What is this generation’s obsession with height about?

[Anonymous]

I've never minded being short (I'm 5'1). My dd is 4'8 and hates it now sometimes, due to people thinking she is younger than she is. Dh is 5'6 and doesn't love it and does feel that he has been looked down upon due to it. Ds is 5'9 and happy about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just got back from London and wanted to share my observations:

I went to many events - opera, museums, work stuff etc and I didn’t see a single family (or couple) where the guy was under 5’9 unless it was an immigrant couple.

The height penalty is acute and can be overcome through money or status but I think the honest thing you can tell short sons is in 2024, below avg height must be compensated with excellent career/money prospects

I find this very hard to believe. I know a LOT of men who are shorter than 5’9” - happy successful and married with families etc. Various careers and income levels. I think greater height is of course an advantage, but is not nearly as big of a deal IRL as described.

How old are you?

I think there is a difference between over 45 and under 35

And secondly yes I know many under 5’8 men who are married with families - they are all MDs, attorneys or very successful finance/tech professionals (ie none make under 300)

What are you saying? MC short men don't exist, or MC short men should just go hide behind a rock because their life is over and they'll never find a wife?

My point is to support what others have said in this thread - that for younger people there seems to be a starker height penalty than it was for gen x or older

I think younger people tend to be more shallow, are just dating after all- and are not thinking big picture. After all, there aren’t nearly enough 6ft+ men to go around. Not nearly.

I also think most women have a skewed perception of mens’ heights. I’m 5’5” and can’t easily tell the difference between say- 5’10” and 6’0” or any height difference within 2in or so at a glance. My BFF is a true 5’10” and says most guys lie about their heights. Many her height claim to be 6ft lol. Unlike shorter/average women she can tell pretty easily just based on her own height.

I’ve noticed this more recently as my teen DS is in the middle of a growth spurt and is 5’9” (measured at recent well visit). When we are out and about, I notice the VAST majority of men are somewhere around his height (which would not be all that surprising given the average is 5’9” or 5’10” I think).

My guess is lots of women are dating guys they think are 6’0” but he is actually like 5’10” (which is a perfectly fine height) lol. Or dating a guy they think is 5’10” but he’s actually 5’8” or whatever. It is hard to tell once a guy is 4+ inches taller than you, unless you see him standing right next to a person whose height you are sure of.

This is so true! I’m a 6’0” woman and I can’t tell you the number of times guys at bars would tell me I am taller than I actually am. They’d be all “you can’t be 6 feet because we are the same height and I’m 6’2”!”. Like no dude why would
I say I’m even taller than I am?

I’m having a hard time mustering sympathy for parents upset that their kids’ height is a topic of conversation. I’m sure you happily ignored it when it was your peers and not you being made fun of for your height when you were younger. Kids are mean to anyone who doesn’t blend in. Help your kid build confidence and self esteem so that it bothers them less, and remind them that eventually most people grow up and adopt a live and let live mentality.

[Anonymous]

A Google search shows that only 14.5% of men are 6’0” and taller. That is a pretty small number.. I think a lot men who are 5’10”- 5’11” lie and say they are 6’0”- most women are short enough by comparison that they can’t tell the difference anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just got back from London and wanted to share my observations:

I went to many events - opera, museums, work stuff etc and I didn’t see a single family (or couple) where the guy was under 5’9 unless it was an immigrant couple.

The height penalty is acute and can be overcome through money or status but I think the honest thing you can tell short sons is in 2024, below avg height must be compensated with excellent career/money prospects

I find this very hard to believe. I know a LOT of men who are shorter than 5’9” - happy successful and married with families etc. Various careers and income levels. I think greater height is of course an advantage, but is not nearly as big of a deal IRL as described.

How old are you?

I think there is a difference between over 45 and under 35

And secondly yes I know many under 5’8 men who are married with families - they are all MDs, attorneys or very successful finance/tech professionals (ie none make under 300)

What are you saying? MC short men don't exist, or MC short men should just go hide behind a rock because their life is over and they'll never find a wife?

My point is to support what others have said in this thread - that for younger people there seems to be a starker height penalty than it was for gen x or older

I think younger people tend to be more shallow, are just dating after all- and are not thinking big picture. After all, there aren’t nearly enough 6ft+ men to go around. Not nearly.

I also think most women have a skewed perception of mens’ heights. I’m 5’5” and can’t easily tell the difference between say- 5’10” and 6’0” or any height difference within 2in or so at a glance. My BFF is a true 5’10” and says most guys lie about their heights. Many her height claim to be 6ft lol. Unlike shorter/average women she can tell pretty easily just based on her own height.

I’ve noticed this more recently as my teen DS is in the middle of a growth spurt and is 5’9” (measured at recent well visit). When we are out and about, I notice the VAST majority of men are somewhere around his height (which would not be all that surprising given the average is 5’9” or 5’10” I think).

My guess is lots of women are dating guys they think are 6’0” but he is actually like 5’10” (which is a perfectly fine height) lol. Or dating a guy they think is 5’10” but he’s actually 5’8” or whatever. It is hard to tell once a guy is 4+ inches taller than you, unless you see him standing right next to a person whose height you are sure of.

This is so true! I’m a 6’0” woman and I can’t tell you the number of times guys at bars would tell me I am taller than I actually am. They’d be all “you can’t be 6 feet because we are the same height and I’m 6’2”!”. Like no dude why would
I say I’m even taller than I am?

I’m having a hard time mustering sympathy for parents upset that their kids’ height is a topic of conversation. I’m sure you happily ignored it when it was your peers and not you being made fun of for your height when you were younger. Kids are mean to anyone who doesn’t blend in. Help your kid build confidence and self esteem so that it bothers them less, and remind them that eventually most people grow up and adopt a live and let live mentality.

+100

[Anonymous]

It's just one of those things that's considered a genetically desirable trait.

Taller people excel at more types of sports, height is correlated with career success, taller people are perceived as more confident, etc.

As a shorter woman, I worried about having short sons, so I did prefer to date average-to-above-average height men. Ironically, now I have two DDs.

[Anonymous]

Tall people are just more noticeable without having to say anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's just one of those things that's considered a genetically desirable trait.

Taller people excel at more types of sports, height is correlated with career success, taller people are perceived as more confident, etc.

As a shorter woman, I worried about having short sons, so I did prefer to date average-to-above-average height men. Ironically, now I have two DDs.

Precisely. The analogy in women is beauty more so than height. Even if no one admits it, tall men and pretty women face many advantages in society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's just one of those things that's considered a genetically desirable trait.

Taller people excel at more types of sports, height is correlated with career success, taller people are perceived as more confident, etc.

As a shorter woman, I worried about having short sons, so I did prefer to date average-to-above-average height men. Ironically, now I have two DDs.

For women, it becomes an advantage after a certain age. You just didn’t notice your privilege when you were younger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's just one of those things that's considered a genetically desirable trait.

Taller people excel at more types of sports, height is correlated with career success, taller people are perceived as more confident, etc.

As a shorter woman, I worried about having short sons, so I did prefer to date average-to-above-average height men. Ironically, now I have two DDs.

Precisely. The analogy in women is beauty more so than height. Even if no one admits it, tall men and pretty women face many advantages in society.

It's statistically true but it doesn't mean it's the end of the world if you're a short man and you should give up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's just one of those things that's considered a genetically desirable trait.

Taller people excel at more types of sports, height is correlated with career success, taller people are perceived as more confident, etc.

As a shorter woman, I worried about having short sons, so I did prefer to date average-to-above-average height men. Ironically, now I have two DDs.

Precisely. The analogy in women is beauty more so than height. Even if no one admits it, tall men and pretty women face many advantages in society.

It's statistically true but it doesn't mean it's the end of the world if you're a short man and you should give up.

Short and bald is my jam

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's just one of those things that's considered a genetically desirable trait.

Taller people excel at more types of sports, height is correlated with career success, taller people are perceived as more confident, etc.

As a shorter woman, I worried about having short sons, so I did prefer to date average-to-above-average height men. Ironically, now I have two DDs.

That’s as outdated as saying light colored skin and blue eyes are correlated with career success.

[Anonymous]

I'd argue that this area is much less superficial than others. The south or rueal farming areas? Good luck to you if you are under 6'0"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Unfortunately made varsity in his sport as freshman - so drubbing the big guys in their sport of choice has inflicted some of the abuse - but doesn’t explain it all.

Thanks to PP who said parents act like height is an accomplishment. He works really hard in his sport and is pretty solid citizen. But the daily - sounds like hourly on some days - emphasis makes me doubt humanity sometimes. Are we really this primal?

Is this a small private school? Golf or tennis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently 5”7 and I was 5”5 when I graduated HS in ‘95 and I was never bothered by height. I played varsity golf in HS and D1 golf. I married a cheerleader who is 5”7.

Why does marrying a cheerleader matter?

They are usually the short gymnastics girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just got back from London and wanted to share my observations:

I went to many events - opera, museums, work stuff etc and I didn’t see a single family (or couple) where the guy was under 5’9 unless it was an immigrant couple.

The height penalty is acute and can be overcome through money or status but I think the honest thing you can tell short sons is in 2024, below avg height must be compensated with excellent career/money prospects

That’s weird. I’d think the Asian, Arab and SE Asian population is shorter in average than the Americans and Western Europeans.

And I love Denmark and Netherlands.