Happy New Year! Looking Forward to a Great 2011!

We definitely saw the petite community grow this year.  When I launched Shorty Stories back in 2006 (yes, we have been around that long.  However, the Shorty Stories blog did not launch until 2007), I was one of perhaps three petite blogs (Petite Fashionista and Some Small Sense.  The latter stopped posting a few years ago).  Today, we have a growing community, of which I think Extra Petite and Alterations Needed are the biggest (at least in terms of comments).  I am hoping that in 2011, we will see an even bigger increase in petite bloggers and perhaps some press from mainstream media and body image activists.  And what about Shorty Stories itself?  Besides our upcoming Petite Fashion Challenge (have you signed up yet?), we are looking at:

• Increase the number of followers
• Guest blogging (let me know if you're interested!  I'll write for you and you can write for me!) - especially from people interested in writing about their own petite experiences (after all, that was the whole purpose of Shorty Stories when it launched in 2006)
• More giveaways (look for one in the coming weeks.  We are actually hoping to do at least four or five in 2011!)
• Petite blogger profiles (again, let me know if you're interested!)
• More petite designer profiles (I know you're out there!!)
• Start posting videos again, both style-related as well as rants

Let me know if you're interested in seeing anything else or if you want to write!

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?

Fron the Archives:Becky's Story

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.

New Monthly Poll Our Tomorrow

Hi everyone!

Just to let you know that a new poll and the February poll results will be posted tomorrow some time.

Sorry for the delay!

December Poll Results

In December 2008, Shorty Stories asked: How high are your most of your heels?

15.4% Less than two inches

23.1% Two or three inches

15.4% More than three inches

15.4% A mix of different heights

30.8% I don't wear heels!

A rant about being petite - this blogger gets it, why don't others?

I found this while searching for things to write about in Shorty Stories. The writer, Isabella, basically gives the standard talk of what petite REALLY is. We need more people like her, because despite the blog postings about being petite, sadly, most of the public, including women who are 5'4" or shorter, don't seem to understand. Maybe more people need to create websites, so we could catch up with the plus size blogs!

Read the post here

Sophie's Story: An old Shorty Story from the original site

The story below was a Shorty Story sent to me back in 2006, before Shorty Stories became a blog. If you're interested in sharing your story in this format, please feel free to email us!

In my younger years, it was a lot easier in some ways. I had very little money, so I was unable to spend much on clothes at all! I was a normal, healthy weight, and I lived at home with my parents. My mother was a seamstress, so alterations were not an issue. At first.
As I got older, I moved out of home, got a job, put on a lot of weight and started to buy my own clothes. Or at least, I tried to buy clothes. Aside from the self-esteem side of things, it's extremely difficult for me to buy clothes.

Clothes ranges outside the "average" range sizing is fairly limited in Australia to begin with. There are extremely few petite lines here, and those that do exist do not cater to plus-size petites. As you can imagine, the few plus size ranges we have are designed as if short, plus-size women don't exist. Add to that the fact that I am a G-cup and you have one complete clothing nightmare.

So, in order to find something that fits, I have to look for 3/4 length pants and tops or prepare to have alterations or rolled-up sleeves. Skirts are sometimes possible, depending on the type. Dresses, jackets and suits? Forget about it. The nightmarish ordeal of searching for bras or swimwear? I'd rather not go there.

If I find something that has enough fabric to fit around me, that I can pull down over my chest or up over my knees it's always, ALWAYS, too long.

Stylish clothes? I dimly remember having the chance to look stylish in the late 80s when my mum made my clothes from scratch. The last time I looked remotely stylish was probably around 1991. And since I now live 1000s of miles from my mother, (and I can't do anything more complex than sewing on a button) unless I am prepared to pay big dollars for custom-made clothing, I have to take what I can get.

It seems strange that the fashion industry does not want to acknowledge women like me exist, let alone take our money. Let me state that thought more clearly for the fashion industry readers: if you make clothes that fit us: WE. WILL. GIVE. YOU. MONEY! OK?!
I find it hard enough to find something, anything that will fit. Looking good is sadly optional. The message from all corners is "don't show your face around here until you lose weight" (or somehow magically grow taller.)

To walk through a fashion district of wall-to-wall clothing stores and know that 95% or more of the tens of thousands of garments will not even have enough fabric to fit around my bulk (let alone look nice!) is a soul-destroying experience.
So, that's my story.

If you need me, I'll be the short, fat one in the corner with the decidedly unstylish outfit with the rolled up sleeves and too-long pants dragging on the floor...

-Sophie, 5'3"

J.Crew Picks for October 08

While it seems J.Crew's petite selection decreases each month, I do congratulate them on one thing this time around. THEY HAVE INTRODUCED PETITE YOGA PANTS!!! The petite length yoga pants have an inseam of 29" and come in black, grey or navy. These pants also have an interior pocket where you can place your mp3 player!

Other petite picks this month:

Big-rings rollneck silk dress

Stadium-cloth Bridget coat

It was really hard to pick these pieces, because they just weren't that great. I don't really understand this. J.Crew used to have great selection for petites, better than Banana Republic and Ann Taylor combined. Now, the other stores have each exceeded J.Crew. In addition, Banana and Ann both carry "fun"/"weekend" clothes in petite sizes. The latest J.Crew collection doesn't even have skirts in their petite collection. Normally, one would see one or two.

Leg Lengthening Surgery Revisited

According to this article, 29-year-old British lawyer, Sara Vornamen had leg extension surgery to maker her taller. She was, like many petites, tired of not being taken seriously at work. This surgery increased her from a petite 5' even to 5'3". With an addition of only three inches, she is still petite, though not as short as she was at her "natural height." She still doesn't fit into clothes properly, though her legs may be long enough for "regular" length pants. Do you think it was worth it? I'm not so sure it is. First of all, she's still on the short side, and secondly, this surgery is not only expensive, but also painful and risky. Who wants screws in one's legs for months? And the scaring. Besides, most countries won't perform this surgery for cosmetic reasons. Sara had to travel to Russia for the procedure.

Public Input: Why aren't we heard?

This is a question I want to put out to everyone, and rather than a poll, I'd like to actually hear comments. The question is this:

Unlike other body image blogs, why are media so quiet about us?

A Shorty Story from an Anonymous Commenter

This was posted in the comments section in a post a few weeks ago.

Coming from a big family helped me a lot. Being the shortest out of all of us never helped a lot.

MY dad------------5'8
My mum------------5'7
Me----------------4'10
y.sister-----------5'6
y.sister-----------5'7
y.brother----------6'0y.
brother----------6'2.

I used to remember when I was the tallest out of the kids. It was when I stopped growing at 10 yrs old. Mum used to do the height charts for us all. At school we used to have to do a line of kids who are the oldest in class to the youngest in class. Now I was the oldest in class and 4'10 this was done just before we went to secondary school. Now I was the 5 th shortest in class. Not bad I thought least not the shortest. Then they did the tallest to shortest still not too bad. Then when we moved schools and they still did the same thing with in a year I ended up being the shortest in my year. I apparently grew to my height before alot of the other kids. Then all thorugh that year I was so short. The 4 kids that were shorter than me outgrew me has well. I had alot of friends but they were all over 5'5. I used to always wish i would be the same but it never worked out.

I am looking for YOUR stories too! To contribute, please send us an e-mail!

By the way: Advance tickets to Sex and the City: The Movie are now available online! Check out movietickets.com or Cineplex (if you're in Canada)!