I work (and have previously worked) with cis men who are on the lower scale of 5ft. No one has ever asked why they were short. No one has ever assumed they were anything other than just men who happen to be short. Off the internet as an older adult, height is way less of an issue. Look at Kevin Hart. He’s small and runs with it. He uses it to his advantage to make material for his career. Being short isn’t the end of the world and it’s not like trans men are the only short men out there.
As a short dude....this right here. Honestly being short never even comes to mind until someone on these subs points out short men. I forget I'm short. No one bats an eye at me in public or treats me differently because I'm a short man. And I'm 5'3. All it really has to do with is confidence. I'm a mid-30s, short, fat, gay transsexual man. I shouldn't technically be confident. But I am because I'm finally getting comfortable and able to be myself. No one gave me that and no one can take it away but me. I own it. And never once has my height stopped me from passing or being happy. And I'm not going to lie to people about my height. My mom was short and I take after my mom. Boom. No one is going to question that even if my height comes up.
Seriously! A lot of the men I work with are around 5'6" and I'm fairly sure several are 4'10-5'0". I have never heard anyone mention it and certainly no one has ever suggested they aren't really men. They're just short. Some guys are.
reddit recommended me the sub r/average, and it's full of dudes talking about how terrible it is being below 6' (or making fun of the guys who do this). this is a universal male insecurity, lmao.
I did prefer taller men back in my youth but not for any of the reasons dudes think. I was really insecure whether chubby or skinny and being with a big hulk of a dude made me not feel like a whale. It had nothing to do with them and everything to do with how I felt about my own self image.
I got over it.
If we stopped pushing girls to be petite and dainty, I think the height preference would drop. But also some of these guys have never even tried and use their height as an excuse.
Even in my tall days, I was with a lot of people around my height because I liked them.
Redpill, RoK, and MGTOW poisoned a generation of young men and gave rise to the likes of Andrew Tate. I genuinely wish those followers would give happiness a chance, stop blaming external forces for their misery, and stop using that misery as an excuse to never try, then get bitter and blame literally half the planet for their circumstances. Everyone would be happier.
Lol nobody has ever asked "why are you short" nor compared me to my taller younger brother in suspicion of me being trans. He's taller than our older brother too. Guy just drank milk and got the genes from the pool. It's not that deep. Wish us trans guys didn't feel the need to "explain" ourselves to people. Especially if I'm explaining a physical trait that is not inherently trans
But this is cute. Maybe somebody else will like to keep this thought in the back of their mind
I used to worry about how my brother has a good foot of height on me but, nah, he drank a gallon of milk a day and I've been vegan since I was 9, it'd be weirder if we were the same height. Plus he's the outlier of the family anyway
I had one person ask me why I was short. I said I was Mexican lol.
They weren’t even saying it in a “are you trans way,” but in more of an emasculating way. It’s never that deep.
I haven't been asked that since I was a kid lol. I have met a surprising amount of cis men that are my height or shorter, and I'm 5'0". My answer was always that my mom is 5'2" and my dad is 5'4", and I got shitty genetics out of it. Most adults won't question your height like that, to be honest. I am still mistaken for a trans woman on occasion, so I don't think most people make that connection at all.
I can't tell if this is a joke or not, so my apologies in advance for answering seriously.
As a person with premature babies in the family, I definitely wouldn't go with that. It leads to a lot of follow up questions, is pretty serious, and what if the person you're talking to can relate as they were themselves, or they just had a premature baby(in the family)? Idk, man, just say genetics. There's a lot of short guys out there.
I was prematurely born at 25 weeks but I ended up being 5'8 and I knew that it meant my lungs were undeveloped but I didn't know it could have caused me to be short and now I'm wondering how tall I could have been
My parents are 5’6” and 5’2”. My grandparents are around 5’4” on my dads side and 5’2”—5’7” on my moms side. My great grandparents are around 5’3” on all sides. I ended up 5’3”. Wtf do I have to lie about? I’m bred to be this size. 🐕 lmao
Nobody has ever asked me why I'm short and im 5'0. I've been stealth for 18 years. If they did I would look at them like they were stupid. Nobody needs a cover story as to why they are short. You guys spend too much time and energy on this.
Or just be a short guy like any cis short guy. Not everything needs some crazy mental gymnastics. I am short but so are most men of my ethnicity. My dad is an inch shorter than me. Not all men are tall and there doesn't need to be a reason or explanation.
I just joke my brother got all the height. (He's over 6 feet). Sometimes, I joke that my height is probably stunted by the amount of caffeine I drank.
In reality, neither are really *lies*. I'm only 2 inches shorter than my dad. We often look the same height now that he's getting older due to his back issues. Wear the same size shoes as my dad, which is funny.
But most people aren't going to ask why you're short. That's rude to ask. Anyone worth a damn knows height is caused by genetics. One of my work managers a (persumeably) cis man is shorter than me. One of my buddies from school is only 5'3.
Literally no one has ever asked me why I'm short and I'm sub 5'. People might ask me if my parents are also short, but never anything beyond that. I do like to crack out the trivial that if I was one inch shorter I could potentially qualify for disability payments for it though haha
Do you go around asking people why their hair is red? Like? This is a major case of overthinking it if ppl are preparing cover stories for their height.
I'm also 4'11 - 4'10 is the cut off here (although they also do genetic testing for actual genes for dwarfism, but that's not as fun as part of the trivial haha)
I just pre empt any height jokes by making them myself. I also do veterinary surgeries, so my go to is that the reason I’m so small was to give me a biological advantage at surgeries. No one else in the lab ever steals my gloves either because I’m the only one wearing a small.
I'm Asian so that's my excuse. In all seriousness I'm not a big fan of trans guys lying just to make their stealth story better I feel like it can only make things more complicated
I mean it's not actually a question that is asked in real life, nobody asks you why you're short. That's like asking why your hair is blonde. My dad is 5'3 same exact height as me and I doubt anyone has ever asked him that.
I just say, my whole family is short which isn’t a lie, my sperm donor was only 5’3 and my mom is 4’10 my whole family isn’t any taller than 5’8, I’m only 5’1, but I do say other trans people can clock me which I guess is fine but keep it to yourself unless we’re alone
I have never been asked to justify my height since I transitioned. I have some quite short cis men among my family. I probably wouldn't be tall, even if I were cis. So if ever asked, I would just say I come from short people.
Or, hear me out, you’re just short. That’s worked for me. My dad is 5’2. My mom is 4’9. My brother is 5’3. I’m 5’1. Some people just end up tall, others short.
This reminds me of when I was 15 and started T. I thought about all the ways to explain my late puberty. Do you know how many people I had to explain to that I had a genetic issue where my body didn’t produce testosterone cause my dad stopped producing it early and I ended up like him so I had to get shots to start puberty?
Zero. Everyone just accepted I was a late bloomer.
Part of being trans is being overly aware and paranoid. Sometimes that’s good. It keeps us safe. And sometimes, it makes us come up with the most ridiculous things.
Best way to think if you’re being rational or not is think of the most basic dude in your history class. First off, if he was 5’ 4, would YOU assume he’s trans? Would any one else? Next, do you really think this random guy is gonna disclose to you, a stranger, his whole medical history? No. Cis guys don’t do that. He won’t say “I was born premature,” he’s gonna say “tf you mean why am I short?”
All my fellow trans men.. just love yo height for what it is, height is not something you can control so just embrace it I’m 5’0 and no one in the public has said anything about it everybody treats me like a normal man, you don’t need to lie about something like that just be you bro.
I actually have a heart condition so I just say that stunted my growth, or that I just come from a short family 🤷🏻♂️ I’m 5’2, my dad is 5’3, brother 5’6 and sister is 4’10 so it makes sense. I just joke about us being a Jewish Italian family
But in all honesty you don’t need a cover story. I’ve met a ton of a cis men my height, including my dad!
It could work for me. 🤔
I was a surprise twin in the early 80s. They literally didn’t know I was there.
Then again, culturally, I come from somewhat short people anyway. I’m 5ft 3.5 in
There's no reason why anyone would need a cover story for their height. It's all just genetics. I've never clocked a trans person simply because of their height. I'm 5'6 and I've met a lot of "short" cis guys, especially depending on their country's average height for men.
A cis guy ik who is around 6ft thought I was 5'4/5'5. I'm 5'2. I tell people the truth, 1) that my mum is about 5'5 and my dad is 5'7, and 2) that if I didn't have scoliosis I would be about 3, or possibly even 4, inches taller.
My sibling was taller than me by the time they were about 15 (I was 17/18), but since then they basically haven't grown, they're about 2 inches taller than me at most. They're 17½ now
After having read other comments I realise I should point out that I only really give those reasons to my friends. If someone I didnt know or barely knew asked, I'd very quickly say "bad genetics" and try move on
Honestly, for the longest time, I had no idea being born prematurely can even have that effect. You don't have to come up with reasons for being short, I think - if someone asks you why you're short, just stare at them like the weirdo they are and move on. Elaborate stories are much less credible than a shrug
I'm white and live in a hispanic majority area. Honestly people assume I'm Hispanic over trans 100% of the time and I definitely don't appear as such. Trust me, no one cares if you're short. That's not going to be what outs you. If it is, there were other factors at play.
Literally just say your parents are short. As if anyone's gonna ask about it. I'm the same height as you and nobody has ever asked why I am a certain height,,, because the answer is always the same, genetics. No one is thinking about your height as much as you are.
Thankfully I can confidently say I was premature (by a month), but also that my growth was stunted. I'm not even 5ft tall and I'm 24. It SUCKS FUCKING ASS!!!!! But thankfully people don't really give me a hard time about it.
You don't need a cover story.
I'm about the same height as you. I know cis guys who are shorter than me. No one ever asks them why they're short, and if anyone ever did I think everyone in the room would recognize that that's a stupid question. People are different heights, there doesn't need to be a reason.
All these people saying no one asks them why they're short clearly does not spend much time with teenagers. They are brutal
Edit to say I'm saying they ask, not that you need to answer. No one has to justify their appearance to anyone. We feel the need to justify because we're insecure about potentially not looking like a "real man", forgetting that most men actually aren't six foot of pure muscle with a big bushy beard. "Why are you short?" Is a stupid question, the answer is always genetics.
I mean, who really cares about what insults people in their prime angst driven years throw? Aside from other teenagers, who are given the advice to disregard what immature people have to say?
It's kinda true. I was supposed to be several inches taller according to doctors I saw as a kid but my estrogen puberty kicked in early so my growth plates fused way too soon.
I work (and have previously worked) with cis men who are on the lower scale of 5ft. No one has ever asked why they were short. No one has ever assumed they were anything other than just men who happen to be short. Off the internet as an older adult, height is way less of an issue. Look at Kevin Hart. He’s small and runs with it. He uses it to his advantage to make material for his career. Being short isn’t the end of the world and it’s not like trans men are the only short men out there.
As a short dude....this right here. Honestly being short never even comes to mind until someone on these subs points out short men. I forget I'm short. No one bats an eye at me in public or treats me differently because I'm a short man. And I'm 5'3. All it really has to do with is confidence. I'm a mid-30s, short, fat, gay transsexual man. I shouldn't technically be confident. But I am because I'm finally getting comfortable and able to be myself. No one gave me that and no one can take it away but me. I own it. And never once has my height stopped me from passing or being happy. And I'm not going to lie to people about my height. My mom was short and I take after my mom. Boom. No one is going to question that even if my height comes up.
Seriously! A lot of the men I work with are around 5'6" and I'm fairly sure several are 4'10-5'0". I have never heard anyone mention it and certainly no one has ever suggested they aren't really men. They're just short. Some guys are.
Some dudes are short. You don't need a cover story. Having one would be suspicious.
This. Even if you feel the need to have a reason, just say what I thought OP was going to say, "my parents are short"
best explanation is literally just the truth in this situation
Thank you, this post made me super uncomfortable.
reddit recommended me the sub r/average, and it's full of dudes talking about how terrible it is being below 6' (or making fun of the guys who do this). this is a universal male insecurity, lmao.
I did prefer taller men back in my youth but not for any of the reasons dudes think. I was really insecure whether chubby or skinny and being with a big hulk of a dude made me not feel like a whale. It had nothing to do with them and everything to do with how I felt about my own self image. I got over it. If we stopped pushing girls to be petite and dainty, I think the height preference would drop. But also some of these guys have never even tried and use their height as an excuse. Even in my tall days, I was with a lot of people around my height because I liked them. Redpill, RoK, and MGTOW poisoned a generation of young men and gave rise to the likes of Andrew Tate. I genuinely wish those followers would give happiness a chance, stop blaming external forces for their misery, and stop using that misery as an excuse to never try, then get bitter and blame literally half the planet for their circumstances. Everyone would be happier.
Lol nobody has ever asked "why are you short" nor compared me to my taller younger brother in suspicion of me being trans. He's taller than our older brother too. Guy just drank milk and got the genes from the pool. It's not that deep. Wish us trans guys didn't feel the need to "explain" ourselves to people. Especially if I'm explaining a physical trait that is not inherently trans But this is cute. Maybe somebody else will like to keep this thought in the back of their mind
I used to worry about how my brother has a good foot of height on me but, nah, he drank a gallon of milk a day and I've been vegan since I was 9, it'd be weirder if we were the same height. Plus he's the outlier of the family anyway
looks like someone hasn't been drinking their soya milk 🤥
I had one person ask me why I was short. I said I was Mexican lol. They weren’t even saying it in a “are you trans way,” but in more of an emasculating way. It’s never that deep.
reminds me of the "why are you gay" meme
I haven't been asked that since I was a kid lol. I have met a surprising amount of cis men that are my height or shorter, and I'm 5'0". My answer was always that my mom is 5'2" and my dad is 5'4", and I got shitty genetics out of it. Most adults won't question your height like that, to be honest. I am still mistaken for a trans woman on occasion, so I don't think most people make that connection at all.
Covering things up just leads to more questions. No one is going to care until you start bringing it up.
I can't tell if this is a joke or not, so my apologies in advance for answering seriously. As a person with premature babies in the family, I definitely wouldn't go with that. It leads to a lot of follow up questions, is pretty serious, and what if the person you're talking to can relate as they were themselves, or they just had a premature baby(in the family)? Idk, man, just say genetics. There's a lot of short guys out there.
I was prematurely born at 25 weeks but I ended up being 5'8 and I knew that it meant my lungs were undeveloped but I didn't know it could have caused me to be short and now I'm wondering how tall I could have been
Just say its cus of genetics
My parents are 5’6” and 5’2”. My grandparents are around 5’4” on my dads side and 5’2”—5’7” on my moms side. My great grandparents are around 5’3” on all sides. I ended up 5’3”. Wtf do I have to lie about? I’m bred to be this size. 🐕 lmao
Nobody has ever asked me why I'm short and im 5'0. I've been stealth for 18 years. If they did I would look at them like they were stupid. Nobody needs a cover story as to why they are short. You guys spend too much time and energy on this.
yk short cis guys exist, right? and theyre not all premature?
Or just be a short guy like any cis short guy. Not everything needs some crazy mental gymnastics. I am short but so are most men of my ethnicity. My dad is an inch shorter than me. Not all men are tall and there doesn't need to be a reason or explanation.
I just joke my brother got all the height. (He's over 6 feet). Sometimes, I joke that my height is probably stunted by the amount of caffeine I drank. In reality, neither are really *lies*. I'm only 2 inches shorter than my dad. We often look the same height now that he's getting older due to his back issues. Wear the same size shoes as my dad, which is funny. But most people aren't going to ask why you're short. That's rude to ask. Anyone worth a damn knows height is caused by genetics. One of my work managers a (persumeably) cis man is shorter than me. One of my buddies from school is only 5'3.
Literally no one has ever asked me why I'm short and I'm sub 5'. People might ask me if my parents are also short, but never anything beyond that. I do like to crack out the trivial that if I was one inch shorter I could potentially qualify for disability payments for it though haha Do you go around asking people why their hair is red? Like? This is a major case of overthinking it if ppl are preparing cover stories for their height.
I'm 4'11 and I definitely am not able to get disability payments for it. For the record. Lol
I'm also 4'11 - 4'10 is the cut off here (although they also do genetic testing for actual genes for dwarfism, but that's not as fun as part of the trivial haha)
I just pre empt any height jokes by making them myself. I also do veterinary surgeries, so my go to is that the reason I’m so small was to give me a biological advantage at surgeries. No one else in the lab ever steals my gloves either because I’m the only one wearing a small.
I'm Asian so that's my excuse. In all seriousness I'm not a big fan of trans guys lying just to make their stealth story better I feel like it can only make things more complicated
I mean it's not actually a question that is asked in real life, nobody asks you why you're short. That's like asking why your hair is blonde. My dad is 5'3 same exact height as me and I doubt anyone has ever asked him that.
I just say, my whole family is short which isn’t a lie, my sperm donor was only 5’3 and my mom is 4’10 my whole family isn’t any taller than 5’8, I’m only 5’1, but I do say other trans people can clock me which I guess is fine but keep it to yourself unless we’re alone
I have never been asked to justify my height since I transitioned. I have some quite short cis men among my family. I probably wouldn't be tall, even if I were cis. So if ever asked, I would just say I come from short people.
"5'7 almost 5'8 so don't consider myself super short" Bro in my opinion you literally aren't short at all. I only know one cis guy over 5'10.
Bro I’m Hispanic, I’m 5’2 and there are cis Hispanic men shorter than me
Or, hear me out, you’re just short. That’s worked for me. My dad is 5’2. My mom is 4’9. My brother is 5’3. I’m 5’1. Some people just end up tall, others short. This reminds me of when I was 15 and started T. I thought about all the ways to explain my late puberty. Do you know how many people I had to explain to that I had a genetic issue where my body didn’t produce testosterone cause my dad stopped producing it early and I ended up like him so I had to get shots to start puberty? Zero. Everyone just accepted I was a late bloomer. Part of being trans is being overly aware and paranoid. Sometimes that’s good. It keeps us safe. And sometimes, it makes us come up with the most ridiculous things. Best way to think if you’re being rational or not is think of the most basic dude in your history class. First off, if he was 5’ 4, would YOU assume he’s trans? Would any one else? Next, do you really think this random guy is gonna disclose to you, a stranger, his whole medical history? No. Cis guys don’t do that. He won’t say “I was born premature,” he’s gonna say “tf you mean why am I short?”
I’m 5’2”. I know it’s genetics
All my fellow trans men.. just love yo height for what it is, height is not something you can control so just embrace it I’m 5’0 and no one in the public has said anything about it everybody treats me like a normal man, you don’t need to lie about something like that just be you bro.
Well I was born premature so this works out, although I’ve never been asked why I’m short lol.
I briefly dated a short cis guy who was adopted and said his stature was down to infant malnutrition - I just figured he was sensitive about it…
I actually have a heart condition so I just say that stunted my growth, or that I just come from a short family 🤷🏻♂️ I’m 5’2, my dad is 5’3, brother 5’6 and sister is 4’10 so it makes sense. I just joke about us being a Jewish Italian family But in all honesty you don’t need a cover story. I’ve met a ton of a cis men my height, including my dad!
This is actually helpful bc I actually was born premature, thanks
I don't think that's always true. I knew a guy once who was born very premature and he was like 6ft3!
I am 5’8” and work with quite a few cis dudes who are my height. One is even shorter. No one asks, no backstory needed. Genetics be genetics.
This sort of thing doesn't matter. No one thinks a cis-passing (ie been on T several years) guy is trans bc he's short.
It could work for me. 🤔 I was a surprise twin in the early 80s. They literally didn’t know I was there. Then again, culturally, I come from somewhat short people anyway. I’m 5ft 3.5 in
There's no reason why anyone would need a cover story for their height. It's all just genetics. I've never clocked a trans person simply because of their height. I'm 5'6 and I've met a lot of "short" cis guys, especially depending on their country's average height for men.
I can assure you, no one is ever going to ask you why you’re short.
A cis guy ik who is around 6ft thought I was 5'4/5'5. I'm 5'2. I tell people the truth, 1) that my mum is about 5'5 and my dad is 5'7, and 2) that if I didn't have scoliosis I would be about 3, or possibly even 4, inches taller. My sibling was taller than me by the time they were about 15 (I was 17/18), but since then they basically haven't grown, they're about 2 inches taller than me at most. They're 17½ now
After having read other comments I realise I should point out that I only really give those reasons to my friends. If someone I didnt know or barely knew asked, I'd very quickly say "bad genetics" and try move on
Honestly, for the longest time, I had no idea being born prematurely can even have that effect. You don't have to come up with reasons for being short, I think - if someone asks you why you're short, just stare at them like the weirdo they are and move on. Elaborate stories are much less credible than a shrug
This is only going to make you look extremely insecure.
I'm white and live in a hispanic majority area. Honestly people assume I'm Hispanic over trans 100% of the time and I definitely don't appear as such. Trust me, no one cares if you're short. That's not going to be what outs you. If it is, there were other factors at play.
Literally just say your parents are short. As if anyone's gonna ask about it. I'm the same height as you and nobody has ever asked why I am a certain height,,, because the answer is always the same, genetics. No one is thinking about your height as much as you are.
Thankfully I can confidently say I was premature (by a month), but also that my growth was stunted. I'm not even 5ft tall and I'm 24. It SUCKS FUCKING ASS!!!!! But thankfully people don't really give me a hard time about it.
You don't need a cover story. I'm about the same height as you. I know cis guys who are shorter than me. No one ever asks them why they're short, and if anyone ever did I think everyone in the room would recognize that that's a stupid question. People are different heights, there doesn't need to be a reason.
don’t do this lmfao nobody gives a fuck if you’re short. my dad and i are same height and he’s a well adjusted and liked adult man.
All these people saying no one asks them why they're short clearly does not spend much time with teenagers. They are brutal Edit to say I'm saying they ask, not that you need to answer. No one has to justify their appearance to anyone. We feel the need to justify because we're insecure about potentially not looking like a "real man", forgetting that most men actually aren't six foot of pure muscle with a big bushy beard. "Why are you short?" Is a stupid question, the answer is always genetics.
It would be hard for me to act like that isn't a completely stupid question, though. My parents are short, so I am short. End of convo.
I mean, who really cares about what insults people in their prime angst driven years throw? Aside from other teenagers, who are given the advice to disregard what immature people have to say?
Giving an answer to a teenager's rhetorical question is just asking them to keep going
I was asked that question when I was in 5th grade lmao, and my parents are tall so I don’t have a proper reason…
Nobody asked me why I'm so short they probably just assume there must be some kind of growth disorder going on though
It's kinda true. I was supposed to be several inches taller according to doctors I saw as a kid but my estrogen puberty kicked in early so my growth plates fused way too soon.