Being the same height as a pre-teen has never been so glamorous

It’s not bad being the short girl in college


The average height of women aged 18-20 in the US and the UK ranges between 5’4 and 5’6. Anyone who measures lower than this are what is commonly referred to as short.

At 5’0 I’m one of those short girls.

Objects in public spaces are often placed to accommodate this average height range; shelves in supermarkets, kitchen cabinets and an assortment of other commonly used objects become our greatest foes.

You know you’re short when…

Along with the logistical issues that accompany our compact stature, there are the social aspects that become twice as apparent upon setting foot on a college campus. Being asked if you’re somebody’s younger sister, or perhaps a Doogie Howser type genius child, become a part of the day to day norm for many of us.

“Are you sure you’re tall enough?” becomes a running joke amongst your friends when it comes to anything from riding theme park rides to driving your car. Your head becomes a glorified arm rest for those who can reach, which is basically everyone on the planet, and you get carded if you so much as look at a lottery ticket.

You’re soooo funny

While being short definitely has its drawbacks at this age, it also comes with a slew of benefits that our taller companions miss out on.

First of all, our short stature makes us the focal point of every group picture ever taken. Whether we’re placed in the middle to balance the picture out, the front to make sure we aren’t hidden, or, in some particularly frightening instances, lifted off the ground; short people are definitely the one’s that come out with the best Instagram pics in the end.

Am I in heels? Yes. Am I also on my tip toes? Yes. Am I still significantly shorter? Yes. Did I score a central spot in this Insta pic? Still yes

Nothing could be better than fantastic Instagram posts, right? Wrong. Being short means you always have leg room. Whether you’re on a plane, train, or campus sanctioned bus service, you never have to worry about making awkward physical contact with the odd smelling individual sitting next you. Unless you’re into that kind of thing, and long car trips are nothing when we can stretch our legs out and get comfortable for the trip.

With all that extra space, who could ever complain about long car trips?

Another benefit? We never have to lift anything heavy, ever. Whether it’s a team event, going to the grocery store, or helping a friend move, we are never, under any circumstance, given the heavier objects to carry. Our shortness acts as a camouflage to the world, allowing them to believe that small stature directly equates to our only being able to carry small loads. While this is inherently wrong, it is also a major benefit to being short.

Put the short person in the middle to “balance” the picture. Not going to argue

Being short in college definitely sounds bad in theory – all the jokes and age related misunderstandings definitely don’t sound fitting for the best time of our lives. But when put into practice, being a short girl in college has more pros than cons, and it teaches us to appreciate ourselves for our unique stature, as well as our taller friends for their usefulness. Most of all, being short teaches us to see everything around you at more than its face value.

We are not just short, we are unique individuals with our own aspirations and personalities, though some people may not see that at first. Being short has many perks, many things that benefit us in the short run (pun intended), like getting good social media pics and having people want to help you get stuff from the top shelf. However the most valuable perk we gain from our miniature size is the ability to look beneath the surface and see what’s really important; the kindness of the tall stranger who gets the tomato sauce from the top shelf, the devotion of the friends who constantly joke about your height, and perhaps most importantly, the value of inner beauty.