Advice for short guys?

[Liminal Stranger]

think of it this way us short guys are at just the right hight that when we walk into a girl we can pull off the "oops i'm sorry my face accidently went into your boobs" 

I cannot tell you how many awkward hugs that has resulted in. I'm serious.

[Dark.Knight]

I cannot tell you how many awkward hugs that has resulted in. I'm serious.

Akward? Yeah right man wonderful. Lol I'm with 21 and if she is not much taller hold your head down play sad and let the hug come to you.

[Justin 21]

hahaha yes dark knight work the kicked puppy angle

[Dark.Knight]

Lol you know it 21

[CursedFireDean]

think of it this way us short guys are at just the right hight that when we walk into a girl we can pull off the "oops i'm sorry my face accidently went into your boobs" 

hahaha XD

IThere is a site that sales mens shoes that give you up to 5 inches the brand is tall men shoes. I plan to order some dress shoes of that brand. There's insoles giving inches and add that to some Nike's you have fashionable lift off. I have heard some stretches that can straighten and stretches the spinal cord increasing height.  Google it up I am.

I'll definitely look that up, seems worth it! 5 inches would be so exciting.

[Liminal Stranger]

Akward? Yeah right man wonderful. Lol I'm with 21 and if she is not much taller hold your head down play sad and let the hug come to you.

Well, some guys might like it but I prefer to not be smothered in the face with someones' chest 
5 inches? I could use that kind of a gain- it'd be nice to finally be over 5 feet!

[DriftingCrow]

Man, a five inch lift is a lot.

I can just picture it like the reverse of the fabled push up bra scenario. You go home with a strange girl, take off your shoes, "ah... wait, weren't you taller than me at the club??"

[spacerace]

I really freaked out about my height when I first decided to transition, and I am 5'5" on a good day, though probably more like 5'4"

It's all about confidence. Own who you are, and enjoy it. 

Lift shoes would just make me insecure because I would be thinking about my height constantly wearing them, but I can see how they can benefit some people. It doesn't hurt to try it so you can make your own decision, you can get insole lifts for pretty cheap.

Boots help.

[lexical]

Just got these in the mail and remembered this thread:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042LKX1E/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01

They're 1/2 inch insoles and not only very cheap ($6 for 2 pairs) but pretty comfortable too - wore them for most of today and could barely feel them in my shoes. I'd say you get closer to an inch than a half inch in height - either way the difference is definitely noticeable

[CursedFireDean]

Just got these in the mail and remembered this thread:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042LKX1E/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01

They're 1/2 inch insoles and not only very cheap ($6 for 2 pairs) but pretty comfortable too - wore them for most of today and could barely feel them in my shoes. I'd say you get closer to an inch than a half inch in height - either way the difference is definitely noticeable

I think I'll definitely try those! Got an amazon gift card for Christmas, and $6 isn't much of a loss if they end up not working out. Thanks for telling us about them!

[Elspeth]

How does one deal? Well, there's always the option of lifts and the possibility of future growth. But the real trick is to be big. Confidence is a key factor in being read as the gender you are presenting as, and the same goes for height. If you're able to exude confidence in yourself, that overrides the height factor in many situations. Be proud of who you are, and show off that the body does not make the man.

Power to the little guys!

I once worked for (or under) a very short guy. He was also some kind of football star in college, and no one would ever mistake him for either a child or a woman. It's all about attitude, though T can also work wonders.  I try to remind my trans son about this whenever the issue of his height comes up (he's a little taller than my ex, but only an inch or so, and she is 5'1").

I do sometimes admit my own jealousy, and the irony of how practically all would be right for both of us if it were only possible to swap bodies, at least it would be if mine could be de-aged so that he didn't miss out on having a 6" body of an 18-year-old (granted, it was one with very little upper body strength, but I suspect his determination and dedicated weight training or other exercise might readily take care of that perceived defect).

[TheGrayWolf]

I'm 5'2" and while my height used to bother me somewhat when I was a teenager, it really doesn't anymore. I've pretty much just embraced being short in that it makes me a little more unique. While I do get people thinking I'm younger than I am, that's probably more to do with my face and will probably get better when I'm on T for a while. I'd say the only real downside for me is that it's tough to find clothes that are in my size (especially suits and blazers), but I do okay. There are a lot of short guys out there. Heck, my great-grandfather was my height, so it's really nothing to worry about.

[dalebert]

Being perceived as younger is a common side-effect of being shorter just as being perceived as older is a common side-effect of being taller. Either one can be good or bad depending on the circumstance (like if you're trying to buy alcohol and you're not quite 21, haha). And most people don't mind being perceived as younger than they are. Obviously, lots of people are attracted to youth or at least to a youthful appearance. It is tied to healthy fertility, after all, even in men based on some recent studies.

I agree with advice about being confident. Embrace whomever you are and capitalize on your particular strengths. I would just advise to be careful you don't become the "short mad guy".

I saw a short, muscular guy stomping through the mall once and my friend (who happens to be really tall) said he was a short mad guy, "mad because he's short!" He said it was like those skinny little lizards who fan out those big fins to make them look bigger and scare away predators. I laughed. He also said some really tall people tend to be "embarrassed because they're tall" and they slouch and have bad posture because of it and so forth. Both are bad ways of dealing with being a little bit outside of what is considered average.

[lexical]

I would just advise to be careful you don't become the "short mad guy".

I saw a short, muscular guy stomping through the mall once and my friend (who happens to be really tall) said he was a short mad guy, "mad because he's short!" He said it was like those skinny little lizards who fan out those big fins to make them look bigger and scare away predators. I laughed. He also said some really tall people tend to be "embarrassed because they're tall" and they slouch and have bad posture because of it and so forth. Both are bad ways of dealing with being a little bit outside of what is considered average.

This is so true -- I work with one of those short mad guys. It makes him stand out so much more (and in an obviously negative way) than just his height would.

[aleon515]

We have 3 really short (5 ft 2 and under) guys in our support group. All 3 are great guys and all three are post transition and pass 100% of the time. Not counting myself here as I am pre-everything.

I will attest to it making hugging awkward. I have a girl friend who is 6 ft. But you know what they say "When there is a will there is a way". We figure it out.

--Jay

[Arch]

I know a really short trans guy who started transition quite some time ago--must be about twelve years or more--and everyone thinks he is hot (men and women alike). He is one of those "you would never know" guys.

I'm not all that short, but a funny thing happened a few months ago. I've been telling people for years that I'm 5' 6"--I was actually more like 5' 6  3/8".

Now I am apparently 5' 7 1/4". Almost an inch taller.

I don't know what happened. Have I been wrong all of these years? When was the last time I was measured--was it when I was still living with my parents, decades ago? Did I continue to grow after that, when I was in my twenties? Or did the T actually make me grow a little in my forties?

If it's the T, I have a theory about it...I know that my hands and feet grew a bit, probably because of a little extra muscle and tissue that spread out the distance between the bones. Maybe the same thing happened height-wise. I don't even know if it is possible. Has anyone else picked up any height after starting T?

[kingofcatastrophes]

I think the main thing to keep in mind is that a lot of cis males are short too!
But, I know it does suck.
I'm 5'4'' and my girlfriend is around 5'7''
which some people find quite funny!

[eVan24]

I'm 5'6 on a good day which I don't find extremely terrible because my dad is the same height (I blame it on the fact that we are part Japanese) even though my brother shot up to 6 feet and my sister stopped at 5 feet... kind of funny how that worked out. Anyways, my fiancee is actually 6 feet tall and she absolutely hates being so tall so between the two of us it kind of works because I do and say things to make her feel and seem smaller and more delicate and she makes sure to make me feel taller and like I'm her protecter. In addition, I work with two cis guys who are shorter than I am. They are actually going to be sharing an office together and made a joke that even together they still won't get to 6 feet (they are probably about 5'3). They both have very big personalities and a great sense of humor and even though they are short, they know how to be seen. I agree that confidence is key and if you need lifts to make yourself feel better then I definitely suggest it.

[Tejas]

I'm 5'. It sucks the most on a crowded train when my face is surrounded by backpacks worn by people who are 6'0" to 6'6".

Anyway, I deal with my own dysphora by doing things that people wouldn't expect of me. They are things I like of course, like, fly an airplane or played adult co-ed hockey.  If you don't allow it to get to you as much, you'll be able to show off other things about yourself and everyone around you will even agree that your height does not match your personality.

The girl I was dating is "5'5" and a half" as she'd tell people. I had my moments where I felt really short and uncomfortable, but she always said she never really thought of me as shorter.

I actually put height down as a reason why I shouldn't transition. That ended up being the only thing on the list so I decided to suck it up. It's tough. On the bright side, I fit youth things, so I pay less! From shoes to clothes to snowboards! (Just don't give me anything with skulls on it.)