He's cute. He's nice. He's smart. He's interesting. He's funny. By all accounts, he's a great guy. So why in the world is the girl he's into friend-zoning him?
The answer is simple and obvious for single guys like him: he's short. And she, the object of his affection, is taller.
It's the challenge faced by Jack Dunkleman (Griffin Gluck) in the 2019 Netflix hit movie, "Tall Girl." In this heartwarming film, tall girl Jodi (Ava Michelle), faces daily ridicule from classmates for her towering height. At six-one, she's the tallest girl at school, leaving a school population that includes no one taller than her, especially in heels.
That is, until the handsome Swedish foreign exchange student, Stig Mohlin (Luke Eisner), shows up in class one day. And Jodi gets a lesson in what matters when looking for a relationship and, well, what doesn't.
Or shouldn't.
As a matchmaker, I hear it all the time. I want a guy who's taller than me. He must be at least six feet. No short guys!
It's not just small talk (pun intended) from these gals, either. They're serious about what they want. According to a 2014 study conducted by researchers at Rice University, 48.9 percent of women said they only wanted to date men taller than them. With only 14.5 percent of American men clocking in at six feet and above, for the woman who's a stickler about height, it can mean a lot of Saturday nights alone.
As for the five-foot nine-inch male's female counterpart, her average adjusted height came in at five feet four inches. With five inches separating the average sizes of the two genders, theoretically, there should be plenty of men for women to choose from. Even so, there are still plenty of women who won't entertain the idea of dating a short guy.
And for what?
I have news for you, ladies: You're selling yourself short (pun still intended). By swiping left on guys who fall below some arbitrary height requirement, even if they’re still taller than you are, you might be overlooking your dream guy. Here's why you should give that short guy a shot.
You can be the big spoon.
Sure, it's a wonderful feeling to have someone's arms wrapped around you. But it's also great to wrap your arms around someone you care about, and your short guy is the perfect size for snuggling. Just like guys, spoons come in different sizes.
The correlation between height and penis size is unclear.
But is he short everywhere? A 1993 study concluded: not necessarily. A guy's height and shoe size may mean nothing more than that he pays more for his Air Jordans.
He wants you to wear those heels.
Um, he's short, not dead. Of course, he wants to see you look your sexiest. If that means strutting your stuff in your favorite Manolos, break them out and watch him swoon. You're a goddess at any height. A short guy knows that better than anyone.
He's confident.
He may not be big in stature, but he's big in personality. Early on, he realized that his height wouldn't cause people to take notice, but being outgoing and fun would. Are you noticing that short guy yet?
You're confident, too.
You know jerks, like good guys, come in all shapes and sizes. So you've got no time for women who say they'd never date a short guy because that means they never have.
If you're looking for advice about dating a short guy, I'm sure Tracy Pollan, Cameron Diaz, and Nicole Kidman will be happy to give you some, which I'm guessing by the rings on their fingers, will be short and sweet.