Revelations + Destinations

Shorty

this story originally appeared in the philippine daily inquirer on February 18, 1999. 

Next to impotence, the greatest tragedy that can befall a man is to have a tiny stature. I should know. I only stand five feet and one inch, my height since I was 15. It is extremely painful for me that, in a world where size does matter, my height never moved up during the last 10 years. People do attach a lot of importance to height. Tall men attract more attention. What they may lack in looks, brains or physical strength can be compensated by their towering height. Yes, contrary to what their teachers advised, people do judge a book by its cover. And yes, even though the essentials are invisible to the eyes, people care much about the things that can be seen. Our society loves tall men. If standards have to be given, the very first specification for a man is that he must be tall. Standing below the average height is a harrowing experience that lasts a lifetime. The sad thing is, one cannot simply wake up to end this nightmare. He must face squarely the lonely truth that being short is considered an abnormality that carries with it several disadvantages.

First of all, girls prefer tall guys because they want someone who can protect them. A tall guy is supposed to project an aura of strength, while a short guy is perceived as a wimp. Well, girls are simply being realistic. For how could someone so small defend himself, let alone protect his partner? The result is that smaller men have more limited choices for partners. Their choice of girls is confined to those who are of the same height as them or smaller. I’m not saying that short men are not supposed to set their sights higher.

As a matter of fact, I applauded Ogie Alcasid when he won the heart of Michelle van Eimeren. But the thing is, most short men would not want to marry girls who are taller than them. They just don’t like the idea of literally looking up to their partners for the rest of their lives. When it comes to career opportunities, a good number of jobs are not open to short men. Those who are my height can’t be security guards, policemen, military men or pilots. The bottom line is that short men are not taken seriously. They are regarded as if they are no match to tall men. Physically, perhaps. But in other areas, that’s an entirely different matter. Napoleon Bonaparte (who was only as tall as me) led the French army in the conquest of most of Europe. Carlos P. Romulo rose up to become president of the United Nations. Juan Flavier was the most effective and popular Cabinet member during the Ramos administration. Onyok Velasco almost became the first Filipino Olympic gold medalist. Me? I graduated at the top of my college class several years ago. My tiny stature makes me abhor shopping.

Shopping is always an ordeal for me since I always find it hard to look for things that fit, like small shirts and five-inch shorts. To make things worse, some sizes are even bigger than what their tags say. (When I told a friend about this problem, he suggested that I go to the children’s section!) And I can’t even borrow clothes or shoes from my friends; they are just too big for me. Meeting old friends and relatives in my hometown can be annoying. I have been working in Manila for years, and my vacations in our province become occasions for me to see that relatives and acquaintances who used to be small children have become taller than me. To add insult to injury, they would ask me when I stopped growing. Some would even say that I look smaller than before. If such remarks were only unlawful, I would have sent scores of people to jail. Everybody knows that one’s height is determined by the genes transmitted by his parents. Unluckily for me, both of my parents are vertically challenged. That leaves me with no choice but to resign myself to this sad reality. It’s hard to accept that there are things in life that I cannot change no matter what I do.

Now, I have to accept the challenge of rising above my physical limitations in pursuit of my dreams. The famous short men who lived before me taught me the lesson that one can earn respect even if he is short. One’s body cannot limit his achievements. One simply has to believe in himself. Instead of dwelling on his liabilities, he must focus on his assets. I know these things are easier said than done. But this is the attitude to take if I intend to live a better life. 

Crisanto Bagonghari

Crisanto Bagonghari, 25, finished his AB Philosophy at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

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