This December 21 — National Short Girl Appreciation Day — don’t come up short on ways to celebrate the small ladies in your life! If you’re a short girl yourself, you know the genetic lottery you’ve won — they always make cute shoes in smaller sizes, your feet are never going to hang off the bed, and there are even health benefits associated with being a little vertically challenged. Go shorty, it’s your holiday!
History of National Short Girl Appreciation Day
When the cups are on the tallest shelf of the tallest cabinet, it’s not always fun to be short. But how great it is that you’re always at the top of the human pyramid? And when have you ever hit your head on a door frame? National Short Girl Appreciation Day was started to celebrate the smaller ladies in our lives, and maybe help them grab that out-of-reach item. However, being a “short girl” has meant different things throughout the years and places!
Tiny doorways in the 1700s proved that while a 5’2” woman today might be considered on the short side, they would have been completely average in a different time! Even average men between the 12th and 16th centuries would be considered short by today’s standards. These days, the average female height is 5’4”. Though buildings, roads, and cities are only getting larger worldwide, short women are keeping up!
Today, women are taller on average than our ancestors even just 100 years ago. Still, women in Indonesia, Bolivia, and the Philippines are on the shorter end of the global average, hovering around just 5 feet! This proves that “short” totally depends on where you are.
Short women make a huge impact. Emilia Clarke (Mother of Dragons!) stands only 5’2”, as does makeup and reality TV mogul Kim Kardashian. Lady Gaga checks in at 5’1”, and superstar Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is only 4’8”. These ladies prove that whether it’s onstage, on the Olympic podium, or anywhere else, being short does not stunt your success.