Wow, you're really short.
Has anyone told you how short you are?
How's the weather down there?
I'm 18 and I'm 4'11." It doesn't bother me anymore when people express surprise at my height when they first get to know me. However, I do get ticked when people I've known for a while bring it up in casual conversation, not even to make a classic short joke, just to remind me that I'm small, as if I wasn't already aware.
People ask how it feels to be short, but being short isn't really a feeling. It's not something I think about when I'm out with my friends or when I'm walking to class. I don't wake up feeling particularly vertically challenged. Your hair doesn't feel blonde, and you can't associate anything with what it's like to have brown eyes: it's just a natural trait. Same goes for being short. I'm not even thinking about it until someone mentions it or reminds me. Thanks for that, by the way.
Being short isn't a disability or a rarity, but for some reason, many people treat it like it is, as if it's an undesirable quality to be so tiny. Maybe I have trouble reaching things down from the top shelf of my closet, but I have no shame in pulling up a chair to stand on. I keep a stool in front of my bookshelf. So what? I've learned to adjust with what I've been born with. No one goes around bringing up people's weight to their faces, or their shoe size or how straight or crooked their teeth are, so why is it such a big deal to be small that people feel the need to constantly mention it?
The usual commentary about height can make me feel like I'm still a little kid, and trying to be an adult is already hard enough without having a lady in a restaurant asking what grade school I go to. Sometimes I still get offered kids menus. I could still shop in the kids' clothing section if I wanted, and the clothes there are a lot cheaper. Maybe I'll let someone use me as a ploy to get into Chuck E. Cheese, and I could get into a movie paying a child's price. It's a perk and a blow to your self-esteem at the same time.
Yes, the weather is fine down here. Yes, I know when I turn 21 I'm going to get carded a lot. When I drive I move the seat of my car all the way up and all the way forward, but I don't need to sit on a phone book. You can use me as an armrest only if we're close enough friends, otherwise definitely not. I'm tall enough to ride rollercoasters. I don't have to duck under branches when I go on hikes and I'm really good at limbo. I hardly ever wear flats when I dress up and I'd drown in a maxi dress. My feet usually don't lay flat on the ground when I sit down. People often bend down to try and be the same height as me when we take pictures. Usually that's followed by a comment like, "So this is what it's like down here!" It's all just a day in the life of a short person.