Heightism and Allyship: A Gender and Disability Perspective
Society: Why so serious?; Me: Let me tell you why it is serious
‘Come up in life, become an expert in whatever field you choose.’
‘Ok…’
‘You can do it, don’t worry.’
‘I… I have had difficulties. You know my height….’
‘Upon all the blessings that God has given to you, this is what you complain of….’
The 19-year-old at the other end of the driver's seat fell silent and bowed down his head in shame.
The above conversation happened when I was doing my undergraduate studies, and my grades were average. So naturally, my father was worried, and he wanted me to excel in life. The problem was that before I started to open up about myself, he interrupted me and disregarded whatever I had wanted to say as rubbish. For example, he might have thought, what does height have to do with one’s grades? Or might have thought that the issue of heightism is rubbish.
My father is 5 feet 7 inches tall, and I am just 5 feet 5 inches tall. All my life, I have had to hear comments about my height from my own family, peers, and others around me. The problem was not that my father was insensitive to me. On the contrary, he is a great father. He taught me to be compassionate in life. He is the one who helped me the most in the struggles of life. Unfortunately, he lacked sensitization about heightism because he himself was an indoctrinated victim of the religious, patriarchal, and conservative society.
Heightism among cismen
‘Look at this guy’s hands; it looks like the hands of a skeletal dwarf. What kind of a boxer is he? Is this some Joke?’
I had heard comments like these aplenty when I was part of a boxing club during my undergraduate years. Comments were mostly from my male colleagues. In another instance,
‘Why are you even part of the club? Go and look for something else, boxing is for men’
The global average for men’s height is nearly 5 feet 8 inches, and for women, it is 5 feet 5 inches [1]. So, does this mean that short men don’t qualify the definition of men? Comments like these are common in a religious patriarchal setup where women are seen as just objects, and becoming men is the highest qualification. This was the first reason I became part of the club and had to go through all the humiliations just to become a ‘man.’ My training routine was so rigorous that the strain caused stomach cramps and indigestion. I used to have insomnia during nights due to stomach and body pain.
The problem was that getting bullied at school and college is not pleasant, and being the shortest male member of the family gets reminded of it everywhere. So, I thought that I could ‘man up’ by boxing, and the result was average grades (which would have been poor if it wasn’t for some miracle). I had to come out of that inferiority complex because of which society looked down on me. This was what I had wanted to say to my father, but I was cut short. Privilege asserts its position for domination, and it's easy to do that in a religiously conservative and patriarchal society that discourages asking questions.
In college, I had a crush in my first year, and I proposed to her with the help of my friend. Unfortunately, she rejected me, saying, ‘He is too short.’ I again got reminded of my height in my second year when I proposed to another girl I had a crush on.
I often get reminded of my height from my friends. They used to joke about me, saying,
‘Bro, you have got the looks, but you don’t have the height to become a film actor. If only you have been taller. Too bad’
The only people who have not reminded me of my height were individuals with disabilities. I have some good friends who are persons with visual impairment.
The problem might be because women’s expectation of their partner’s height is nearly 5 feet 10 inches which is 0.13 feet more than the global average, and less than 4% opted for men who are shorter than them for a partner [1]. While men often prefer women shorter than them. The global average height for women and men’s expectations of women’s height with whom they want to share their lives has no particular disparity. This indicates that heightism is more prominent in men than women because of patriarchy [1].
Height is a symbol of physical domination, and our society’s patriarchal setup makes sure that men have the power. The result is that men almost always end up being taller than women in a relationship [1]. This setup is because the religiously conservative and patriarchal society is coying their women and men into believing this concept to be sacrosanct.
In a liberal society, such notions can be questioned. In a rationalistic society, the element of natural selection as the reason for heightism would be disregarded because then humanism wouldn’t have ‘human’ as its prefix. The idea that height is a symbol of overall health and cognitive abilities is troublesome.
Anderson (2017) says that taller men got jobs easily in the victorian era railway industry because body height was a symbol of wholesome health of the body. Then he argues that later they were promoted to higher positions, not because of their height but their cognitive abilities. The paper further argues that the taller men dominating higher positions of the railway jobs is because of their cognitive and non-cognitive abilities and not because of their height [2].
The author justifies this assumption by arguing that both tall and short men are equally liable to punishments by superiors if they are found to be deserving [2]. This justification for the domination by taller men is troublesome because the author covertly tries to champion the fallacy that taller men have better cognitive abilities than shorter men. How can that be if being taller or shorter doesn’t make one more intelligent or cognitively superior and have no effects on one’s brain?
The case of punishments put forward by the author of the paper for the cognitive superiority of the tall men and no discrimination argument is fallacious. How can the punishments meted out to the laborers be compared with the preference that taller men get for entry in railway jobs than others? How can the degree of equality in punishments meted to tall and short men in the lower level labor force be a justification for the fact that taller men exclusively dominate all the higher positions?
I have discussed the selective quoting of science by patriarchy to dominate women in another article. The case here looks similar. Studies have found that heightism is more prominent among cismen than ciswomen. Among cismen, heightism in sexual minority men takes similar levels and dimensions [1].
Heightism among ciswomen
Heightism exists among ciswomen as well, and it is serious. Osensky (2007) notes her experiences with heightism. She is a ciswoman of height 149.8 cms. She had to deal with sexism and heightism in her profession as a lawyer [3].
In Islamic patriarchal conservative households, women are married off with utter disregard for their needs. I can say this because I come from a Muslim conservative household. The education, financial security, and overall mental and physical well-being get jeopardized by their early marriages. After marriage, Islam gives the husband full authority over his wife. Of course, he has the right to beat her and reprimand, but one won’t find that for the wife or women in the Quran (Chapter 4, Verse 34). The sexism and patriarchy of the holy book are evident in verses 222 and 223 of chapter 2 in the Quran.
These elements about marriage in Islam points to the intense patriarchal setup of the religion and how the whole scripture is the narrative of a patriarchal man or a group of men. Women's rights in marriage mentioned in chapter 2 (verses 226 to 237) are evidently male-centric patriarchal gaslighting of womanhood.
Women in my family have often narrated how their mothers-in-law assert the inherent patriarchy of the religion. One woman narrates how she was insulted by her mother-in-law for her height, saying,
‘It's a good thing that high heels are a trend today, but even with the highest heel footwear, this girl would still seem very short.’
The girl who was insulted before her marriage has often shared her inferiority complex regarding her height. She is around 4 foot 7 to 8 inches tall. Probably, she would have got reminded of it on multiple occasions in life, similar to how I got reminded of it. Imagine how she would have felt during that day when her current in-laws came to see her, how traumatic it would have been for her when she was commented upon for her height.
The early marriages, lack of education, financial insecurity, and the current dire straits that women face in religious households reflect the inherent patriarchy and conservatism of established archaic organized religions.
Heightism exists, and it would go a long way, at least for society to accept it. However, the inherent religiosity, patriarchy, and conservatism aggravate the effects of social discriminations such as heightism for both cismen and ciswomen.
Heightism in the trans community and within persons with disability
Individuals of the Trans Community suffer from the most serious cases of discrimination in society. Societies based on religion often see Trans people as an abomination. As a result, they are marginalized and stigmatized as prostitutes. What the religiously conservative and patriarchal society doesn’t want to confront is the reality. The reality that their own attitude and approach towards gender minorities is why the Trans community gets involved in begging and prostitution when all other ends for survival are forcefully closed in front of them [4] [5].
Often, people who are as ostracized as the Trans community don’t see heightism as a serious stigma because society sees the community's very existence as a curse. As a result, Trans people often get targeted for their gender and sexuality and not their other traits. The degree of vulnerability for the Trans community regarding their gender and sexuality is so great that other forms of stigma that they face in physical appearance are recessive.
Living as the Trans individual wearing the mask of a heterosexual cisman, I get stigmatized for my height by society but never of my gender or sexuality because society doesn’t know who I am. I used to worry a lot about the heightism that I face daily within the privilege of my mask. After I realized who I am, the stigma associated with my height has become comparatively less painful. The degree of vulnerability associated with it for a Trans individual is comparatively less prominent. The degree of discrimination, marginalization, and ostracization of the Trans community is so great that the pain threshold of the individuals would be high, or it might have made them numb.
The situation of persons with disabilities is similar. My conversations with three of my friends who are persons with visual impairment have made me understand how they feel about heightism. They have a consensus that they are aware of their and other’s height. They calculate other’s height from where their ears receive the sound signals of other’s voices. But, The degree of vulnerability that persons with disability have because of their disability dominates their awareness and the social problems such as heightism is recessive.
Heightism and dwarfism
Individuals with heights ranging from 3 to 4 feet ( some sources quote 4 feet 6 or 8 inches) are considered to be suffering from dwarfism. Dwarfism is of two types; they are proportionate dwarfism and disproportionate dwarfism. Short-statured individuals whose body proportions are proportional to their overall body height are people with proportionate dwarfism. Short-statured individuals whose body proportions are not proportional to their overall body height are the people with disproportionate dwarfism. In addition, disproportionate dwarfism may lead to lookism, i.e., discrimination based on one’s external appearance or facial looks.
Discrimination faced by people who suffer dwarfism often leads to disability. Often films portray them as either freaks or clowns. People who suffer from dwarfism are often the worst off concerning heightism. The charming Peter Dinklage is among those rare ones who have pulled off a reputable career in Hollywood without being typecast as a clown or a freak. His onscreen presence and charismatic portrayal of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones have earned him admiration and a fan base even in South India.
In the South Indian film industry, dealing with social issues is a common theme. As far back as 1989, a film based on the theme of heightism and lookism hit theatres, and to this day, people remember it. ‘Vadakkunokkiyanthram’ (Compass) is a classic cult film celebrated across South India. The film deals with the insecurity that the protagonist feels because of his height and looks.
It all starts when the protagonist gets married to a girl who is taller and beautiful than him. The marriage creates a ruckus in his life because of the aggravation of the protagonist’s insecurity. His wife is a loving woman who cares for her husband and family, but the husband’s insecurity breaks down the peace and happiness between them. He becomes so insecure by his height and looks that he is driven to near insanity at the film's climax. The actor who plays the lead is the director of the film. His name is Sreenivasan, and in real life, he is 5 foot 4 inches. The film is a beautiful portrayal of how a patriarchal conservative society covertly infuses its absurd standards on a young man that ultimately rides him insane. The insanity was caused due to the insecurity that arose inside him because of society’s heightism and lookism.
Allyship and the way forward
Our society’s discrimination, marginalization, and ostracization symbolize our decadence which calls for countermovements against the established power structures. The established structures of power are based on religion, patriarchy, and conservatism.
The patriarchal basis common among societal discrimination underscores the importance of equality and feminism movements against them. The common religious and conservative basis underscores the importance of rationalist and liberal progressive movements against them. Hence, there is a strong case for people who suffer discrimination based on height, weight, gender, looks, color, and other forms of physical appearance to ally with the LGBTQIA+, disability movements, and the larger movements. The larger movements of freedom, equality, feminism, rationalism, and modern humanism.
Allyship between all the underprivileged and the oppressed is essential for the success of the countermovements. At the same time, it is important not to lose the character of the individual movement within the larger formation. Ambedkar’s idea of assertive identity can preclude character loss. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was a die-hard equality activist, rationalist, and social reformer. According to him,
‘Unlike the drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, humans do not lose her or his identity in the society in which she or he lives. An individual’s life is independent. She or he is not born for the development of the society alone but for the development of herself and himself.’
What I have realized from my experiences is that compared to people with privilege with regards to ability, gender, and sexuality, underprivileged people are more nuanced about their understanding of the world. They are more understanding of social stigma and discrimination associated with it. Social justice is a part of their life. Unlike people with privileges based on ability, gender, or sexuality, underprivileged people are more likely to accept each other, and allyship is comparatively easier to build if we nurture constructive discussions and interactions.
Social discriminations based on physical traits such as height exist among privileged races, classes, and castes. Still, people who suffer heightism among them are less likely to be as understanding as underprivileged people. Hence, acceptance and allyship from people with disabilities and gender-sexual minorities for short-statured people and people who suffer heightism, in general, are easier to build. But, this cannot be easily expected from the privileged who suffer social stigmas such as heightism towards the underprivileged. The rigidity of the status quo conservative social structure has led to bigotry among the privileged.
Initiating constructive interaction and dialogue is the first step toward making a bridge for people who suffer social stigmas such as heightism and underprivileged people. However, the society's worldview that revolves around established archaic religions makes it difficult for such an event to occur in our society.
Conclusion
The development of a bridge between the privileged ones who suffer social stigma and the underprivileged can occur if the society steers away from the religious-centric worldview to a worldview based on rationalism and modern humanism. Allyship is only possible if this happens, and allyship is critical for empowering the underprivileged and the oppressed, including persons with disabilities and gender-sexual minorities.
For the success of the countermovements and the larger cause, It becomes imperative to build a case for the privileged categories who suffer social stigma to ally with the underprivileged because all belong to the larger category of the marginalized called the oppressed. Such discourse can only be built with rationalism and modern humanism as its basis.
Any discourse of acceptance or allyship based on archaic established organized religions would prove hypocritical because those religions are made by privileged patriarchal men who revel in conservatism. They would go to any extreme to keep their religious, cultural, societal, economic, and political privileges sacrosanct.
As the Dravidian stalwart, social reformer, and rationalist Thanthai Periyar puts it,
‘Any opposition not based on rationalism or science or experience will one day or other reveal the fraud, selfishness, lies and conspiracies’
References
- Griffiths S, Murray SB, Medeiros A, Blashill AJ. The tall and the short of it: An investigation of height ideals, height preferences, height dissatisfaction, heightism, and height-related quality of life impairment among sexual minority men. Body image. 2017 Dec 1;23:146–54.
- Anderson P. ‘Tall and lithe’–The wage-height premium in the Victorian and Edwardian British railway industry. Explorations in Economic History. 2018 Jan 1;67:152–62.
- Osensky TS. Shortchanged: Height Discrimination and Strategies for Social Change. University Press of New England; 2017 Oct 3.
- Ganju D, Saggurti N. Stigma, violence and HIV vulnerability among transgender persons in sex work in Maharashtra, India. Culture, health & sexuality. 2017 Aug 3;19(8):903–17.
- Nazir N, Yasir A. Education, Employability and Shift of Occupation of Transgender in Pakistan: A Case Study of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Dialogue (Pakistan). 2016 Apr 1;11(2).
