Height, Power, Politics and the Office

Most CEOs are tall men. We know that. Stats show that. But little is acknowledged when it comes to women. Take a look at your office. Out of all the women in senior management positions, how many are petite? Or even on the shorter side of average? This is especially the case in jobs that are historically male-dominated. This makes it especially hard for petite women, especially young-looking petite women to break the glass ceiling. Sure, one might say that it's great to look young, because one will appreciate it once she hits middle age. But what good is it when everyone is a senior manager and you're not?

Does this have to do with what the shorter person wears? Or does it have to do with the lack of power a shorter person is perceived to have? Both? When it comes to clothing, it’s simply because the clothes don’t fit properly. Unless a petite woman wears something that is specifically cut for her height, no amount of alterations is going to make her suit (or whatever garment she’s wearing) fit properly. Jacket sleeves can be shortened, but the length of the jacket can’t be shrunken without altering its shape. And that could cost someone an arm and a leg anyway. Pants can, of course, be hemmed, but it can still look baggy because the rise of a “regular” sized pant is longer than that of petite sizes. In other words, it can look sloppy, which translates to “not too professional.” And what about the lack of power? In our society, the taller you are, the more powerful one is seen. Historically in the United States, the taller candidate is more likely to win the presidency. Of course, there have been exceptions. Since the dawn of television in the 1950s, only Richard Nixon (1972 election: Nixon was 5’11 ½” while his opponent, George McGovern, was 6’1”), Jimmy Carter (1976 election: Carter was 5’9” and his opponent, Gerald Ford, was 6’1”) and George W. Bush (he was shorter than his opponent in both 2000 and 2004. George W. Bush is 5’11” and Al Gore is 6’½” and John Kerry is 6’4”) have been shorter than the runner-up. And out of these three candidates, one resigned, another only lasted one term and the third is very controversial. In this upcoming US election, the popular and heavily favoured Barack Obama is 6'1" or so, while John McCain is a mere 5'7". John McCain is the one who is getting made fun of.

In the world of beauty, height is also praised. Short people, especially short women, are seen only as cute, while the tall are “glamourous” and “beautiful.” Taller actresses are also more likely cast in serious and dramatic roles. Tall women, even with normal, proportional legs, are described as leggy, yet a 5’2” woman with a 31” inseam won’t be (women who are 5’2” on average, wear pants with a 28” or 29” inseam.) Doesn’t make sense, does it?

Boys and growth hormones

According to a Daily Pennsylvanian article from May, boys in the US and Asia are more likely to face pressure to be "normal" (read: tall) than in other countries. In fact, they're twice as likely as girls to receive growth hormone treatment. In Europe and other countries, there's an even split. I guess it shows where the power is. The big businesses are for the most part, in the United States, and Asia is very much growing in terms of money. CEOs and many politicians tend to be taller (in the United States, the taller presidential candidate is more likely to win than the shorter one. The 2004 election was a fluke with 5'10" (5'11"?) George W. Bush winning over the 6'4" John Kerry) than average. These countries are also more traditional when it comes to gender roles (sure, the United States is light years ahead of many parts of Asia, but Europe, especially the Scandanavian countries, is well ahead of the United States. But that's another story for another blog).

I think it's time that we rethink our attitudes towards shorter guys. I don't think boys should be subjected to hormone growth treatments just because they're short (not that girls should either). I think our society as a whole needs to rethink what power is. Power should be about the brain, not what a person looks like. If we continue to believe that only certain shapes have "more presence" (i.e. tall males), women would find it much harder to get ahead and break the glass ceiling.