Comments on: Shortness Reaching Epidemic Proportions!

By: Big Blog Dump (with lots of hedgies!) « Di Has Stories…

Big Blog Dump (with lots of hedgies!) « Di Has Stories… — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:01:32 +0000

[...] Shortness Reaching Epidemic Proportions! « Shapely Prose (Sarah, this one is for you! Grow, damnit!)She Dances On The Sand: Sometimes, other people say it better than I can [...]

By: celticfeminist

celticfeminist — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:44:26 +0000

You know, if I hadn’t read this enlightened piece of scientific wonder, I would never have been able to figure out what my life (and my spouse’s!) has been lacking. It’s been height all along!!

It’s wondrous. If I only had an extra, oh say, 5 inches, I’d be well within the healthy BMI and I’d actually have a torso instead of my hips meeting up with my boobs. And my husband would be “normal” and would never have to be the shortest male in the room (outside of any 8 year olds present, of course).

Just think. All I have to do is change my genetics, break and lengthen a few bones, and stretch out my muscular structure and I’m set. And I’ll be happy and healthy at last! As a bonus, altering my genetic code and making myself taller will also certainly impact my fatness, making me thin and socially acceptable. It’s a win-win. Oh fabjous day, calloo, callay!!

By: Body Impolitic - Blog Archive - » Links from Our Readers - Laurie Toby Edison: Photographer

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 03:48:12 +0000

[...] Kendall was first with this marvelous post from Kate Harding at Shapely Prose. As Kate says, “No, it’s not April 1, and that’s not [...]

By: Margaret

Margaret — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 01:34:27 +0000

“We should build a website. Who’s good at that?”

I have pretty good HTML and CSS skills. I’d totally be for helping to make such a site. XD

And apparently you have to be REALLY tall because at my slightly-above-average-height of 5′6 1/2″ I’m in pretty poor health at the moment. And I’m likely going to die young too as the vast majority of my family members didn’t make it to their 70th birthday.

I know a girl who’s 5′5″ and cries “I hate being short!” o.O

By: kateharding

kateharding — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 01:16:46 +0000

Also, Sniper, if we’re just going by statistics, he’s likely to die earlier anyway. Whatever you lose by being short and fat, you gain back by being female. :)

By: Sniper

Sniper — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:53:41 +0000

“It’s like a game of Health Calvinball.”

YES! Exactly!

But I have to admit, I’m so brainwashed and self-blaming (like most women my age) that I read something like this and actually feel a pang of regret. I’m short and fat and married to a tall, skinny man. I actually worried about leaving him early, then remembered that in terms of actual cholesterol numbers and whatnot, I’m the healthy one… and either one of us could be hit by a truck tomorrow anyway.

By: littlem

littlem — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 22:48:08 +0000

“(Which is surprising, since I’m 5′7″ and not fat! I should have lived forever!)”

TALL!! I’m gonna live forever!!

Baaaaaby remember my name!!!

By: Burning Prairie

Burning Prairie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 17:00:43 +0000

Hi Kate!
Loved this story on Shakesville so much I had to come over here and tell you. I am short (I prefer Diminutive-American) and Hubby is tall (actually Big and Tall) and I hope Monkey and Pumpkin get their height genes from him. Because I know full well how cruel other kids and even adults can be and how difficult it can be to function in a world built for taller people. And how it feels to never be taken seriously, to be ignored or condescended to by people in customer dis-service, to be dismissed by the world at large. But I keep that hope to myself, because I know first-hand how those little comments by parents can make children feel less-than and worthless. If either grows to less than average height I will make damn sure that they know that they are not somehow flawed because of it.

By: car

car — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:40:57 +0000

As a scientist, a short person, a fat person, and someone who has more than one rational brain cell, I cannot even begin to deconstruct this because it’s so many levels of wrong. This is the kind of thing that leaves me sputtering and helpless from the immense weight of the wrongitude.

That said, I have an anecdote that illustrates the dual points of Kate. A couple of years ago I went to a family reunion of my mom’s side of the family. These were all people I had never met in my life – they all lived far away from me. My dad’s family were the ones I spent most of my time with, and compared to them I always felt short and dumpy (even when I was thin).
I got to the reunion location, by myself, and was a bit worried as to if I’d know if I was in the right place or not since I didn’t have anyone to recognize. I walked in the door, and was met with the sight of a roomful of people who were almost all right around my height (5′2″), and most of whom I could have easily easily swapped clothes with. Huzzah for genetics!

By: sweetmachine

sweetmachine — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:20:51 +0000

Kate in England, I bet your husband was always cutting out early from work and skipping meetings to grow, right? He’s got his priorities straight!