OT: I said yes to the demo (Prejudice)

Height is a strange thing... Tonight I had a grandmother say to me, "Are you sure the girl next to my grandaughter is only 10 yrs. old?" I checked my records and said, "Yes, she turns 11 in January." The grandmother said, "...and we thought our grandaughter is tall. I guess she just seems tall in our family because most of us are short." Yes, indeed that was the case as the 10 yr. old was only about an inch shorter than her almost 14 yr. old grandaughter.

I got a bit of a chuckle out of this as I am 5 feet tall and hear height comments all the time, even at 47 yrs. of age they are irritating.

take care, Linda :)

Vancouver Island, bc.ca :) (remove 'nospam' to reply) See samples of my work at:

I am 5'5''. Kind of medium height. I usually don't notice someones height unless I have a close reference. I look up to many short people. They are people who "hold themselves up". Geez, the references are almost endless aren't they.

Check out how martial artists stand sometime. A sturdy stance, squared and strong, leveled outlook. A strong presence. They seldom look small even when they are. It might be a useful thing for women who feel belittled by being short. Posture makes a world of difference to how you are percieved.

Tina

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 3:04:50 -0500, Christina Peterson wrote (in message ):

Yep, or check out any of the tough grandmas I know. My paternal great grandmother was only about 4'6", but she cowered to no one. Neither does my Oma, nor did her mother. And then there's all the fierce nuns of my childhood - most were tiny, but boy howdy, you didn't mess with them.

I think that the stance and ferociousness comes naturally to me. I come from a long line of small women married to (and mothers of) big men. I've heard that "I thought you were taller!" surprised comment countless times, and I don't take offense. I love it when I get "lost" in a crowd of kids.

I wouldn't take the woman's comment seriously. It was just a thoughless expression, based on the mental picture she had of you before you met. Personally, I'd be more offended at the supposedly funny comments that are directed to tall people. "How's the weather up there?" that kind of thing. That's just mean.

I always say that I'm the perfect height: My feet reach the ground when I stand up.

Kathy N-V

money, feh! You've got beads, brains and beauty! Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery

I'm short too, and I hear that kind of thing all the time. I don't take it personally... our society is very height-ist (tall people make more money) and what they're trying to tell you is that your personality and accomplishments made a big impression. It's a compliment of sorts, even though they don't even know they mean it that way.

Well, that is a great way to put it! I bet you are right. I know I did make a big impression on her before I met her. So, what you are saying makes sense. Thanks for posting your thoughts!

Catherine

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Kathy N-V :

]I always say that I'm the perfect height: My feet reach the ground when I ]stand up.

BINGO!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

Tina,

I agree with what you say 'to a point'. My son happens to be a 2nd degree Black Belt and is 5 ft. 4 in. His Sensei has often said that my son never knew he was small, in other words he didn't even think about his size, he just did what he had to do. On the other hand, in spite of the fact he stands tall, and me at my 5 ft. 'stand tall' there are still ignorant people who see height as an issue, it shouldn't be...

take care, Linda :)

Vancouver Island, bc.ca :) (remove 'nospam' to reply) See samples of my work at:

with beads around the frame, I presume?? Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery

I once met someone I had only talked to on the phone. When I opened the door, she said, "Oh, I thought you were YOUNGER" (I was 35, but looked about 30 at the time), I was quite ticked off. Remember, short, tall, thin, not so, it's all part of WHO YOU ARE. Besides, it's not the size of your body, it's the size of your HEART which counts. Patti

Here's a hint if you want to look taller, make your necklaces longer, dress all in one color, and if you do shows, buy yourself one of those tall director chairs from Pier 1 - they put you on the same level as your standing customers and will SAVE your back. One of my taller friends (5' 8") always says if she is in a crowd of people, and wants to get out, she follows the shorter people because they can navigate better) Patti (who is 5' 2 1/2", but VERY feisty)