I am short. Exactly how short? Well, I’ve tried to hide that by wearing heels almost my entire adult life. Now I have a daughter, and I know she’s going to grow up… well, she’s not going to grow up very much, because she’s going to be short like me. I want her to know there are some drawbacks to being short, but also some good things. So, my Mini-Mini-Me, this is life as a shortie.
1) You will grow up being constantly told you are “cute”.
You’ll get patted on the head by adults and picked up by other kids. You will know what it must feel like to be a Pomeranian.
2) You will always be in the front row for class photos, usually down the end.
3) You’ll never be asked to wear the GK or GS bib in netball.
That’s okay. Centre is the best position, anyway.
4) You will suck at high jump.
But if your friends ever make a human pyramid, you’ll be the one on top.
5) People will always think you’re younger than you are.
This will come in handy on many occasions, especially when you want to get a cheap ticket. After you turn 18, you’ll get asked for your ID all the time. Unfortunately, by the time you’re about 30 and really want to look younger than you are, this will probably stop happening.
6) Once you get beyond primary school age, most people will stop calling you “shrimp” and “midget”.
But you will hear the word “petite” a lot. It’s possibly more irritating.
7) You will come to realise that gigs are overrated.
It’s just an hour of you standing on tiptoes, trying to find a gap between the heads of the people swaying drunkenly in front of you. Might as well download the album and stay home.
8) You will only ever date guys who are taller than you.
This is not some kind of gender-based prejudice. It's just that there aren't many guys shorter than you, especially now that Grant Denyer is taken.
9) You will never be able to walk into a shop, buy a pair of pants and wear them immediately.
You will have to pay to have them taken up first. This is like a tax for being short. You will live for the years when capri pants are in fashion. As for "one size fits all" clothes, that's just a cruel joke.
10) Some fashion trends will entirely pass you by.
What idiot came up with the idea of calf-length skirts? Who wants to make their legs look even shorter?