Yahoo Lifestyle People Shorter Than 5'5" Are Sharing The Everyday Struggles That Taller People Are Totally Unaware Of, And They Had A Lot To Say
We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the struggles of being under 5'5" that taller people are unaware of. Here's what they revealed:
1."The fact that car sun visors are basically pointless. They help for a good 15 minutes, and then you're driving blind."
2."Cooking on the back burner of the stove is not an option! I can’t even stir the bottom of a stock pot on the stove without a step ladder."
—Anonymous
3."I’m 5’, and having to do laundry in a top load washer is annoying; I have to be feet off the ground or halfway in the washer to reach the bottom."
4."Getting nice pants, dresses, and skirts that you don’t have to pay extra to hem."
5."I'm not even 5 feet tall, so it's a lot. Sometimes doing things with my toddler is challenging. We're almost the same size now so carrying him is a struggle."
6."The lounge seats in hot tubs are built for taller people. After slipping and sliding and nearly drowning trying to sit the way it was designed, I have to either curl my legs up and sit in the corner or sit in the seat that's meant to keep you halfway out of the water. I don't encounter this issue often, just on trips. But every time it happens, I lose a little bit of my will to carry on."
—Anonymous
7."My biggest pet peeve of being 5 feet is since most people are taller than me, I can feel them exhale ON me. I can be in line at the grocery store and feel people breathe on my neck, and if I hug someone and they exhale, it feels like a bird pooped on my head. It is awful. Don't even get me started on sharing a bed with a tall person, you end up praying they are a mouth breather because occasional drool is better than sleeping in a wind tunnel every night."
8."The one I come into contact with often is toilets. It is not super comfortable to be out and about at people's houses or whatnot and have to use the bathroom with your toes just barely touching the floor."
—Anonymous
9."Driving can be downright dangerous. I have to get so close to the steering wheel to reach the pedals that if the airbag goes off, I will be hurt badly. Cars are not designed for short people, and the manufacturers can't be bothered to add the proper adjustment features so short people can ride or drive safely. Infuriating."
10."Being under 5'5" makes carrying big items especially difficult, not because of the weight of something, but more because it's hard to get clearance for things when you're so much closer to the ground."
11."The shoulder part of the seatbelt feels like it will remove our heads in an accident. They don’t adjust low enough."
—Anonymous
12."Mirrors in public places are often too high. I can only see the top of my head."
13."Waiting to order a drink at the bar and bartenders just see straight over my head. I see wonky stuff other people don't see like under the counters."
14."The impossibility of good ergonomics. Either the desk is too high from the chair, or the chair is too high from the floor. The 5’4” human working in this setup 9-10 hours a day has to fit the furniture, either with dangling feet or a crooked neck, and that is why there are chiropractors."
15."I have bruises all over my chest because of counter corners, door handles, and appliance handles. Especially from the dishwasher."
—Anonymous
16."People (especially guys) manhandling me to move me out of the way."
17."On an airplane, taller people think they can invade your space, just because you're petite."
—Anonymous
18."Definitely being taken seriously. I work in the medical field as an X-ray tech; when patients see me, they always say, 'Aw, you’re a tiny little thing,' or 'You’re so short; are you going to be able to do my exams?' Or some will mock me asking if I’m qualified to do my job. It’s so frustrating. I’m 5’0" for reference."
—Anonymous
19."As a teacher, it gets a bit harder to work with students from fourth grade on up because many of them are close to or at your height, so they don’t see you as an authority figure in the same way they would a taller person. If you’re also young and have a slight build, like me, they definitely don’t take you seriously!"
—Anonymous
20."Being used as an armrest by taller people."
—Anonymous
21."When you go to pick your car up after having something done, and they never bother to put the seat back where it was before, so it's about two or three feet away from the damn steering wheel. Um, put it back where it was before, please!"
22."When I go see a play, like Wicked or The Newsies, I literally have to sit on my coat like a buster seat. There is no way that I can see past the person sitting in front of me. The struggle is real."
23.And finally, "I no longer go walking with friends because it is hard to keep up. Their strides are huge in comparison to my 5’2' steps."
—Anonymous
Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Now if you're under 5'5", tell us the annoying and inconsiderate things that taller people often do.
