Lee Suckling: Why is it still okay to belittle short men?

Being short is like being red-headed: it's one of the few societally-accepted reasons people can be taken down by others for laughs, and nobody pulls you up on it. Image / Getty Images

As society has railed against fat-shaming, misogyny, racism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry, it has remained okay to hate short people, writes Lee Suckling.

"I find little people to be untrustworthy." Meryl Streep's scathing take-down of Reece Witherspoon in the new Big Little Lies hits shorter people where it hurts.

Played for shock value, this savage insult by a batty and unhinged matriarch is something short people actually live with.

As society has railed against fat-shaming, misogyny, racism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry, it has remained okay to hate short people. Napoleon or Putin jokes can be made without recourse. They are actively discriminated against on dating apps as not meeting a "preference". They are pushed aside in public, ignored in queues, and made to feel invisible in bars.

Especially if the short people are men, who have the hardest time of all.

"Short man syndrome" and "Napoleon complex" are still laughed about in the 21st Century. The notion that shorter men act out in their lives because they live with insecurity about their smaller height is used against them. Purportedly, it's the reason they are mean, jealous, overly-aggressive, or why they try to dominate others, they say.

The problem here is the same bias that allows for racism. When a non-short person sees a man under 5'9" – 175cm (or so) acting aggressively, it's assumed this is because of his height. In the same way, when a man of colour is seen by a white person acting aggressively, it is assumed to be because of his skin colour.

The physical attribute of being short or dark-skinned – one informed by societally-taught racism – is what prevails in that person's experience. They are not the man who is angry. They are the Angry Short Man or the Angry Black Man.

We should acknowledge this prejudice because it's never been thought of as bigotry before. Being short is like being red-headed: it's one of the few societally-accepted reasons people can be taken down by others for laughs, and nobody pulls you up on it.

But now we need to move forward, because short people, especially short men, are damn cool guys.

I bet Tom Cruise is the only famous man you think you know of that's short. At 170cm, his four-decade career has been marred by the fact that his female co-stars tower over him. Yet – scientology aside – Tom Cruise remains badass. He's in good company: Kit Harrington, Zac Efron, and Mark Wahlberg are all 173cm tall. Al Pacino is 170cm, Robert Downey Jr. is 174cm, and Nick Jonas (who just married Priyanka Chopra, perhaps the most beautiful woman on the planet) is 167cm.

You shouldn't have to be John Snow, Iron Man, or the husband of India's most internationally-famous actress to be a cool short guy. Fame and fortune isn't the prerequisite equaliser to being under 175cm tall – the Tom Cruises, Kit Harringtons, and Robert Downey Jrs of the world were all surely venerable dudes before they were celebrities.

Here's what's amazing about being a short man: You get to develop a wicked sense of humour because you know what it's like to be overlooked. You get to be powerful without being threatening (especially to women). You get to embody masculinity without acting an oaf. You can serve other people who need the empathy of the underdog. You can be a muscle-god (your limbs pile on the brawn faster and bigger than people of other heights, did you know that?). And if you ever get a business class upgrade on a long haul flight, you'll be the most comfortable man on the plane in a lie-flat bed because you'll actually fit in it.

I am not a short man, but I understand the plight of those who feel "less than" others in society. It's the same feeling all minorities experience. Being short gives you a perspective on the world. It makes you strong and unique. You're not "average". You're not "normal". You're a pocket-sized agent of confidence, self-certainty, and cool. Go forth and be short, and make it work for you.