Short-man syndrome? At 5'7 I am the expert
I can reach the plates on the top shelf in the kitchen. I can, honestly. But I don't look good when I do it. There's a tippy-toe, whole-body stretch that's very hard to make look cool or traditionally masculine. When people come over for dinner I usually make a defensive joke about it. This, if anything, draws attention to the stretch and turns it into a sort of circus act as I grasp the china with my fingertips.
I'm still not completely comfortable with my height. Being short is always partially falling short of a manly ideal. I've been short — 5ft 7in — for about 50 years (the first 11 years of my existence don't count) and along the way life has informed me of my status. Phrases such as 'tall, dark and handsome', 'imposing figure' and 'short arse' placed me in a height hierarchy. I don't wake up every morning and shake my fist at my genetic inheritance but I'd rather be taller. I'm not proud of that but if I could take a pill and wake up at least 6ft, I would.
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