Navigating Humiliation as a Late Bloomer: The Strain of Being Short in Adolescence

As a late bloomer, the journey of physical development can be a deeply humbling experience. This is especially true for individuals who experience significant changes in their appearance, particularly in the realm of height, during their formative years of adolescence.

My Personal Experience as a Late Bloomer

Looking back at class pictures from my school years, I can clearly see a gradual increase in my height, moving from the middle of the group to one of the shorter members who had to sit in the front. This transition began in my first year of high school, coinciding with a period of physiological changes, including a significant weight class in gymnastics.

Though my parents were tall, including my father who was 6'2" and his father who was even taller, I felt a sense of frustration at not reaching that genetic potential. My mother, on the other hand, was 5'6", which did not help in giving me the expectation of being a towering being. In my early high school years, I weighed just 105 pounds, which felt uncomfortably thin.

The Trauma of Being Short

The sensation of being short was not without its challenges. It often came with subtle or overt forms of ridicule and stereotyping. Myfriends would sometimes taunt me, and one of the most memorable instances was being dubbed the character Paul Reiser (also known as Martin Short) from the movie The Three Amigos, simply because of my short stature.

Then, during one of my insecurities, a friend once told me that I would have a hard time capturing the attention of girls due to my height. This kind of advice, given at the age of 13, was particularly hard to handle. For a boy who was just starting to explore his sexuality, the idea that he might be overlooked because of his height was a major blow to self-esteem.

Adapting to Being Taller

However, around the age of 15-16, my complaint-free growth spurt brought me to my current height of 5'11.5", which while not quite 6 feet, was a significant improvement over my previous height. Nevertheless, I still found myself occasionally feeling a sense of incompleteness, as if my growth might have been in vain.

Supporting Short Men

Even now, despite my increased height, I continue to empathize with and support my friends who are still short. The sense of solidarity comes from the realization that my personality was shaped during a time when I felt less in control of my physical appearance. While my son, who is currently 5'7" and a bit over, may not talk about his height often, I can assure you it bothers him at least to some degree.

Evidently, the idea that men without certain physically desirable traits such as height or muscularity are undateable persists, even in today's world where the world is becoming more accepting. Despite the constant myth that short men are undateable or have a hard time finding a partner, the reality is that there are many short men out there who have successful and fulfilling relationships.

Emphasizing the significance of being short is not just about pointing out the societal challenges but also about acknowledging that every individual is beautiful and unique in their own ways. While we may not choose our height, we can choose how we define ourselves and approach societal norms with a positive attitude.