Yes. I am short.
I'm a 5'2" 20-year-old that gets told how short I am on almost a daily basis. I am also "blessed" with baby face syndrome, where I look younger than I actually am. These two things cause many people to believe I am in middle school or high school.
Here are a few things that I am tired of hearing:
"You are so short!"
Really? I had no idea! I thought I was a giant.
"Don't let jokes go over your head!"
Funny how you just made a short joke you thought was original.
"You're 20? I thought you were 15 at most!"
The youngest age I've ever gotten told I looked like was 13, which must mean 13-year-olds are really evolving with their make-up skills.
"Would you like a kids menu?"
Your kids menu has an age limit of 12. I don't know what kind of 12-year-olds you see, but most don't go on dates alone with car keys in their hands.
"You sit so close to the steering wheel!"
Aren't you full of observations.
"I thought you were visiting an older sibling!"
No, I do actually attend this college, believe it or not. Being in a sorority helps this because I just wear my letters to places and then this is avoided.
"Aren't you a little young to be (fill in the blank)?"
No, I am a legal adult, no longer considered a teenager, but thank you for your concern.
"I need a parent to sign this because I am going to assume you're not 18."
You assumed wrong, hand me the paper and pen, please.
"Do you need to sign in?"
This happened over the summer, where I went to pick someone up from my old high school, and the principal, who was my principal when I went there, asks me if I need to sign in and get a late pass. I told her no, I am picking someone up. As she is looking my crop top and high-waisted shorts up and down, I turn to her and say, "I graduated from here last year." Then she promptly turned her head and walked away.
And lastly, my "favorite":
"You look so young, you're going to appreciate that when you're older."
This one bothers me for several reasons. I know that when I am older, I will look 10 years younger than I actually am, but for right now, it is annoying. You get looked at strange wherever you go if you wear something that looks more "mature". People stare at you when you're driving because they are probably wondering what a 12 year old is doing driving a car. No one believes you when you say your actual age, so you have to pull out you ID for proof. When you are in your 30's, you are still going to get carded when you try to buy anything alcoholic.
There are a lot of other problems with being short too; clothes aren't made to accommodate shorter limbs, unless they have a short option, any pant that isn't skinny will drag on the ground and rip, no matter how many times I roll it, shirts will go down to my thighs, and skirts that are mid-thigh on average height people will be down to my knees, I can't reach the top or middle shelf, I need a step ladder for my dorm bed, I'm mistaken for an arm rest, and you will always win the game of holding things above your head.
But, I don't get hit in the face with branches, or hit my head on doors or shelves, no one asks me to do favors for them when they can't reach, I am agile and a master at hide and seek, I can buy children's sized clothes and get a discount, I don't have to worry about anything being "too short", and finding a significant other that's taller than me is super easy, since the majority of the population is taller than me.
Next time you see a short person, don't point out how short they are, we already know.
