I’m short. Really short. I’m 23-years-old, and I’m only 5 feet tall. I might not be the shortest girl in the world, but let’s just say that I have met an uncomfortable amount of kindergarteners who are actually taller than me. Now, when you first meet me, you might feel compelled to tell me how short I am (i.e., “Wow, you’re really short.”). But really, there’s no need for that. I kind of already know — I do own a mirror.

I grew up in a tiny family. I don’t mean weirdly tiny, we’re just all petite — parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents included. I never knew it wasn’t completely normal until I started getting old enough for kids at school to start picking on me for it. I’m pretty sure I was always the tiniest kid in my class: constantly at the front of the line when we were in height order, always squirming in my seat to see the board or the movie better, and always being patted on the head and being told how cute and little I was. Read More »

Last week one of the CollegeCandy writers asked a question that I have been thinking about since I started crushing on boys in the 4th grade: would you date someone who weighs less than you?

Many people weighed in (tee hee) on the topic via the comments, and most of them seemed angry that we even brought up the issue. I mean, weight shouldn’t matter! But I really felt that a lot of people were missing the point.

This is not a question of body image or beauty, but rather a question of comfort, societal expectations and the role of men and women in a relationship. I was curious to see if weight was something guys considered when dating someone (beyond the whole preference for a girl with big boobs and a negative waist).

And based on what this guy said, I think weight and size matter more than most people are willing to admit. Read More »

You may have guessed from the title that I have a short boyfriend. He doesn’t like to be called “short,” but it can’t be denied—at 5’8”, he’s exactly the same height I am, and if I wear heels with even a little bit of height, he suddenly becomes a dwarf.

And yes, that’s OK with me. So I’m kind of perplexed as to why so many of you answered the CC poll question a few weeks back by saying that you’d never date a guy shorter than you are.

That seems awfully judgmental to me. Yeah, it’s fine to have preferences about the people you date—I do prefer taller guys, to be completely honest—but shutting a whole class of guys out of your dating pool is only doing you a disservice. Who knows? Maybe that gorgeous, funny, classy, considerate guy you’ve been secretly dreaming about all these years is actually that short guy standing over there in the corner at the bar. Maybe not… but you’ll never know unless you chat him up and find out. Read More »

I have something to tell you: I am not petite. At 5’10 and not a size 4, I am what many would consider a biggish girl. And that makes it hard to date. Especially because I want to date a nice, Jewish boy…who also happens to be bigger than me. No offense to my people out there, but there are very few Jewish males who reach above 5’5. (And I have been looking for years!)

People always yell at me and tell me I am being too picky, (“What is the big deal?” “Why not someone who is at least your height??”) but I can’t help it. And trust me – I have tried.

Last weekend, I went home with a very attractive boy – my height, super hot …but really, really skinny. I was already nervous enough to strip down to my skivvies, considering my post beer belly. But, thanks to the power of that very beer, I was feelin’ frisky, so strip I did. We had our fun. When it was time to go to bed, though, I couldn’t find my undergarments in the pile of clothes on the floor, so the boy threw me a pair of his boxers to sleep in. And it was like putting in a pair of Spanx. Or plaid biker shorts.

Totally true.

Totally embarrassing. Read More »