Dear Men Who Are Shorter Than Me
Dear Men Who Are Shorter Than Me
So here's the thing: I am a woman. A tall woman. 186cm or 6'1.5" to be precise. If you're shorter than this then, based on the laws of nature, I am taller than you. I know, crazy huh? Now I recognise this might be unusual for some of you and possibly even uncomfortable. Yet please be assured in no way does this mean I'm actively challenging your masculinity or your capacity as a man. I don't wish to change, diminish or call into question the fact that, in this equation, you are the man and I am the woman. Therefore, there's no need to challenge me to a duel of any kind to prove your manhood. I've already conceded.
I would, however, like to point out that if, as a man, you are in some way challenged by my height, or any other woman's height (I'm not the only one), rather than asking me to stand back-to-back with you, how about challenging yourself to some tough, thought-provoking questions instead?
Such as: Why do I care if a woman is taller than me? Why does this make me feel so [uncomfortable, insecure, inferior, scared, in need of mummy, fill in the blank]? Why do I feel the need to challenge her to a competition or stand on furniture to prove I am taller (even though I'm not and never will be)? Why do I have to talk incessantly about how tall she is despite the fact she's probably heard this her entire life? Why do I need to know exactly how tall she is in both centimetres and feet? Why don't I believe her when she tells me? Why do I insist that she's wrong as if, after all these years, she still hasn't figured out how to use a tape measure?
Depending on how you go with those questions you might want to dive even deeper: Why am I so focused on the length of a woman's body? Why do I think I know her body better than she does? Why do I believe I have the right to make judgements about her body and then share these with her? Why can't I just accept the beauty in all women regardless of what they look like? How might I start to be the kind of man who sees a woman beyond her physicality? What if I were curious about what lies beyond her physicality and and the many mysteries that lie within?
Of course these are just some suggestions. Feel free to come up with your own.
Now, I know that when it comes to the topic of size, you boys can become quite competitive. And, dare I say it, insecure. Especially if it appears your 'size' is being threatened. But it's worth noting, I'm not a penis and I'm not something to measure yourself against in order to prove your power and dominance. Yes, that's right. I'm not a penis and I really don't appreciate men, often strange ones, coming up and measuring themselves against me as if I were. We are not in competition. And yes, it is only men who do this. And yes, they are almost always shorter than me. In fact, I can't recall the last time a woman of any height asked me to stand back-to-back with her because it's never happened.
So I'm asking you, Dear Men Who Are Shorter Than Me, if you would be kind enough to refrain from the following: asking me to stand back-to-back with you, walking past me on tippy toes, pulling up a table or chair and standing on it to talk to me, asking how tall my parents are (they're both tall), insisting I'm taller than I am, insisting I'm shorter than I am. Ideally, if we could just not mention my height at all that would be swell. There's simply no need to bring further attention to what's already mind-bendingly, boringly obvious. Plus there are so many other far more interesting things to talk about, don't you think? If it helps, I'm happy to declare you the tallest, highest, biggest, grandest and greatest man who ever lived, especially if it means we could Just. Move. On.
In short (hahaha just kidding), what I really want to say is that, while I might be a taller woman, this fact says nothing about you as a man. As in, NOTHING. (Although it does say a whole lot if you have a problem with it and keep going on about it). But there's really no reason to keep going on about it or make a big deal of it or to feel intimidated. You do not need to feel less than just because I'm a little more than. You are the man and always will be. And no amount of inches on me is ever going to change that wonderful, God-given fact. Capeesh?
Great. Now can we please move on?
