As some of you might know, Shorty Stories used to be a regular website, and people had to e-mail me if they wanted to discuss their petite experiences (you can still do the same thing! We haven't had another person's Shorty Story in a very long time! Just e-mail them to this address) Here's a story from Becky, who is 5 feet even:
To be short has been so hard for me. When I was in college, I interned at a television news station and all the anchors and reporters were so tall. I'm thinking, "I don't look like them, how can I ever fulfill my dream of broadcasting live one day?" So I've been holding myself back a lot. I know that I can dress the part and walk the talk, but I get looked at like a little girl. At my current job, I'm known as the sweet happy girl and that’s great but I want a better job.
My Height = Comedy:
So many times, I've been picked on for being short. I dress young because that’s what fits. I'll never forget this: It was a cold snowy day and i bundled up with all the extras. I get on the bus to go to the mall, the bus driver asked me, "What happened, no school?", I told him, "no, I’m in college." He started laughing so hard that when I sat in the back of the bus, he was still laughing. I was so hurt that I was seen as a mere joke. I cant help myself that I'm small and look young. I'm glad that I'll look young when I get old but as of right now, I want to be taken seriously everywhere I go.
Shopping:
I went shopping for a wool pea coat for months. I went to every petite section of stores that I could think of. It was seriously driving me insane and very depressed. Size 2 petite was absolutely huge on me at Macy's and JCPenny. So i've been wearing this Guess bomber jacket with a fur lined hood. It was warm but its a school girl jacket. I go to work and my boss said I was wearing my eskimo jacket. He called me an eskimo!
So I asked a fellow petite friend who is super thin and asked where she gets her tiny jackets. She told me JCrew. I went in the store and they didn’t carry petites. There was one jacket that was returned in size 2P. I tried it on and I couldn’t believe that there was a jacket that fit right above the knee and long enough for my arms. It was perfect. Though the size/style was a little big and the color was not my taste, I didn’t get it. So I went online and found one I liked. I told my boyfriend, who is 6 feet and I love every inch of him, he got it for me for Christmas. It fits perfect.
American Eagle has been one of my faves for a long time. They have great jeans and shirts that fit perfect for my frame (size 0 bottom and extra small top). They have cute clothes but it’s very simple. Now that I'm older (23) and I'm working, I want to dress like my own age and feel confident. I have another petite friend who dresses really nice and has her own style. I feel like I still need to figure out my own style but shopping is so frustrating. Like I don't know what to wear. I try on the stuff from what I see on the mannequins but they are soo big. I'm thinking, "how can this be in style?" Those long wide dresses don’t complement my frame at all.
I like dresses that hug my frame and make me appear small and thin. Short dresses are fun too because they make my legs look long with heels. One girl at my job is petite like me but she has a smaller frame and I’m more of a curvy frame. And she always wears skirts with stockings. It’s so nice on her because that’s her style. But when I try to dress like that, I feel like I look so young. They are like schoolgirl skirts. That’s her style, not mine. I used to love shopping when I was younger in the junior section but now, I have to spend hours looking for something that truly fits.
Conclusion:
There really needs to be a revolution for short women. In the work world, we need to be taken seriously and know that we can offer the best for the company no matter what and we can do just as perfect as tall people. Being short should not be an excuse for others to laugh. We are small and we can escape through crowds faster than they can. Living in NYC, the subways during rush hour still have a small spot for me. And shopping, we need to feel the freedom to shop anywhere and find our size. We need to have the confidence to face all our tall friends and wear the same clothes as them. Just because we are small does not mean we can be taken advantage. We have to be twice as strong and show the world we can do anything. Hope your having the best day ever my fellow short gals!!
This was originally posted in 2007.
