Daily Struggles Only Short People Will Understand

1. Going anywhere where there's a crowd

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When you're short, concerts, movies, sporting events, and anywhere else where you might need to see might feel a little pointless.  We mean, it's only where you seem to go that literally all of the tallest people in town turn up.  And their favorite place to stand or sit always seems to be right in front of you!  And you ask yourself: "Can they not see you?  Do they even care?"

2. Wanting something from the top shelf

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As a short person, wanting something from the top shelf is just not funny anymore.  You find yourself at the store, either turning your shopping trip into some crazy acrobatics in your quest to get the mayonnaise off the top shelf.  Either that or you have to put your social skills to the test and ask a stranger to help you... Who knows, maybe you'd brighten their day.

3. Barstools

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Barstools... Need we say more?  Probably not but we're going to anyway.  You see, it's not the barstool itself that is offensive, but more when you have to actually try and climb one, sit at an extraordinary height where the air is thin, and then climb down as gracefully as you can whilst taller people sit on low stools and mock you.

4. Everyone questioning your age

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No matter how old you are, and especially if you're fortunate enough to look a lot younger than you are, when you're short, people tend to question your age.  It's as if they just cannot believe that you're a grown adult, all because of your height!  It's really strange.

5. People using you as an armrest

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If you're shorter than average, you've probably had people resting their elbow on your shoulder, or even your head, when they need somewhere to lean.  And it's just so rude to use a fellow human being as an armrest that all you want to do is crouch out of the way and let them fall to the ground!

6. And asking you if you fit into every small space they can think of

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Can you fit in a suitcase?  What about between those rocks?  And how about in the basket underneath a pushchair?  Do these ridiculous questions sound familiar?  Well, they might if you're considered short by your peers.  And it's so strange that they're intent on stuffing you in the smallest place possible, and for what?  Just for giggles - no thanks!

7. People picking you up

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Now what is it about average-sized people and their desperate desire to pick shorter people up?  No, not whilst flirting at a bar, more like, literally picking them up and walking around with them!  It's quite alarming how people think that it's OK to do that when you're short.

8. Always having the best view up everyone's nostrils

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Having the best view sounds great when it comes to standing rock concerts or the movies, but when it comes to nostrils, not so much.  Even the cleanest and most well-kept pair of nostrils is probably not what you want to be looking at all day long...

9. Sinking into couches

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Some couches are just not designed for short people.  And this is especially true when your feet don't touch the floor because there's no getting up from there.  You'll probably just be left to sink into the depths of the cushions.  But, hey - at least you'll be able to collect loose change and Lego pieces.

10. Hopping over fences

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Take it from a proud short person: hopping over fences, barriers, or walls just isn't worth it so don't even try.  You'll never get over it, and if you do come close, there is the chance that you'll catch your feet and dive head-first into the hard ground below as your feet topple over you.  Graceful, huh?!

11. Swimming pools

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Swimming pools.  Need we elaborate?  You see, as a person who is vertically challenged, swimming pools can be an absolute nightmare.  If you can swim, you're OK, but if you can't, you're likely to be bobbing along the pool happily until you hit the 5ft marker when you will disappear, never to be seen again... Until, of course, you pop back up.

12. People not taking you seriously, especially when you're frustrated

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When you're particularly frustrated or involved in an argument, you might find that people just don't take you seriously and might perhaps even laugh or poke fun at you.  And this can be infuriating, especially when you're feeling particularly angry.

13. Being told you're short

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Oh my goodness, why didn't you tell me I was short?  That is such a revelation, I am shocked to the absolute core!  Thank you for telling me, I appreciate it immensely and will be forever in your debt...  This is just one way to respond to those bright folk who state the obvious...

14. Group pictures

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Group photographs are an absolute nightmare if you're short.  You're either placed at the front as the focal point or hidden behind someone's head at the back.  And don't get us started on people crouching down so their heads don't get cut off from the picture...

15. Walking with a taller person

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Tall people just don't get it when your petite legs can't keep up with their massive stride.  You probably find yourself either lagging behind them or jogging next to them to keep up.  And no, they won't slow down either because they have absolutely no understanding of their pace and your pace.

16. When baking a cake turns into a full-blown workout

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Baking a cake is no longer JUST baking a cake.  No, no, my friend.  Baking a cake is now a full-blown parkour activity that has you hopping from surface to surface, just so you can find all of those lesser-used ingredients for your recipe.  And that's why you don't bake cakes.

17. Knee-high socks

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When you can fit your whole body into one knee-high sock so that you look like a giant wooly slug, you know something's up with the world.  Knee-high socks are in no way inclusive, and you just know that there's absolutely no point in you even trying them on.  They're just not going to work.

18. Doing the laundry

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Laundry is just one of those household tasks that everybody hates.  But as someone who is shorter than the average person, you probably hate it even more than everyone else, especially if you have a chest-style machine because there's absolutely no getting to the bottom of THAT!  The socks that venture that deep into the machine are just doomed to an eternity of suds.

19. Public bathroom mirrors

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We'd like to know who was employed to install mirrors in some public bathrooms.  Was it Lurch from the Addam's Family?  Perhaps.  You get our point, though... They're always so high that you can probably only see the top of your head, and maybe your eyebrows if you're lucky.

20. Driving

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Driving can be quite a big task for us shorter people.  Especially if you share the car with a flamingo who keeps sliding the seat so far back that when it's your turn to drive, you can't even reach the steering wheel, let alone the gas pedal or the break!  And don't even think of asking us how we see over the wheel...

21. And riding as a passenger on a road trip

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Whilst we are on the topic of cars, you might just be reminded of whenever you're a passenger, especially when there are a few of you on a journey.  You're ALWAYS demoted to the middle seat at the back, or worse, in the tiny seats located in the trunk with everyone's luggage.  And they all go: "Well you're the smallest, you can fit".  Thanks a lot, guys.

22. People's "HILARIOUS" jokes

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Aren't people just hilarious?  Their 'short person' jokes are so funny that you are howling with laughter as you roll on the ground, barely able to compose yourself, aren't you?  Jokes like: "How's the weather down there?" and "Played miniature golf with a short person who just called it golf" are just a few examples of people's comedy genius.  Not.

23. "Have you always been this short?"

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"Have you always been this short?"  How do you even begin to come up with a reply to this?  You haven't always been THIS short, in fact, you'd expect that you were once a tad shorter.  Or just reply with the stupid yet nice and simple answer: "Yes".  Because that's the response that this stupid question certainly deserves!

24. People like to pat you on the head

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People will probably only pat you on the head once before you explode into a fury.  But they still go to do it, as if you're going to be so OK with being horribly patronized that you laugh with them and, worse, let them do it!  You're not a dog, don't put up with it.

25. Being called cute

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People calling you 'cute' as if it's a compliment really is an insult.  Cute is for puppies and kittens and tiny babies, not for fully grown, fierce, independent, and cool adults!  But unfortunately, this is something that happens when you're short...

26. The awkwardness of holding hands

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There are a few more awkward things about being vertically challenged, and one of these is how awkward it is to hold hands with someone taller.  Your arms ache and walking in time really takes the biscuit as you bob up and down, desperately trying to match your walking rhythm.

27. Rollercoasters

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Being short means having to check whether you're tall enough to ride rollercoasters.  And if you're not, facing that disappointment of being refused a ride is just sad.  But no one sits with you, they all go and ride anyway, leaving you standing there like a human coat stand as you take care of all of their stuff.

28. Being ID'd constantly

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Having to take out your ID when you're 43 might feel quite complimentary.  As long as you have it with you though.  and you can guarantee that on the one day, you don't carry it, you're going to be questioned and no doubt refused to be served, despite your desperate assurances that you're more than double the age of 21!

29. Not being noticed

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Does everyone just look over your head with ease as they speak to each other?  Or walk right into you, because "they didn't see you down there?"  As rude as it is, this is the reality sometimes of being shorter than other people.  So you have to make yourself heard and seen!

30. Looking up to everyone... Literally!

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Being shorter than average, you probably look up to everyone around you.  And no, we don't mean in a role-model way; we mean in a literal way.  This means that eventually, you're going to need a massage to ease the tight and sore muscles on the back of your neck from looking up so much.