My Mumbling Thoughts

Yes, this one goes out to all of my fellow little ladies out there that live their lives day-to-day and are vertically challenged. We are those small ladies that you can barely see in the crowds and are easily shoved aside while all of the tall giants stroll right past us and jump on the bus before us leaving us to stand. We are not invisible, though! We may be little, but we have big voices! And we're damn proud to stand up (as tall as our tippy toes will allow us) and say, "hey! Down here!"

I won't lie -- I like that I'm short. I like being small, petite, tiny, miniscule and teensy weensy. Being small comes with perks and I fully take advantage of my short stature.

Of course, there are some disadvantages that come with being shorter than the average 5'7". It's difficult to find trousers that fit properly (they either fit in the waist and are too short in length, or they're long enough but too big in the waist), and I do envy those leggy women that can wear all of those long, flowing, summer dresses without looking like a small child that's playing dress up in her mother's clothes. Some things simply weren't made for us little women. However, we can get away with wearing shorter shorts and extra mini skirts without looking like we're "showing off too much skin" which is always nice when you want to go out skimpy but not look like a £2 hooker.

Nowadays, though, you can find clothes that are made specially for us that weren't blessed with legs up to our necks. There are many different stores that have designated "petite" sections for the women that aren't built like your typical model who has plenty of leg to spare. It's not so much of a chore now, nor do you have to spend time and money altering hemlines just so your skirts fit nicely on your waist. It is one less thing for us to not have to worry about in our wee little minds.

Aside from clothes shopping, though, there are other daily battles that we must face. We're constantly weaving in and out around people, trying to reach things on high shelves in stores and look like minature pack horses when we have a big day of shopping. There you'll see us with all of our grocery bags dragging low to the ground, or us hunched over at a 90-degree angle because of massive bag that we have propped up on our backs. Whoever said that short people have it so much easier has never had to carry a full load of groceries from Asda on the bus, alone, without any assistance from anyone or anything. Let me tell you, it's hard. My hands are only small. I can only carry so much at a time!

We are also discriminated against at water parks, theme parks and local fairs. That giant rollercoaster that looks so intimidating but thrilling at the same time? We're not allowed because we're "too short". It's so unfortunate.

But here are the things about being smaller than average I do like:

- Always having plenty of leg room. You'll never see me struggling folding up my legs in economy on an airplane or squeezing them close on the tube or bus. I can sit comfortably for the duration of my trip while everyone else has to figure out where they can put their ankles without having to twist it in an odd shape.

- Strangers will generally help you when you are visibly struggling with bags or a stroller. Unlike the doyley lady, I don't expect people to help me just because I can't seem to handle all of my shopping bags; then again, I never turn down a kind stranger when they offer a helping hand. I just hope that one of those "kind strangers" doesn't turn into a theif who runs off with all of my things.

- I'll never have to worry about a guy being too short. Some taller women have a thing about the guy they're dating being shorter than they are. Me? I don't have that problem. I suppose a guy could be too tall, but I doubt it. I've been with some tall fellas and we've managed to work it out every time.

- On a similar note, some guys prefer shorter women. They don't like all of that extra leg getting in the way, but would rather have us pint-sized chicks.

- On a couple of occasions, I can still buy things (mainly cute pajamas) from the Juniors department and clothes there are cheaper.

- These days, short girls rock.

So yes, there are good and bad things that go hand-in-hand with being short, but I suppose that goes for anything really. We may not be able to glide along like the glamazons and have to trot alongside to keep up, but nonetheless, we have some fine points that the tall people simply don't have. There seems to be some kind of novelty for us women that never have to duck under anything. We are cute, special and many people feel the need to take care of us, protect us, or handle us with care because of our small size.

But the next person who feels the need to pet me on the head like a minature chiuaua, I will bite your hand off without any hesitation.