Is 5'3 short for a boy?

[Cody Jensen]

I'm considering transitioning. I heard T makes you taller but I'm not sure. Anyways, I was wondering if 5'3 is short for a guy because that's how tall I am? Does T REALLY make you taller?

[Carson]

T won't definitely make you taller. It might, it might not. It depends on a lot of things. I am somewhere between 5'2" and 5'3" and yeah I'm short for a guy but I have no problem passing and am comfortable with myself. Its all about confidence.

[Valerie]

Hey Josh,

I'm sorry I'm not a boy, not on T, and have no knowledge of such.....  but I today I saw a man under 5' tall....  I also know men somewhere in the 5'2" to 5'5" range, and from what I've noticed I think their height is 'below average' for guys, but ya' know, ya' gotta' do what ya' gotta' do....  and if ya' gotta' transition, ya' gotta'....

--Valerie

[Ryan]

T doesn't make you grow. You may get a tiny bit taller due to bone and cartilage thickening.
5'3" is short for a man, but it doesn't really matter. I know men under 5'3". About 5'10" is around average.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height#Average_height_around_the_world

[spacial]

This guy is about 5'4". He's done not too bad really.

http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Fox,_Michael_J./Biography/

[Nikolai_S]

I'm 5'3 1/2. My dad's only an inch or two taller than me, and my paternal grandfather's an inch or two shorter than me. So I have short Latino genes and I'm unlikely to grow taller, even if T helps. On the bright side, travelling around Guatemala I felt like a GIANT, so I'm not considered short worldwide. If you're still a teenager, it might give you an inch or two, but if you're older it's very, very unlikely.

There's a site dedicated to short guys: http://->-bleeped-<-yeahshortguys.tumblr.com/ So no need to feel alone in your height.

[Cody Jensen]

I don't suppose there's any way I could make myself taller like surgery or something? 

[Sean]

Elevator shoes. 

I'm between 5'2 and 5"3. It doesn't hurt my passing. And I have a lot of (male) relatives within the same height range. I was feeling kinda short about 2 months ago and then I went to a family wedding. I was surrounded by short men and realized that even my SO's father is my height! What a revelation.

On the flip side, most people don't think I'm that short or don't believe me that I am when I tell them. It's all about attitude and confidence...unless you're playing basketball or reaching for things on the top shelf. All the attitude in the world isn't going to help me dunk.

Then again, Muggsy Bogues played in the NBA for over 10 years and he's 5'3. I wouldn't sweat it.

[Shang]

I don't suppose there's any way I could make myself taller like surgery or something? 

Yes, but it's a bit taboo and I don't know how you'd go about finding a surgeon in the states who does it (I know there are hospitals for it in various cities in China).


Anyway, there's a guy in my class who's probably 5'0" or shorter and it's not a problem and he's pretty cool.

[kyril]

Yes, it's short. No, you probably won't grow any more if you've already finished puberty. No, it's not the end of the world and it's not a counterindication for transition. I've seen a healthy adult cis man (know he was cis and health because he was in the US military) who was 4'7". I could lean on his head. And he had a little boy face. But nobody ever questioned his maleness.

[Aussie Jay]

Mate if your height is the worst thing you have to worry about during figuring out if you're trans or not, want to transition or not, or other random stuff that happens in everyday life - you're doing awesome!! 

As stated if you've finished puberty you probably wont grow.. But with T your confidence usually soars as your appearance and voice changes!

If the answer to 'is transitioning what I need to do?' is yes then you can't not do it for fear of being a short guy! At least have a 'real' reason that stops you lol!!

There are plenty of short guys on here who will tell you just how worthwhile it is!!

Would I like to be 6' like my brother - sure I would, but it's not the card I was dealt.. You do your best with what you are given and change what you can

[Nygeel]

Recently I've been noticing more and more guys around my height (about 5 foot 2). Cisgender guys being around that height isn't common but it isn't horribly uncommon.

[Alexmakenoise]

Plenty of guys are 5'3" and shorter.  I'm 5'4" and I commonly run into guys who are shorter than me.

However, it's rare to find a cis guy who will admit to being 5'3" or 5'4" or whatever.  Guys who are 5'6" and under tend to add a few inches to their height when asked how tall they are.  I've dated quite a few guys who were exactly my height.  All honest people in general.  All claimed to be 5'7".

[utouto]

I don't suppose there's any way I could make myself taller like surgery or something? 

Yeah, in China
And it's super painful, or so I hear. :p

[Silver]

Yeah it's short for a guy but that shouldn't be the reason you abstain from transitioning if you want to transition for other reasons.

makemetaller.info

[kyril]

I've dated quite a few guys who were exactly my height.  All honest people in general.  All claimed to be 5'7".

Yeah, 5'7" is the "default" height to claim, because it's so bloody average. Sucks to actually be 5'7".

[Alexmakenoise]

Yeah, 5'7" is the "default" height to claim, because it's so bloody average. Sucks to actually be 5'7".

Well, you'll always be the tallest guy who's " 5'7" ".

[kyril]

Well, you'll always be the tallest guy who's " 5'7" ".

Good point. I get to laugh at their petty claims. (been doing that for a while...there was a guy who I swear only came up to my chin claiming to be 5'7"...I was like "what does that make me, 6'2"?)

[justmeinoz]

Like Jay said, if height is the biggest thing you have to worry about,  transition should be ok. 

if you are slim you could have a career as a jockey!  If you are solid then maybe you are the ideal  build for Rugby!

[Sharky]

I'm only 5'5 so I feel your pain. I have the worst posture though. I'm very top heavy so there really isn't anything I can do about it, but after top surgery I will be working on my posture more. I've read that just correcting poor posture can give you height gain.

You might find the info on these sites helpful. I haven't tried anything yet.
http://www.freewebs.com/supertaller/index.htm
http://growtallforum.com/