Some of our essay contributors have been interviewed by the media. Please see our Interviews section to read about and listen to these opportunities to raise awareness with the public.

• The Stomps of a Short Model by Isobella Jade, January 2008
  I might be the only person in the world who says she will wear high heels no matter the height of the hill, the weather, or the length of the road, and defiantly when I am eighty. My heels give me confidence as I arch my back and prance ahead five inches taller with them on, but they also help me pay the bills. I am a petite model .....[go to article].

• The Problem, Cause, and Treatment by Ed Utter, August 2007
  .... The problem is, “The whole world is prejudice against short people.” You can’t fix the problem by changing us. We are not the problem. We stopped growing when we got perfect.....[go to article].

• Enjoy Your Petit Viewpoint by Steve Breen, August 2007
  I am both disheartened and intrigued by the nature of essays that have been written concerning Heightism. I have only recently taken an interest in Heightism.....[go to article].

• Why Being Short Is An Illness - Literally by Eric Boakye Antwi, July 2007
  Why are people "short"? For a long time I looked to religion for the answer to this question and came up with, "God created short people to create diversity in his creation." .....[go to article].

• Confessions of a Short-Arse by John Moffat, October 2006
  As I look down the barrel of sixty years of age and the ever solidifying prospect of a lonely old age beyond, I can no longer deny that bitterness blights my outlook on life. Resigned to my fate? I think so. I'm tired of the struggle. I've tried on a wardrobe of philosophies .....[go to article].

• Standing Tall Through High And Low Moments by Elaine Soloway, Reprinted with Permission, September 2006
  She was trying to be friendly - I know she didn't mean anything by it. "You're so cute!" she said to me. "How tall are you?" We were in the women's locker room at my health club. I was at the mirror, putting on makeup, nude except for a towel around my torso. She was to my right, smiling down at me. A tall woman, five nine, I'd guess. I shifted to the left, afraid she might pat my head next, as if I were a puppy or toddler.....[go to article].

• Comments on "Stature and Status: Height, Ability, and Labor Market Outcomes" by Amy, August 2006
  Two Princeton economists recently produced a study that examines the correlation between height and intellectual capacity. It is commonly acknowledged that taller people hold jobs of higher status and usually make more than their shorter coworkers. Most previous studies conclude that discrimination, self esteem, and social dominance are the factors that contribute to the very real differences in outcome. The 52-page paper instead offers another hypothesis: "On average, taller people earn more because they are smarter....And as unsavory as this paper's conclusion may seem, it is not as brutally simplistic as it sounds....[go to article].

• Comparatively Speaking, by Ellen Frankel, July 2006
  I am at an awards ceremony for a local arts festival. My husband and I are sipping champagne, wandering through the display of watercolors, hand-painted furniture, pottery and photographs. The room is quickly filling up. Briefly, our eyes meet. We stare at one another, and then quickly turn away. We busy ourselves talking with our respective partners....[go to article].

• Short and Happy, by Ed Utter, July 2006
  OK, OK, OK, I'm a man and I have lived for 65 years, many of them at five foot four and some of those years at five foot three (one loses some height with age), so I feel like I know at least something about height and how it affects a person. I have spent probably too much time analyzing the condition and I seem to have a different outlook than most of the writers on this web site....[go to article].

• An Anti-Racist Activist's Perspective on Heightism, Weightism, and Other Lookisms, by Mara L., October 2005
  I was logged on to my favorite anti-racist chat, my politically correct refuge where I could be free to be me, when I saw this, "Typical short girl complex".... As someone of below-average height and above-average weight, I was offended, even shocked by such ignorant remarks from allegedly enlightened people...[go to article].

• My Experiences and Opinions on Being a Height Challenged Person, by Jason Young, September 2005
  I am a five foot four white 34 year old male from Australia. Just as in most westernized communities, Australia has a culture of discrimination against small people. The issue in Australia I believe has more ramifications as there is a greater emphasis on being a "bloke" (Aussie slang for a male), and all that entails... [go to article].

• A Short Stay, by ShaneFrancis, August 2005
  I come from a family that moved quite frequently when I was growing up. Before I started Kindergarten, I had lived in at least four different towns. From Ohio, to Oregon, to Iowa. From the time I entered Kindergarten, through high school graduation, I averaged living in a new town, every 1.5 years. This, too, may be another cause for my shorter stature... [go to article].

• Good Things Come in Small Packages, by Ashley Factor, June 2005
  In today’s society there are many who believe that being tall allows a person to be more respected and prone to better advantages. However, there are actually quiet a few good things about being short as apposed to being tall... [go to article].

• My Experiences as a Female, by Louise Duncombe, May 2005
  My height never really bothered me when I was a young child, which was probably because no one made an issue of it. I remember when I was 10˝ I was referred to the hospital for my height. I had X-rays and a blood tests done for about a year and a half but they found nothing wrong. They just put it down to genes. They estimated I would reach about 5ft or 5ft 1 but I'm 19 and 4ft 11 so I'm beginning to think they got it wrong. From the ages of 14 to 16 I received so many nasty comments about my height, which has made me despise it ever since... [go to article].

• Standing Tall Against Discrimination, by Matthew Campisi, March 2005
  Part of the problem is that nobody wants to talk about it. I get so frustrated by the fact that there are literally millions of short men and women out there, who are struggling with their ascribed status in society, yet nobody wants to do anything about it. Sure, you have your occasional short guy who posts messages on internet chat groups, or perhaps takes it one step further by submitting an essay for inclusion in the Short Persons Support Web site. But is that enough?... [go to article].

• Understanding and Living with Height Discrimination, by Glenn Beard, March 2004
  This article aims to help one understand and live with Height Discrimination (HD) in our society. That HD exists has been well referenced on this site already. What is required is acceptance of the fact that we - as shorter people - are seen as lesser people in society. The emphasis is on "are seen as." We need to know how we can best lead our lives in the face of discrimination, and how to counter it both in our long term interests ... [go to article].

• Vertical Challenges, by Chris Hamre, June 2003
  “Hey midget! Midget!” came the voice from a truck, as I walked down the Las Vegas strip a few years ago. “I hate people like you, do you know that?” he barked. What did I do to provoke his tirade? Well, nothing. I didn’t know this man, yet he hated me. Why? .... [go to article].

• Journal Number Nine, by C. H. Moore, March 2003
  "The two-cheeseburger value meal." I stated the words like any American would, apathetic and professional at the same time. Ready to engage in my greasy transaction. I was waiting for her to ring in my order, and ask what I wanted to drink. I was ready to say Dr. Pepper. Instead she looks at me and says, "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like that guy off 'Lord of the Rings'." I immediately knew who she was talking about.... [go to article].

• Problems and Solutions to Buying Clothes for Small People, by Christopher Woodward, January 2003
  Is everything in the shops too big for you? If the answer is YES then you are just like me. I have the under-appreciated problem of being short at 5' 5". I am thin as well. I know many people complain about not being able to find clothes that fit well, but for the majority of people who are within the normal range of heights, it is simply a question of which in-stock size to purchase. Finding adult clothes that fit can be a difficulty if you're a man who is 5' 6" or under and also of a slim build.... [go to article].

• Heightism - The Last Bastion of Discrimination, by Joe Mangano, May 2002
  "My you're growing fast!".... We've all heard expressions like these. ....we can all identify with these words of wisdom, can't we? After all, who wants to be short? There are all types of discrimination, all types of prejudices.... So where are the organizations to combat height discrimination? Why don't they exist? Why is no one (or at least so it appears) interested in helping short people?.... [go to article].

• Height Centered Unity, by Geoffrey Arnold, February 2002
  If capitalism represents the gears that operate the national machine, then institutional discrimination is the lubricant that helps the cogs turn smoothly. The United States is one of the most capitalistic societies on Earth, and so institutionalized discrimination is quite commonplace. One might ask, "Why would discrimination be purposely fostered? And how does this relate to capitalism anyway?" .... [go to article].

• A Man's Guide to Being Short, by Michael Calwell, October 2001
  ... You may be courageous and cultured. You may be strong, sophisticated and intelligent. You may be fit, capable, generous and funny. But sometimes the most important thing in the world seems to be the fact that your head is a few inches closer to the ground than the average man's..... [go to article].