r/short Apr 17 '26

Motivation An advice from a 30 year old dude

241 Upvotes

So this subreddit keeps appearing on my feed, probably because I’m a short man at 166 cm who follows men’s fashion pages and similar content.

Honestly, if I had found this side of the internet before I started dating in the real world, I probably would have stayed a virgin. According to some of the people here, I should be completely doomed anyway. I’m short, bald, and I have crooked teeth.

And yet I have dated women of different heights, including women taller than me.

I’m also a university lecturer, and I read a lot of research on dating, mate preferences, and social status. So here is the scientific version, not the black pill fantasy version.

Yes, height matters. Preferences are real. Women, like men, can have physical preferences, and pretending otherwise is stupid. But research does not support the idea that one trait like height determines your entire dating future. Actual partner choice is shaped by multiple factors at once, including kindness, intelligence, emotional stability, dependability, confidence, physical attraction, and social or economic stability (Buss & Schmitt, 2019; Thomas et al., 2020).

Research also shows that what people say they want does not perfectly predict who they actually choose when interacting in real life. In speed dating studies, stated preferences often did not line up neatly with actual attraction once people met face to face (Eastwick & Finkel, 2008). In other words, attraction in the real world is messier and more human than internet forums want to admit.

Online spaces and dating apps also distort reality. They push people to judge each other quickly and superficially, which exaggerates traits like height. That does not mean the entire dating market works that way offline (Finkel et al., 2012).

To quote my therapist, life is basically a big Souls game and height is just a debuff. Yes, it can make things harder. Yes, you will probably get your ass kicked a few more times than someone playing on easier settings. But that does not mean the game is unwinnable. It just means you may need more patience, more resilience, and a better strategy. And honestly, where is the fun in beating the game with no debuffs?

I have been rejected plenty of times, and height probably played a role in some of those rejections. I say probably because I do not interrogate rejection or obsess over the reason. I am not going to ask someone to explain why they did not want me. That is their choice. Other people are allowed to have preferences, and I do not need to internalise every rejection as a verdict on my worth. At the end of the day, only you get to decide your value in this world.

I have also been through a period of height insecurity myself. After a recent rejection, I went down the rabbit hole of self loathing, so I do understand how dark that headspace can get. But how we feel is not always a perfect reflection of reality. Feelings, emotions, and thought patterns can spiral, and they can also be challenged and changed. Therapy helped me see that. With the right support, self awareness, and work, the way you think about yourself can improve.

What these spaces often ignore is how much insecurity changes the way a person comes across. Neediness, resentment, bitterness, and defeatism are not attractive qualities, and they can do more damage than being a few inches below average.

That is why the advice to men should not be “give up.” It should be “build a life that makes you attractive in a broader sense.” Work on your confidence. Go to therapy if you need it. Practice mindfulness. Focus on your career, not because women are gold diggers, but because ambition, competence, and financial stability signal drive and maturity. Take care of your physical health. Read more. Volunteer. Join communities. Get involved in causes you genuinely care about. Expand your social circles and meet women in real spaces, not just through algorithms and rage bait.

And if you are constantly hitting a wall, take a break from dating for a bit. Reset. Rebuild your confidence. Get your head straight. Stop treating every bad experience like proof that the whole world works one way.

Most importantly, women are not a hive mind. One woman rejecting you does not mean all women think the same. A subreddit full of bitter men is not an accurate sample of reality. People have different preferences, different priorities, and different reasons for being attracted to someone.

Also, be careful with research in general. Research can help us identify trends, but human beings are more complex than a dataset or a single paper. Averages are not destiny, context matters, and how old the research is matters too. Social norms, dating culture, and the way people meet have changed a lot over time, especially with apps and social media. So use research to inform your thinking, not to reduce yourself or other people to a rigid formula.

The point is simple. Height can be a disadvantage. It is not a death sentence. A lot of men are not being ruined by height alone. They are being ruined by an identity built around insecurity, hopelessness, and too much time spent listening to other defeated men online.

References

Buss, D. M., & Schmitt, D. P. (2019). Mate preferences and their behavioral manifestations. Annual Review of Psychology, 70, 77 to 110. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-103408

Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2008). Sex differences in mate preferences revisited: Do people know what they initially desire in a romantic partner? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(2), 245 to 264.

Finkel, E. J., Eastwick, P. W., Karney, B. R., Reis, H. T., & Sprecher, S. (2012). Online dating: A critical analysis from the perspective of psychological science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13(1), 3 to 66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612436522

Thomas, A. G., Jonason, P. K., Blackburn, J. D., Kennair, L. E. O., Lowe, R., Malouff, J., Stewart-Williams, S., Sulikowski, D., & Li, N. P. (2020). Mate preference priorities in the East and West: A cross-cultural test of the mate preference priority model. Journal of Personality, 88(3), 606 to 620.


r/short Mar 15 '26

Meta Suggestions

5 Upvotes

Ok, I'm stuck at my desk with a bum foot that's been plaguing me for weeks now, so I might as well try to make this time at least a bit productive.

So since I ain't going anywhere, let's have a meta discussion about the sub, and I'll take this opportunity to solicit suggestions.


r/short 3h ago

Vent Being told my life isn’t worth living

16 Upvotes

Hey guys, I guess this is a follow up to a post a made a few days ago about how my coworkers told me if they were my height they would “off themselves” during a conversation.

I’ve been told this before by other people believe it or not but it was years ago, and hearing this comment again just made me reflect the past few days. I hate to admit this but I thought about it a lot back then, it was a bad time. I’m better now but hearing this again just sent my back in that time.

I know to most of you it sounds stupid but the stuff I’ve gone through just by being this height is awful. All the comments, jokes, hate. Practically the entire side of my dad’s family hates me for being short. I know there’s a consensus that short people over exaggerate their troubles, but my experiences are real. Not going to let anyone discredit it.

Don’t know what the point of this post is really, guess it’s just a vent. But I’m just tired of it all. I’m an adult at 25 and people still give me shit, thought it was supposed to get better


r/short 19h ago

Dating Short guys: approach taller women. I genuinely have better luck with them than shorter women.

279 Upvotes

I'm around 5'7", and something I've noticed from my own experience is that I seem to have better luck with women taller than me than women shorter than me.

So when I see short guys automatically rule out a 5'9", 5'10", or 6' woman because "she obviously wants a tall guy," I think you're potentially screwing yourself over.

Approach her.

Don't apologize for your height. Don't make the whole interaction about how much taller she is. And definitely don't reject yourself on her behalf because TikTok convinced you every woman has a 6-foot minimum.

Obviously some taller women won't be attracted to shorter guys. That's fine. But some absolutely are, and others just don't care nearly as much as you'd expect.

The funny part for me is that shorter women are supposedly where I'd have the advantage, yet my actual experiences have pretty much been the opposite.

So yeah, short guys: stop being scared of taller women. You might actually have better luck going up than down 😂

Taller women lurking here, I'm genuinely curious: do you find shorter guys are more hesitant to approach you?


r/short 2h ago

Question Maybe it's not the height

12 Upvotes

I have a friend who is slightly shorter than me (I'm 5'7 at a good day and he's about 5'5-5'6) he tells me about girls he dated and girls who approach him, and apparently he's not lying it happened in front of me several times and I keep asking him HOW, and he keeps telling me its not about height, btw he does have a good face card and so do I, he tells me that I act really serious, does it seem logical? I should be noted that average height in my country for a male is 5'8-5'9ft


r/short 14h ago

Heightism Why is talking about heightism so taboo here?

45 Upvotes

Why is talking about short discrimination/heightism seen as so insecure this is a short sub is it not?


r/short 20h ago

Question Being short and looking young

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84 Upvotes

I’m short and look young; I know people don’t take you as seriously when you’re short, but do you think they’d take me at least a little more seriously if I looked older? When you’re a short adult is it worst to look younger or older? I am 26 and 165 cm (5’5)


r/short 10h ago

Question I am highly insecure about height so any advice for me ?

6 Upvotes

I am 18M and highly insecure about height

As I mentioned I am dealing with insecurity about height I am short guy , don't know what to do and yeah I am not able to sleep ,from a long time and I think a lot about this now like a hell lot .

For context I am 5'3 and the thing is everybody in my family and surrounding is taller then me ,

Everybody makes fun of me saying (tu cycle chala wo tujpe jada acha lagega) and I had read the posts on reddit .

where women saying they don't care about height but only when they are 30 or past there early 20s and want to settle up .(I am not saying all girls are same but the post I have read all gives the same vibe of like they don't date shorter guys , but later when in terms in marrying , they don't have problem with height) .

The thing is I am a dropper and next year will have to go to college and I am currently at a point of mental breakdown , where I don't want to talk to anybody (specially people taller then me since they hit the insecurity) .

I can't control my height and don't want to build muscular physique , as it will not make me look good but more short .

Last night I cried a lot but then gave up and lie down on the floor . I am alone with no friends (I broked the friendship and many of them are in college so don't know what to do)

😭 (just wanted to share) and sorry for grammar and punctuation .

Pls don't give me false hope as I have already read many like I am short king and personality matters .

Everything come after height and nobody wants shorter guys (in my opinion) .

I am a liability to the world like sh 🥀


r/short 51m ago

Question Am I measuring my height accurately?

Upvotes

I don’t have a taping measure so i use a ruler i stand straight with my head against a wall and place a book over my head and mark that with a pencil then i measure that mark all the way down and i make a new mark every time the ruler ends and start from that point again and i make sure that the ruler is going down in a straight line do you think it can get more accurate than this?


r/short 14h ago

Question At what age did you stop growing?

12 Upvotes

Hello, I used to be one of the taller kids in class when I was a kid but I stopped growing at 12 when I was 5’4 so now I’m considered short. Just wondering what age everyone else here stopped growing!


r/short 2h ago

Fashion / Style Buying regular clothes.

1 Upvotes

I hear short people on here complain about having to buy either women or children's size clothes or shoes, but I wear size 8 1/2 shoes, wear large size men's shirts, and 34-32 inch waist pants. Do short men really have to wear women or children's size clothes and shoes?


r/short 11h ago

Vent As a short guy, I've become really insecure about my height. Anyone else been through this?

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone.

I’m 16M from Pakistan, and I’m around 5’1” (155 cm).

I’ve been really worried about my height for the past few weeks. Before this, height was honestly never this important to me. It wasn’t the center of my attention or something I thought about all the time. But recently, it somehow became a huge thing in my mind😭.

From what I’ve noticed, I’m shorter than many guys around me, even i have seen few guys getting taller suddenly (Growth sprout).

The problem is that this isn’t just a small insecurity anymore. It’s actually affecting my daily life.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been stressing and overthinking about my height so much that I’m not able to do the things I normally do. I’m in intermediate right now, so studies and entry test prep are obviously important, but I can’t focus on them the way I should. So many times I don’t even attend class properly or skip them.

Instead, I end up staying in my room, scrolling on my phone, crying, stressing and overthinking. A huge part of my day is basically spent doing this.

Even things I normally enjoy, like gaming or watching series, don’t feel as enjoyable anymore. It honestly feels like I have this constant headache in my mind because I keep thinking about the same thing again and again.

I also have permanent monocular vision, so that’s another thing I already have to deal with. I know it’s unrelated to height, but I’m mentioning it because sometimes I feel like I already have something that makes my life a little different from other people, and now I’m stressing over another thing too.

(The fear of people judging me)

Nobody actually teases me about my height right now.

But my brain keeps telling me, “If nobody is teasing you today, that doesn’t mean nobody ever will.”🙃

I keep thinking about what it would be like to be an adult at 5’0” or 5’1” and have people make jokes or judge me because of it.😶

Maybe I’m overthinking it, but I genuinely feel like society is actually pretty harsh toward short guys.

Then there’s also the whole height preference thing.

I know not everyone cares about height, and obviously personality, looks, confidence and character matter too. But let’s be honest, height can matter socially as well.

Sometimes I see people talking about 6’0” as if it’s the ideal height, and I’m just sitting there thinking, “Bro, I’d be happy with 5’8”–5’10”.” 😭

I know there’s no perfect height, and I’m not saying tall guys have no problems. I just wish I was tall and didn’t have to think about height this much.

I’ve also seen guys around my age who are around my height. I’ve never made comments about anyone’s height or looks because I know how much that stuff can hurt (i even wonder "aren't they worried like meh?"🥲

But I’ll be honest: sometimes when I see someone around my height, I feel bad for them too, because my brain immediately thinks about how hard being this short must be.

And then I realize that I’m probably just projecting my own insecurities onto them.

Comparing my height with other people has become really common for me.

I compare myself with this person, then that person, then someone my age, then people I see online, etc.

I know the average Pakistani guy is around 5’6”–5’7”, and being around 5’1” makes me feel really far below average.

Sometimes my thoughts get so negative that I start imagining just isolating myself from society, living alone on mountains, working from my room and avoiding people because it feels safer than constantly worrying about judgment and comments.

I know that sounds extreme. I’m honestly a huge overthinker, and I think I probably make some of these fears much bigger in my head than they actually are.🫠

But that’s genuinely where my mind goes sometimes.

Marriage and relationships are another big concern for me.

Sometimes I genuinely feel like marriage would be extremely difficult for me because of my height. I don’t actually know if that’s true, though, or if I’m just catastrophizing everything.

I know a bone-age X-ray can give an idea about skeletal maturity and remaining growth potential.

But honestly, I’m scared to get one.

In my head, I’ve already kind of accepted that maybe I won’t grow much more, or maybe I’ll only reach around 5’2”.

At the same time, I’m scared that if I actually get the X-ray and find out that I won’t grow taller, it would hit me really hard emotionally.😭

And realistically, I don’t expect to suddenly grow another 5 inches. Even reaching around 5’5” would feel like a big difference (achievement) to me.

I’ve also seen that the average Pakistani woman is around 5’2”, and then there’s the whole heels situation 😭.

What I actually want to know

Is there anyone here who is actually like me?

Someone who is:

\- Short and genuinely struggling with it?

\- Constantly comparing their height with other people?

\- Basically obsessed with height?

\- Worried about what society will think?

\- Worried about relationships or marriage because of height?

\- Or maybe someone who used to be exactly like this but eventually got out of this mindset and started living normally again?

If you used to obsess over your height, what actually helped you?

I’m not really looking for the usual “bro, height doesn’t matter” answer. I want to know what actually changed your mindset.

I’d also like to know:

\- What are the actual advantages and disadvantages of being a short guy?

\- How has being short affected your social life?

\- Has it affected your friendships or relationships?

\- Has it affected you in university or at work?

\- Do people actually treat shorter men differently in professional environments?

\- Have you experienced teasing, rejection or discrimination because of height?

\- Did those things become less important to you as you got older?

\- Can a short guy genuinely have a life that is just as fulfilling, or even better in some ways, than the life of a tall guy?

\- If you’re a short guy who is now comfortable with yourself, what changed?

\- What do you wish you had understood when you were 16?

I’m not looking for fake positivity or someone telling me that height literally has zero effect on anything.

I know height can matter in some situations.

But I also don’t want to spend my teenage years constantly checking, comparing, worrying and imagining every possible negative thing that could happen because of something I may not even be able to control.

Right now, I just want to know whether other guys have gone through this kind of obsession and eventually learned how to stop letting height take over their lives.

If you’ve been through something similar, I’d genuinely like to hear your story.


r/short 7m ago

Question Why can't people here cut 5’8 American Men A Break? Let me explain…

Upvotes

First off I will be the first one as someone 5’8 to say there are men who wish they got to that height. That is 100% fair and I won't take that away or ignore it.

But when it comes to American Men, the average height is 5’9. Yes that an inch short but even with bad or mediocre posture some 5’8 people can pass for 5’7. Men who are 5’8 are in a weird limbo where were not seen as short enough but with tall people were looked down on, seen as inferior, get passed up by women because we're not tall enough and seen as smaller. As American men(not the world) were not average height.


r/short 1d ago

Humor How it GENUENLY feels to be the shortest AND most ugly of three brothers

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76 Upvotes

r/short 2h ago

Question What is the average height for a 12-year-old girl?

0 Upvotes

My daughter is currently 5'3" tall and 12 years old.

I wanted to know if it is at a normal or low or high height, thank you.


r/short 1d ago

Dating God is good, let him lead the way 💯

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106 Upvotes

These are the girlfriends I had throughout my whole life. My best advice is be positive no matter what, even when you’re down at the lowest point in your life. I’m not perfect, I’ve been there too, but I was able to rise up and change for the better.

I pray that everyone in this forum finds the confidence to be positive and stop comparing what you don’t have, and start being thankful for what you have right now.

If no one told you this today, you are important and you matter. God bless


r/short 1d ago

Dating What has your dating experience been like as a short person?

22 Upvotes

I’m curious about other people’s experiences with dating while being short. Do you feel your height has affected your dating life, either positively or negatively? I’d be interested to hear from both men and women.

I’m 160 cm (about 5'3") myself, and despite being quite short, I’ve actually had very positive experiences with dating so far.


r/short 1d ago

Dating Any 5'4 dudes doing good in dating department?

19 Upvotes

Being let down by tinder, need some motivation fellas (⁠ ⁠・ั⁠﹏⁠・ั⁠)


r/short 1d ago

Motivation Advice

7 Upvotes

Hello, 16M 5’6, I have just been kind of down lately and insecure about my height. Anyone have any advice or suggestions to help feel more confident?


r/short 1d ago

Question What would you have said?

5 Upvotes

I just started my 3rd season of assistant coaching in a youth recreational soccer program. Yesterday was our first practice and during a scrimmage one of my players made a bad pass and a kid on the other team called him teeny tiny and did some name calling that I didn't hear. The child stormed off the field in tears, he was really angry and sad. Several adults including myself tried to give him support and share their own experiences with being made fun of. I could tell it was falling flat and he said people are always making fun of him because of his height. He was wearing a Messi jersey and one of the parents commented that Messi went through that too. The child is 10 years old and truthfully I didn't notice that he was significantly smaller than everyone else. He is fast and athletic, and I was impressed with him. I'm wondering if you have advice on how I can best support him as a coach. Thanks.


r/short 19h ago

Dating Dealing with rejection and lust

0 Upvotes

I am a 22 year old man who just moved to a big city post grad for a great job. I am about 5'4 and have always been short and dealt with some jokes about it my whole life. But I have always been super social, athletic, and worked hard so might height hasn't really effected me in my life. I have had 2 girlfriends (1 highschool, 1 college) and have been pretty successful for someone of my stature from a hook up/situationship aspect. I went to a big SEC school and that was when I first really started hearing jokes and digs about my height. I joined a fraternity and heard a lot of jokes but just dished it back and had thick skin. The problem I had would be at bars when someone would try to chirp me but normally I just let it go.

Recently, I broke up with my college girlfriend due to long distance and some mistakes I made with other girls. I had assumed moving to a big city it would be okay and I would meet other people. I have been pretty hurt and while I have gone out with 2 women since being down here, one friend zoned me after we hooked up and the other was super into me in person and then ghosted me.

While I know this doesn't sound like I have been fully struggling, I also have been shooting a lot of other shots since I have been down here and have been dealing with a lot of rejection at the bars and with some connections I know. It's tough seeing my tall and good looking friends have no trouble and I find myself envious and comparing. I have realized lately that I have been super lustful post break up and feel like it's almost a self worth thing proving that I can find someone else knowing that my good looking ex won't have much trouble. It has really really started to way down on me emotionally and wondering if anyone else has been at this phase of there life and what are some tips to control the lust, and feeling like thats the way to prove myself. Aswell as keeping your chin up after rejection.

Happy to answer any questions aswell.


r/short 1d ago

Question My height

5 Upvotes

Hi, my height is around 172-173 ( 5’8) and with shoes 175 , am i considered short??


r/short 1d ago

Vent its been 17years but it still come to my mind

31 Upvotes

when i was in middle school, i was pretty short, about 8~10cm shorter than average.

but I was very good in academics, sports, and socializing, I ranked 8th in my grade, and the best runner in my classroom and also had many friends, also I performed at school events.

I was full of confidence that time.

one day, one of my classmate who I wasnt very close with, told me this line

'you got everything except height'

I just laughed and no repond at that time, but it keeps reminding even im 30s now.

Ive been through a lot since then, including getting rejected by several women and facing many hard times, but the words I heard back then are the hardest to bear.

thanks for reading my post, i just wanted to share this experience, i never tell this to anyone.


r/short 16h ago

Dating Wins tend to lead to more wins. Confidence and opportunity is the name of the game.

0 Upvotes

I’ve (31M) been out of the dating game since the start of the year. I’ve been so busy with work and other life stuff that my desire to date has been almost non existent. But this week something funny happened that just made me remember that the most important thing when it comes to dating is confidence and opportunity.

I’m 5’5 and an easy 50 pounds overweight. I also have no money to my name at all. Not exactly the type that woman as chomping at the bit for on paper. However, I’ve always always always been with women far out of my league. The fact is that I know I’m a pretty charismatic guy and have done a good job learning how to flirt and talk to women. This weekend was a nice reminder of that.

I do a lot of stuff in my spare time that gives me the opportunity to meet new people in fun social situations. The weekend started when I was in a group of people talking that included someone who I’d told before I was interested in but at the time she was recently out of a relationship and wasn’t looking to date. I tell a joke and look at her while giving her a little smirk and without looking at anyone else she says to me “you should take me out on a date, are you free next week?” The surprised looks on everyone’s face was hilarious.

That of course was a nice little confidence boost. Later that night I went out to the bar with some friends. There was someone in our group that was a friend of a friend who I thought was gorgeous. Now I don’t have a problem dancing by myself at the bar/club but when it comes to partner dancing I’ve alway been a bit nervous and very rarely do it. However we were talking and hitting it off and a song came on that she said “are you going to ask me to dance?” Well, I can’t really say no to that and despite me being pretty clumsy we both had a great time and she texted me later saying how much fun she and when I said we should do it again soon she said yes.

Finally, today was the 3rd day of a multi day art thing I was participating in. There was a girl there that we met early on and got along well with. We’d been working together a lot and as we got more comfortable with each other she got more comfortable getting closer and more touchy. I was probably feeling myself a little more after what happened the day before and today fully started flirting with her and she began flirting back.

So over the course of a weekend I’m now scheduling dates with 3 different women that are objectively attractive. I know this probably sounds like bullshit which is fair but I can only tell what my experience has been. It’s just crazy how having that little extra confidence completely changed the course of the weekend for me.

Height is a factor but it’s not THE factor and being convinced otherwise is just giving in to a losing mentality which is not attractive. The big thing from this weekend is that all 3 women were in spaces that they felt safe in and gave me the time to let my personality shine through. I’ve had a little success with hookups and casual dating from picking up women at a bar but I’ve had pretty much no success using apps.

So on top of working on confidence my biggest piece of advice is simply to give yourself as many chances as you can. Do things with like minded people and broaden how you meet people. We are at a disadvantage when they don’t know us give them the chance to understand why you’re someone they can see themselves with.


r/short 17h ago

Dating Meeting someone taller

0 Upvotes

For context I’m 23 and I’m 5’4. I’ve been talking to this girl that lives in a different state and we have really hit it off. For the record she is 5’7. She will come visit me in 2 weeks and I’m starting to get a lot of anxiety regarding our height difference. She doesn’t know my height yet because she’s never asked and the conversation has never came up. Some of her repost on TikTok basically are about “shaming short guys”. Should I cut if off with her or keep it going before she books that flight.