Short Body Image and Size Diversity Rant

Non-standard size (but not petite in height either) model, Crystal Renn

I read another body image related post in a blog I follow, so I felt like I should write a post here about it.  I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of all those body image activists who claim that they want diversity, but in reality, only want to see more size 12 or so models in magazines and on the runway.  Yes, that may be adding to the body types when it comes to what's pretty/beautiful, but it is not diverse.  If you're only going to have Crystal Renn (above) on the runway with a sea of 5'11" size 0 models, it's called tokenism.  In order to be diverse, you have to have a lot of different types.  Unfortunately, short women, or even average heighted women don't factor in to most body diversity activists' interests.  To them, it's all about the dress size, and one that is larger than, say, a US size 4 (UK 8). 

I realize that I see a lot of people my size in magazines, but the people in magazines aren't usually in FASHION SPREADS.  I see people my size in magazines like In Touch or US Weekly because people my size in the public eye are musicians or actresses.  Sure, they get to be in fashion and lifestyle magazines too, but they're not usually doing fashion.  They're cover girls with an interview inside.  Once in a while, you'll see them at some sort of charity fashion show.  That's pretty much it.  Size diversity should encompass every size, height and frame included.

/rant

(Look for another body image/specialty size related post coming soon.  It will be on both this site and DelectablyChic!.  I just need to gather more information on exclusively specialty size designers and what people think of them!)

Exactly why we are having issues...

I posted a message on the wall of someone related to the fashion industry about petites and body image. I've received a few replies including comments about how we aren't ostricized like women of size, etc and even going as far as saying that being short isn't a "body image" issue and that we don't "suffer" for being short. What do you think? Would you agree with that person? Do you think that's the reason why no one takes us seriously?

Average world-wide is petite!

If you take the average of the height of women in the countries listed on this Wikipedia post, it comes out to be around 5'3 1/4".

Maybe the fashion industry should start listening and create clothes for us.

Are you a plus petite? Shorty Stories wants you!!

Shorty Stories is currently looking for guest bloggers who would like to write about being plus petite. Plus petites are a very ignored market, even though statistically, the average woman fits into this group. Maybe you'd like to talk about shopping issues (don't we all have those?) or how society views you. Maybe you don't consider yourself petite, even though you're 5'4" or shorter and would like to tell us why. Anyway, if you're interested in writing, are 5'4" or shorter and larger than a US size 12, please forward your post to me via e-mail!


I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Guy or Girl....height is an issue if you want to win awards...

The average height of a male winner is tall. No different than that of women. However, unlike women, the comedy-drama ratio varies. For women, the dramatic actress is generally taller than the comedy actress, while it isn't necessarily the case for men. In fact, there are several instances where the comedy actor is taller than the dramatic actor in the Golden Globes, both in the television and film categories. In any case, the average heights of Emmy and Golden Globe winners, broken down into comedy and drama categories are (as I didn't include TV movies/miniseries in the posts about women and height, I won't include them for the guys):

Comedy:

Emmy: around 5'11"
Golden Globe (TV): 5'10 3/4"
Golden Globe (Film): 5'11 1/4"

Drama:

Emmy: 5'10 1/2"
Golden Globe (TV): a little over 5'10 1/2"
Golden Globe (Film): 5'11 1/4"

Notice the difference compared to women (where comedic actresses are, on average, shorter than drama), huh?

I am totally not surprised that the average height of an award winning actor is taller than the national average in the US. Why would it be the same? Has Tom Cruise, a SHORT MAN, ever won an Oscar? Nope. Though women are allowed to be shorter, at times (for the Oscars, women can be as short as 5'2" (Reese Witherspoon)), but no male winner has been shorter than 5'9" in the past eight ceremonies.

I've asked a few of my friends about this whole height thing, and many feel that taller people win not because voters prefer taller actors, but because it "just happened to be that way." I don't know if I really believe that, though. Being recognized with an Oscar, Emmy or Golden Globe is like being promoted to senior management or executive. And studies have shown that people in these positions are more likely to be taller than average.

Award Winning Actors and Height, Part III

So how tall is the average Oscar winning actor? For women, the Oscars had an average height of around 5'6 3/4" almost three inches taller than the US national average! 5'6 3/4" is also the average height of a woman in the Netherlands. So what about men? Would the average Oscar winning actor be around 5'11 3/4" or maybe even 6'? While I don't have this year's winners (of course not, they won't be announced until tonight!), I do have a list of winners from the 2001 to 2007 ceremonies.

2007: Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), 6'2"

2006: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) 5'9 1/2"

2005: Jamie Foxx (Ray), 5'9"

2004: Sean Penn (Mystic River), 5'9"

2003: Adrien Brody (The Pianist), 6'

2002: Denzel Washington (Training Day), 6' 1/2"

2001: Russell Crowe (The Gladiator), 5'11 1/2"

Average Oscar Winner (2001-2007): Just over 5'11"

This is actually a little shorter than I had thought as I thought that it would complement the women's average of 5'6 3/4".

By the way, this year's nominees are:

George Clooney (Michael Clayton), 5'10 1/2"
Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), 6'1 1/2"
Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), 5'9"
Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah), 6'
Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises), 5'11"

Average height for 2008 nominees: Around 5'11 1/4"

(For actresses, the average height of 2008 nominees average to 5'5", with two nominees being truly petite, including the predicted winner)

All signs point to Daniel Day-Lewis, especially since he won the Golden Globe. Daniel is the tallest out of this year's nominees...hmmm

Anyway, break a leg to all of this year's nominees. I'll have an Oscar wrap tomorrow and a wrap-up of this entire series on Tuesday.

Award Winning Actors and Height, Part IIB

Last time, we examined height and male Golden Globe winners for television acting roles. Today, we move on to film, as we inch closer and closer to Oscar Night. For Golden Globe TV winners, we noticed unlike the women, there were actually five years where the actor who won the dramatic role was shorter than the actor who won for comedy. Will this be true for film as well?

2008:

Comedy or Musical: Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd: The Barber of Fleet Street), 5'9"
Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), 6'1 1/2"

Average: 5 '10 1/4"

2007:

Comedy or Musical: Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), 6'3"
Drama: Forrest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), 6'2"

Average: 6'2 1/2"

2006:

Comedy or Musical: Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line), 5'8 1/2"
Drama: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), 5'9 1/2"

Average: 5'9"

2005:

Comedy or Musical: Jamie Foxx (Ray), 5'9"
Drama: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator), 6'1"

Average: 5'10"

2004:

Comedy or Musical: Bill Murray (Lost in Translation), 6'1"
Drama: Sean Penn (Mystic River), 5'9"

Average: 5'10"

2003:

Comedy or Musical: Richard Gere (Chicago), 5'11"
Drama: Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt), 5'9 3/4"

Average: just under 5'10 1/2"

2002:

Comedy or Musical: Gene Hackman (The Royal Tannenbaums), 6'2"
Drama: Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind), 5'11 1/2"

Average: 6' 3/4"

2001:

Comedy or Musical: George Clooney (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), 5'10 1/2"
Drama: Tom Hanks (Castaway) 6'0 1/2"

Average: 5'11 1/2"


Total Average: 5'11 1/4"

I'm actually not too surprised at the averages. As with the women, the male film average is a quarter of an inch taller than television. Also like the women, the winners in the comedy/musical category tend to be slightly shorter than the winners in drama. The winners' heights also show that there's more discrimination when it comes to short men than short women. Out of all the winners in since the 2001 ceremonies, only Joaquin Phoenix is under 5'9" and at the reported height of 5'8 1/2", he's really close to the 5'9" average. However, with women, there have been three winners, if you include Julie Christie (5'2") who won for actress (drama) this year.

Up Next: OSCAR WINNERS (up to the 2007 ceremonies, of course) on Sunday, February 24, 2008.

Award Winning Actors and Height, Part II a

We continue to look at actors and height in part two of our series. On Monday, we looked at Emmy winners, and it was found that the average actor who won an Emmy was just over 5'10", which is slightly above the US national male average. This matched the female winner, whose height averaged just above 5'5", again, slightly above the US national female average. Today, we continue the series by looking at Golden Globe winners, starting with television

2008 - Television:

Comedy: David Duchovny (Californication), 6' 1/2"

Drama: Jon Hamm (Mad Men), 5'11"

TV movie/miniseries: Jim Broadbent (Longford), 6'1 1/2"

Average 2008 height: Just over 6'

2007

Comedy: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), 5'11"

Drama: Hugh Laurie (House), 6'2 1/2"

TV movie/miniseries: Bill Nighy (Gideon's Daughter), 6'2"

Average 2007 height: Just under 6'2"

2006

Comedy: Steve Carell (The Office), 5'10"

Drama: Hugh Laurie (House), 6'2 1/2"

TV movie/miniseries: Jonathan Rhys Myers (Elvis), 5'10"

Average 2006 height: Just under 5'11"

2005

Comedy: Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), 6'

Drama: Ian McShane (Deadwood), 5'9"

TV movie/miniseries: Geoffrey Rush (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers), 6'

Average 2005 height: 5'11"

2004

Comedy: Ricky Gervais (The Office UK), 5'8"

Drama: Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace), 5'11"

TV movie/miniseries: Al Pacino (Angels in America), 5'7"

Average 2004 height: Just over 5'8 1/2"

2003

Comedy: Tony Shalhoub (Monk), 5'10"
Drama: Michael Chiklis (The Shield), 5'8 1/2"

TV movie/miniseries: Albert Finney (The Gathering Storm), 5'9"

Average 2003 height: Just over 5'9"

2002:

Comedy: Charlie Sheen (Spin City), 5'10"
Drama: Kiefer Sutherland (24), 5'9 1/2"
TV movie/miniseries: James Franco (James Dean), 5'10"

Average 2002 height: Just under 5'10"

2001:

Comedy: Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), 6'1"
Drama: Martin Sheen (The West Wing), 5'7"
TV movie/miniseries: Brian Dennehy (Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman), 6'2"

Average 2001 height: Just over 5'10 1/2"

Total average height: Just under 5'11"

I'm not too surprised at the total average height of 5'11", about two inches above the US national average. The average female Golden Globe winner (for television) is about 5'6", also two inches. I've also noticed that, at least with male Golden Globe winners, comedic actors aren't necessarily shorter than those who win in the drama category, unlike women. Are you surprised, readers?

Next up: Golden Globe winners, Part II B - Film on Friday, February 22.

Height and the Grammy Winner

Back in September, Shorty Stories examined the heights of your typical Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy winners and found that average to tall actresses are more likely to win, especially in the dramatic category. But what about musicians? Are the taller ones more likely to win? With the Grammy Awards fast approaching us (February 10, people!), let's take a look at the best female solo artist winners 2000-2006:

2006:

Best R&B Vocal Performance - Mary J. Blige ("Be Without You"), 5'9"

Best Pop Vocal Performance - Christina Aguilera ("Ain't No Other Man"), 5'1 1/2"

Best Rock Vocal Performance - COMBINED WITH THE MEN'S CATEGORY...winner for 2006 was male

Best Country Vocal Performance - Carrie Underwood ("Jesus, Take the Wheel"), 5'3 1/2"

Average female solo height: a little over 5'4 1/2" (thanks a lot, Mary J. Blige, for skewing the height average....JUST KIDDING!!)

2005:

Best R&B Vocal Performance - Mariah Carey ("We Belong Together"), 5'9"

Best Pop Vocal Performance - Kelly Clarkson ("Since U Been Gone"), 5'3 1/2"

Best Rock Vocal Performance - COMBINED WITH THE MEN'S CATEGORY...winner for 2005 was male

Best Country Vocal Performance - Emmylou Harris ("The Connection"), 5'5"

Average female solo height: Just under 5'6"

2004:

Best R&B Vocal Performance - Alicia Keys ("If I Ain't Got You"), 5'8 1/2"

Best Pop Vocal Performance - Norah Jones ("Sunrise"), 5'1"

Best Rock Vocal Performance - COMBINED WITH THE MEN'S CATEGORY...winner for 2004 was male

Best Country Vocal Performance - Gretchen Wilson ("Redneck Woman"), 5'4" (according to celebheights.com. Her height is not listed on IMDB.)

Average female solo height: 5'4 1/2"


2003:

Best R&B Vocal Performance - Beyoncé Knowles ("Dangerously In Love 2"), 5'6 1/4" (Cynthia's Note: I thought she was taller than that)

Best Pop Vocal Performance - Christina Aguilera ("Beautiful"), 5'1 1/2"

Best Rock Vocal Performance - Pink ("Trouble"), 5'4" (Cynthia's Note: This was the last year the rock category had separate male and female solo categories)

Best Country Vocal Performance - June Carter Cash ("Keep On The Sunny Side"), 5'5 1/2"

Average female solo height: just under 5'4 1/2"


2002:

Best R&B Vocal Performance - Mary J. Blige ("He Think I Don't Know"), 5'9"

Best Pop Vocal Performance - Norah Jones ("Don't Know Why"), 5'1"

Best Rock Vocal Performance - Sheryl Crow ("Steve McQueen"), 5'3 1/2"

Best Country Vocal Performance - Faith Hill ("Cry"), 5'8"

Average female solo height: Just under 5'5 1/2"

2001:

Best R&B Vocal Performance - Alicia Keys ("Fallin'"), 5'8 1/2"

Best Pop Vocal Performance - Nelly Futardo ("I'm Like a Bird"), 5'1"

Best Rock Vocal Performance - Lucinda Williams ("Get Right With God"), HEIGHT UNKNOWN

Best Country Vocal Performance - Dolly Parton ("Shine"), 5'0"

Average female solo height (based on three categories): Just over 5'3"


2000:

Best R&B Vocal Performance - Toni Braxton ("He Wasn't Man Enough'"), 5'2"

Best Pop Vocal Performance - Macy Gray ("I Try"), 6'0"

Best Rock Vocal Performance - Sheryl Crow ("There Goes The Neighborhood"), 5'3 1/2"

Best Country Vocal Performance - Faith Hill ("Breathe"), 5'8"

Average female solo height (based on three categories): Just under 5'6 1/2"


Average R&B height: Around 5'7 1/2"
Average Pop height: 5'3"
Average Rock height: Just above 5'3 1/2"
Average Country height: Just under 5'5"

Average height combined: 5'4 3/4"

Notice that with the exception of one, POP ARTIST winners are petite, many on the very petite side, while only one R&B singer is petite (and that year, the pop artist winner was very tall! Almost a switch!)

What about 2007? Who are the petite nominees?

The R&B nominees are: Mary J. Blige, Chrisette Michele, Fantasia, Alicia Keys and Jill Scott. These ladies' heights are either over 5'4" or unknown.

The Pop nominees are: Christina Aguilera, Fergie, Feist, Nelly Futardo and Amy Winehouse. APPARENTLY, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE LADIES IS PETITE (Feist's height is not listed on IMDB, but there are sources that say she's 5'0")!

The Country nominees are: Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, LeAnn Rimes, Carrie Underwood and Trisha Yearwood. Carrie Underwood is the only known petite nominee. The others are over 5'4" or their height is unknown.

At least we're guaranteed ONE petite winner!

Average heights in selected countries (Source- shortsupport.org)

Below is a chart (from shortsupport.org) of average heights in several countries. Which country would you be considered "average" or "tall" in?

It's weird to know that many of us would be considered super tall in Vietnam, even if we're

Just to note: These heights may not be accurate. They are based on the stats listed on shortsupport.org. If the chart is a little blurry, the original chart can be found here.