When I think of short men, I always think of the poor French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Did you hear about his complex?
Sure, he tried to take over the world, but what he's best known for is giving rise to something women all over the world would fear: The Napoleon Complex.
It is real.
Certainly, not all short men are insecure and angry, but enough are that I've decided (in a highly unscientific way) that it isn't easy to be a short man in this world. And science is on my side:
According to Slate, short men make less than their taller counterparts:
Multiple studies have found that an extra inch of height can be worth an extra $1,000 a year or so in wages, after controlling for education and experience. If you're 6 feet tall, you probably earn about $6,000 more than the equally qualified 5-foot-6-inch shrimp down the hall.But does it also make a guy undateable?
For many women, height is a deal-breaker, like it or not.
"Short is anything shorter than me," one 5'6" friend friend told me definitively. Anything taller? Is dateable. Another friend said he has to be shorter than her in heels. And the woman wears 4" heels and is already 5'7."
For me, "short" has always been anything under 5'10." It seems arbitrary, but that has always been my cutoff. I am 5'5.5" and have always worn heels, so I guess that is about the same. There is something about a taller guy that just feels safe to me. Yes, he can reach the top shelf, but he can also make me feel small and protected, which is very nice.
Tall men are also more confident in general. The taller the guy, the less he has to compensate. My husband is 6'3" and that is an area in which he feels supremely comfortable ... until he meets someone taller. Yes even men we consider "tall" still feel short on occasion.
I am by far the shrimp in my family. All the other women are 5'8" or taller and most of the men are above 6' (some are 6'4" and taller), so I'm hoping that my two children, particularly my son, get the tall genes.
On the other hand, some women say shorter guys are diamonds in the rough. One friend said that shorter guys work harder at cultivating their sense of humor to compensate for what they lack in height.
My father, who gave me my shrimp genes, is short (5'8") and he's the single most confident person I know and it certainly hasn't held him back in either dating or career.
It seems that being short, like anything else, is only a real hindrance if you believe it is. Believe short men can't get quality women? Then you're right, dude. That insecurity and the chip on your shoulder are far more concerning than your height.
Would you date or marry a short man?
I swear, some people only exist to be stupid. The author is just some snarky idiot trying to stir shit up, but she hits the typical heightist points so I'll bite.
Poor, poor Napoleon, who is regarded as one of the most competent men of all time. His enemies couldn't find anything about his character worthy of ridicule, so they made up some complex which targeted an uncontrollable trait. It really shows how impressionable and gullible the masses are when this "complex" is now regarded as true.
The Napoleon Complex is a myth. Science is on my side, heightists. Why the fuck would us short guys bother being more aggressive or ambitious, when we realize you'd love the taller man anyway, while labeling us with a complex for doing exactly what tall guys do?
I guarantee that if Napoleon had been taller, he'd be worshiped as a badass. However, when a short man conquers all, he's merely compensating and nothing more. This belief in itself is heightist, because it means short height is something wrong that needs compensation. It also invalidates every accomplish a short man makes. Rich? Muscular? Famous? Revolutionary? Pfft Napoleon Complex.
Tall men earn higher wages, not because they're inherently more capable, but because heightists favor them over a short man for no reason other than appearance. A short guy could be more competent, but his tall coworker will always get the promotion in our image obsessed, bigger is better society.
Her husband sounds real mature by the way, "My husband is 6'3" and that is an area in which he feels supremely comfortable ... until he meets someone taller." I've seen tall guys who are so used to being tall that they freak out when someone's bigger. I thought short men were the ones with a height complex (even though we're used to being shorter)... Wait, when a tall guy uses his size to push others around, or has a huge ego and lifts weights, where's his complex? Oh, right, it's called "the hot bad boy" complex when you're a tall jerk.
In case I haven't made it obvious, the only chip short men have on our shoulders is the one placed there by bigots. If we were treated like normal human beings, we'd have nothing to be mad about.
All this shows is how shallow people shift blame on their victims, "Oh, we only make fun of you because you deserve it, angry little man." Ever notice how complacent and unambitious short guys are never labeled with a complex?
We all have our roles to play. I see how society wants to reserve confidence, success, and romance for tall men. I also know the short man's role is a jester, but this puppet has cut his strings.
