In Short

My last post dealt with petite figures and body positivity, and as I was mulling it over something really critical occurred to me.

When you look at fashion advice for short women there's a fairly common theme.

The tips I'm quoting/paraphrasing here are all from 18 Fabulous Fashion Tips for Short Girls, primarily because it had the biggest and most straightforward list I could find in one place. They are not the only tips on the post, but they're a good representation of the kinds of things you're going to see any time you start looking into the subject.

• Wearing a single column of colour can give the illusion of height.
• Heeled shoes will physically give you extra height.
• High waisted shorts, pants or skirts create a kind of optical illusion of being taller by playing with proportion. 
• Boot cut and slightly flared jeans can make you appear taller.
• You want a hem that covers most of your shoe as this will give the appearance of longer legs.
• Oversized ‘it’ bags can swamp your silhouette and make you look shorter than you are.
• Shoes with pointed toes can give the appearance of added height.
• V-shapes and U-shaped necklines also aid the illusion of height for short and petite girls. 

I guess fashion IS kind of like a roller coaster.
Do I at least get funnel cake?

Playing with your appearance can be fun and these tips can be very helpful for putting together a particular look, but always, always, ALWAYS remember:

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING SHORT

Anyone who says differently is selling something.
The Princess Bride (1987, Rob Reiner)

Happily for me this is one thing I took to heart pretty early. I spent a number of years in my teens avoiding heels, not because I found them uncomfortable or couldn't walk in them, but because I ENJOY my shortness. 

I do not think of myself as less, I think of myself as concentrated.

I am all of sixty two inches tall. I would have to wear a fair bit of heel just to reach the average height for a woman in the US. Why fake at being average when I can stand apart by just being me? 

While I was younger I was often called little or cute and yes, that did get annoying at times, but regardless I always stood out. Now I can filter that same look through maturity and I feel like it makes me exotic like a tiny tropical bird, and I wouldn't give that up for any number of inches in height. Well, maybe if I was INSANELY tall. That could be fun, but pretty much for all of the same reasons and anyway I don't think I'll be trading any time soon.

The final tip on that list from above was "Have Confidence" but it's pretty hard to do that when you don't embrace what you have. Don't get me wrong, I recognise that some styles will not be as flattering on me, I really really love heels, and I do strive to create looks with eye pleasing proportions... but I would never EVER wish I was a little bit taller.