit into it with simple things like step stools and what have you.

But above average height? No, you don't fit in, and theres no way at all to adapt to you. If you want a properly proportioned space, you're gonna have to have $$$$ to build it for yourself, and listen to the constant complaints of friends and family who don't want to visit because your house is to hard to use.. completely utterly oblivious to the fact that all of their houses have been too hard to use your entire life and they've never given a single copper fuck about it.

I wish I was an inch shorter. Im exactly 6ft and nobody believes me when I tell them because thats the "minimum man height" and people immediately assume I'm an overcompensating manlet despite standing there visibly being as tall as I say I am.

Might just start saying 5'11 instead. See how lying to peoples faces works out.

yeah i often think about being 75 cm short, like a gibbon ape

they're so cute <3

6'4" here.

I wouldn't say I'd want to be shorter, but I have definitely experienced a lot of what you describe.

In addition to being intimidating because I'm big, I also have real bad resting murder face. It used to bother me, but my wife is 5'1" (on a good day), and we've used it to her advantage.

She's often dismissed or not taken seriously. When she is being disrespected or expects to be, she brings me along. Everyone always treats her with respect when I'm standing behind her.

I don't like taking the train because my knees are pushed up against the seat in front of me. I'm also uncomfortable in most cars. I'm long in the torso, so even in an SUV I have to lean the seat way back to fit in. I currently drive a 2nd generation Honda Ridgeline, and it's the first time in decades where I have space above my head.

Clothing is difficult. I buy my clothing online because I can never find more than one or two options that fit in a store. I used to go to a outlet store because they had such a massive inventory, I could actually find things in my size. My shirts tend to be like tents because I usually can't find the extra tall sizes, so I end up getting a regular 3x so the shirt reaches down to my waist.

There's another downside to being tall that you didn't mention. Years ago my son (taller than me) noticed that you don't see many tall, elderly people. I had to break the news to him that, statistically speaking, being taller means dying earlier.

Bigger people have more cells in their body. More cells means more chances for cancer. More cancer means shorter life.

So, if you're miserable being tall, take some consolation from the knowledge that it won't last long.

6'4 cis gay man here. God, what I wouldn't give to be a foot shorter -- for one, there are the practical concerns like low basement ceilings and economy cars (the world is built for people 6ft and under); but then there's the fact that most gay men who are tops have the notion (expressly stated or heavily implied) that they want a short, skinny femboy bottom they can manhandle. Which is fine, if that's your thing. And it'd be totally fine if I were a top -- but I'm not. I want to be held and feel smol in someone's arms, which I can't really achieve. Being neither short, nor skinny, nor particularly inclined to go topping, it's hell for dating. :D

Tbh yeah, a bit. I'm 6'7''. I'd be totally fine with being a few inches shorter. Being so tall does have a lot of advantages but I have a hard time finding slim cut pants in my size, office chairs that work for me or cars with enough leg room. I even had to pay a lot of money for a bicycle. I think the sweet spot is probably somewhere around 6'4''.

I'm 177cm (5' 10). Thats exactly average height for men in my country. But I'm always feeling like the world is built for shorter people.

All work surfaces and countertops are way too low. I get a sore back working in the kitchen chopping veges or washing up in the sink because I am slightly bent over all the time.

I need an adjustable height desk at work because when I sit on the chair, my keyboard is too low and I need to hunch my shoulders to type. I need to adjust the desk up by 15cm just to ensure my forearms are horizontal.

When I'm sweeping with a broom or mopping, I need to hold it all the way up at the top the handle, and still need to crouch my back slightly to use it. I feel like they need to make the handles just 20cm longer for normal height people to use them while standing upright.

Every car I drive I need to adjust the seat all the way back otherwise I can't get my legs in.

I couldn't imagine how awful it would be like to be any taller than I am.

My personality is so shit that tallness is kind of my crutch for navigating social situations. What I wish is that I didn't need it

I'm not always the tallest in the room when everyone is standing, but once we're all sitting down, I'm the only one sticking up above everybody.

Normally when I'm sitting in a theater, I do everything I can to avoid blocking someone's view (slouching, sliding down in the chair, leaning, etc). It ends up being incredibly uncomfortable.

One time a friend gave me and my wife tickets to a show (live musical theater). There were a couple drunk, obnoxious women behind us talking through the show. It pissed me off so much I sat up straight in my seat and stayed that way for the rest of the show. It's the only time I've ever done that.

They started complaining about me blocking their view, and left during intermission to complain to someone (what did they expect the theater manager to do? "Excuse me, me sir, but you're blocking these 'ladies' view. Would you mind removing your head?'). They eventually returned to their seats.

By the time the show ended and people stood up to leave, I was pretty angry. I turned around. I don't know what I was planning to do. It's not like I'm going to beat some drunken idiots to death in a crowded theater. However, I know I was considering stepping over my seat to get into their row.

The older woman was too drunk to notice, but the younger one was sober enough to see the look on my face. She hustled them out.

My wife has told me that I've terrified people even when she confirmed I was being perfectly calm. I can't imagine how frightening it is when I'm actually enraged.

No. I kind of used to, growing up, because being lankier than all the other teenagers is kind of cumbersome and makes it hard to interact with the world around you, designed for smaller people. It's not that big a deal tbh.

I more wish that buses, cars and doorways were "me" sized.

Nowadays I feel plenty small. For people who are drawn to height, your height is never enough lol.

Edit: I've just remembered - bone problems. You know we get more bone problems because of how tall we are/how fast we grow? It's ridiculous.

Charles de Gualle, who was 196 cm/6’5”, once said^1^, “We giants are never at ease with others. The armchairs are always too small, the tables too low. The impression one makes too strong.”

I’m slightly taller than he was and I’d add the three concussions I’ve had simply due to height. Hitting my head in my own home is a truly miserable experience.

I'm around 6'1 or 2. I'd say overall, I'm comfortable with the body I have (like I don't think I have a dysmorphia issue), but it can be a literal pain when I'm visiting Japan. I learned the hard way that some older homes have head clearance of exactly 6' in doorways. If I were just a little shorter, this would not be an issue. In fact, if I were taller, I'd probably see the obstruction better and know to duck? But as it is, I develop a nasty bruise after repeatedly hitting the exact same spot on my forehead over and over again. Otoh it's nice to have some breathing space above the teeming masses of people packed onto a subway car.

I’m 6’3” and short among the cousins in my family. I don’t mind being a couple inches shorter in conversation. I get a little self conscious when I’m a head or more above everyone else in the room, which is a semi regular thing. I want to be shorter when I bonk my head on things that are low hanging for me. If I was any taller it would be even more difficult to find clothing.

I wouldn’t mind being a couple inches shorter, around 6 feet even.

I'm 5'3 so no. It's pretty great though other than the negative social aspects.

I'm barely 5'2". Shut the fuck up and count your blessings.

"My lobster too buttery"-ass post 😡

Usually no, I generally wish I was taller. Or at least my legs were longer; I'm 5'9, but my legs are unusually short, due to a bunch of surgeries I had as a kid. If my legs were 'normal' I'd be over 6 feet tall.

The only time I've wished I was shorter, was to fit in to smaller cars. Recently, I tried to drive a kei car called an Autozam, tiny little sports car, and I had to take my shoes off to comfortably use the pedals. My head hitting the ceiling is slightly problematic in a car that has gullwing doors.

I feel this. I'm 6'4" (196cm) and while I don't wish I were shorter, I wouldn't want to be taller. Right now I can still buy clothes, but if I were a little taller I would have to go to the specialty shop. Vehicles are so annoying, and elbow rests are too low, and at work I'm always hunched over.

Also, shoe size. I wear size 47 in France. Not a single shop sells that size in my city. Seriously. Not one. Even the specialty shop stops at 46.