"You're short!"

The statement that indirectly (or directly) puts that invisible line in that imaginary strikethrough pattern across several areas which could be potentially considered as a career, for a girl, or a woman.

I get it, I will Never be a Model, or an air stewardess, since both fields require that minimum height requirements to be met.

Oh, and I am definitely not going to be a basketball player, although I do love basketball, and even netball.
I can only play in my own leisure, and not professionally, and even then, people would raise their eyebrows when I say I like basketball.
That look on their faces suggest that it is unbelievable; for someone my height to be able to enjoy a game which is seemingly designed for those six foot folks, or heading to jump themselves to that desired height.
(Well, that's the myth they always tell us back in school, that basketball makes you spring up in height. A myth, because I have seen many who attempted that and failed. They are guys, and I think they blame those morons who told them that, every single day, as their heights came to a halt despite their long hours of practices).

So I am short, and I am way below six foot.
I don't need to be constantly reminded by the repetitive expressions in that surprised tone, or in an attempt to hide the exclamation marks behind the remark on my height.
It is as though I seem to be out of this world, because of my height.
It was alright, as dwarves and elves didn't seem apt enough for my description either, until, thanks (and no thanks) to Tolkien's introduction to the Hobbits breed.
I am not going to elaborate further, thank you.

It is not as if I will really consider to pursue modeling as a career, and even if I did, I think the message was clear that I will never make it.

But, who cares?

I don't, really (as long as you leave me alone with your incessant reminders of comparing my height to a child), because it's the way I am.
It is WHO I am.
I have embraced that, and I wear it proudly, that I am petite.

It comes in a package, when you are both short and small.

There is the good and the bad.
The fun and the frustrations.

Many girls these days are trying to shrink themselves to own a petite frame, which just goes to show the popularity of petites though I must say it is not all in its glory.

There is an understanding that needs to come first and foremost, that petite frames are not created by yourselves, despite the amount of the dieting and workouts you go through.

It is biological.
It is the formation of the frame, and that translates to your bone structure in general.
Some people are born with genetically larger bone frames, though they can appear to be rather skinny, while there are also those who sport tiny frames but appear to be chubby.
It is about the frame; and that can determine the size and your overall structure.

I used to be chubby as a little girl myself, back in the schooling days, but I did grow out of it due to the frame within me.
We can probably lose the weight, but we can never shrink the bones unless you want to face a case of bones fragility from a very young age, then by all means, try it.

I was rarely bothered by my height, or my frame because I understood this fact.
(Well, back then in school, I was more bothered by my grades and I never eat much, but I still appeared to be chubby and bubbly, so I knew it was just that thing about 'baby fat'. Whatever, if it goes off, it will go off. If not, it's meant to be then).

I understand, we are always going to be conscious of our appearances and of course, even I myself am part of this world of vanity.
We are all just merely humans, and like it or not, we like to sport perfection whoever we are.

The thing about petites is, we are probably often not taken seriously.

We are often perceived as under grown adults, and there is always that skepticism about our real age.
It may sound like it is too good to be true, to be often seen as younger than we really are.
To a certain extent.
Of course, it is all in the name of vanity when we beam with pride at the request of a cross check of our identity cards to match the age we uttered to gain entry into places or even amusement parks.

That would be amusing, but not so much when it comes to the time when you need to be taken seriously.
There seems to be an unfounded stereotype against matching one's height to their capabilities, in some areas of work, though not always.
It is as though the height will limit a person's ability to do much more, as compared to another in the same position but probably at a normal height (state taller, in other words, because what's normal, anyway?).
It is not always true for all the fields, since we are advancing towards a much more open society today, but, there are times when I have seen and heard of this.

Then there would always be the envious and rather judgmental remarks passed by others (usually women) who would say, "Oh, they think you're younger, because, you know, you're just smaller and shorter than most of us"

Why, thank you again, for the reminder and for rubbing your unhappiness on our egos.

So petite people are not to be taken seriously, and to be judged just because people think we are younger?
Ever heard of something else, that "looks age?"
No, really, this may be a superficial world but people could still make that judgment between one's physical height to match that of their actual appearances on the faces.
Have you ever thought that, it would be really, really odd to have someone appearing to be like a child but turn around and look like an overripe grape, or a raisin, in the face?
Would you think of that person as youthful then, just based on the size?
I would think not, and I think that is probably one of the major worries that most petites or shorter folks would face, though thankfully, the risks are quite low in reality, though they do still exist.

Anyway, it is just normal to most of us, and frankly, I am sure we will agree that everyone is subject to discriminatory remarks, because we just can't please everyone in the world.
There will always be something to say about someone, no matter how they look or behave; even if they are deemed perfect by the world, there will still be (at least) one person who just can't stand them.

That is the balance, my friend.
The Yin and the Yang.

So being petite is not all that bad either, I just gave you a glimpse of the scenarios we faced.
There is no intention to bash anyone in particular, it is just based on my personal observation and maybe experiences (well, I am a petite myself).
I do not want to go on further, or it would seem rather derogatory to be comparing to a child and that would seem as though I am stereotyping a child; comparing petites and children.
They are of totally different categories.

Pushing away all the condescendence we face (occasionally), the world of a petite is probably more than what meets the eye, with every pun intended.
I mean, we see the world at eye level (or probably a little lower), but we see the world as well as the rest of you do.
I am not saying that the rest of the people are not seeing the world, you probably get a better view even, while I probably have to jump and struggle to tiptoe over seas of heads.

Being short, and petite is no limitation at all, in my humble opinion.

Think of the options I have, to rectify the situation, especially when I am a woman.
(Yes, that gave me that slightly better advantage, not being gender-biased at all).

I am talking about high heels, sky-high stilettos, and tall hats.
(I am a woman, of course these will be on my mind, all the time).

I mean, these are gorgeous inventions and are saviors for us born with that disadvantage in height.
The best part is, they are fashionable and makes us look good.

I could put on my heels anytime, and instantly I have transformed myself to a different height.
What is there not to like about high heels?
Then there is the hat, I never had to worry about the height I would have to choose when it comes to tall hats.
Not that I wear the tall hats a lot, but you get the drift.

It used to be really hard to find shoes for the petites, and I have an out-of-the-world kind of size, which is really unusual in the region I came from which makes it a major problem when it comes to shoe shopping.
Thankfully, designers and retailers are now aware of our presence (petites) and I am starting to find more of the stores carrying the petite labels, though they come in really limited numbers.
That would be my other challenge, to rush to the stores before the sizes run out.
It is like the amazing race, people.

Away from shopping and clothing/shoe sizes, petites would have no problem squeezing into tight spaces or even cramped areas when it comes to groupings or group outings.
Don't you see the advantage of having us around?
You could probably squeeze in an extra person into sharing a table, because we could be pushed to the far corner, and maybe out of the circle, and no one would ever notice.

When it comes to team building activities, we are highly sought after, especially when there is any carrying or squeezing everyone into standing on that tiny piece of folded paper (whoever thought of this game anyway?)

We are valuable team players, we know.

We are loved, despite and in all of our small frames.

A petite girl will never have problem finding her beau; because simply, it wouldn't be hard at all to find someone who would be taller than her, right?

So the tall people could reach for the top cabinets, but we, could always reach for the bottom ones too.
Sometimes, if you lock yourself out, and the only way in is through the window, who do you think of?
Not recommended if you are thinking in an unethical manner for a profession, I am not encouraging anyone to squeeze through windows, or even consider getting half-price tickets.
That is not ethical, at all.


There is always the good and the bad, and I always choose to look at the good.

Life is short, pun intended, so why frown when you can have a good laugh whenever you can?

I say, enjoy the view, at our eye level of perspective, and Who says we can't play basketball?

Pass me the ball, while everyone is looking at their eye's level (at six foot), and I'll help you dribble the ball, all the way, to the next player.
They won't even see me, at all.
That's the awesome part.
I could be passing the ball all over the court, underneath their noses, and they won't even know.
Really, how cool's that?

Don't you see the advantages of people at my height, now?


I don't have problem with tall people around me, so why would you have problem with short, I mean, petite people like me?
I know I probably won't look good in jumpsuits and anything that is designed for tall women, but they do have something for the petites too these days.
That's the beauty of the revolution and evolution of the fashion world today, and everything else, for that matter.

The world is a big one and we are made up of countless numbers in our population, along with many more of living beings surrounded by the beautiful nature and mysteries everywhere.
It is the beauty of diversity which makes our world colorful.
We need variety in this world, and I am proud that I just made up the adversity in the world to make it more interesting and less boring.

Don't you think?



You are welcome.