You've probably heard at least one woman say they only like to date people who are taller than they are. There are plenty of reasons a person might feel that way: to feel protected, to have someone around to reach items on high shelves, to sit on someone's shoulders during a concert. Kidding aside, I combed the internet to see if women care about height — or if that's just a myth.
As you might guess, responses varied. There are some women who are as strict as can be about only wanting to date people a certain height or taller. Some are more lenient with this "rule," specifying that they just want to date someone taller than themselves. Then, there are those who would rather date someone their height, and then, of course, there are those who straight-up do not care.
I know I've seen my fair share of dating app profiles where people will share their height, followed by a nonchalant "if it matters." For me, I don't really care about someone else's height that much — I wouldn't really want someone nit-picking my body. Here's what others had to say on the subject.
At 6'1", this female Reddit user is definitely taller than the average 5'4" woman in the United States, and she had previously stuck to her own dating rule of "dating same height or taller."
But, something changed, and she's currently dating a guy who's 5'6".
"He's cute," she explained on the thread.
"I'm really tall (6'0") and I find that while men find this intimidating and a turn off, women seem to find it very attractive," a bisexual woman said in a thread about dating. "I love being tall, I just wish it didn't make so many men insecure. I'd have no problem dating a guy shorter then me ... but many men have such a weird complex about height that it really bothers them."
"Dated a guy briefly in college who was probably an inch or two shorter than me (I'm 5'7")," another Reddit user explained. "He was cute and I liked him, but when he started worrying about what shoes I would wear when we went out, I knew it wouldn't work. I didn't even wear heels back then — he was freaking out over Doc Martens."
"Dated a guy who was shorter than me by two inches," another person said in the thread. "The height itself was not an issue for me, but the fact that he blamed any problem he had on his height, and was obsessed with people 'judging' him, was f*cking annoying."
"I've had serious relationships with average and tall men in the past but, I am happily married to a man who is about the same height as I am," she said in the Reddit discussion. "In all respects, I find being with a shorter man much more rewarding. For example, he understands the difficulty I have reaching high shelves and I don't get a crick in my neck looking into his eyes."
Someone on the thread asked if it's a "deal breaker" on a first date.
"I'm 5'5" (maybe a hair less), a pretty average height," another person replied. "It's not a 'F*ck, I gotta get out of here, stat,' kind of deal breaker, but I'd question it. It has a lot to do with not wanting to feel huge next to the guy. And the deep-rooted [desire] of having someone bigger, stronger, etc. who will protect you."
"I'm 5'8" and I have a couple of friends who are like 5'3" and 10 [to] 20 [pounds] lighter than me and it would just never occur to me to think of them [romantically]," another user added to the thread.
"The guy I'm currently seeing is shorter then most of the guys I've dated (I'm 5'3", he's about 5'5"), and when I first met him I was a bit thrown off by it," she said on Reddit. "I admit I did have the thought that he's too short for me, I can't wear heels now, etc., but then I got to know him and honestly, it really isn't an issue anymore. I find him incredibly sexy, and our lack of height difference makes kissing and cuddling really easy."
"I much prefer guys to be at least 6'0", especially because I like to wear heels sometimes," she said in the discussion. "My biggest turn-on is height; if a guy is like, 6'6'', I'm instantly attracted to him."
"With that said, confidence (but not short-man syndrome cockiness) can definitely make up for lack of height. I dated a guy an inch or two shorter than me because he didn't give a f*ck, never even mentioned it, and carried himself like he was taller."
"I actually prefer men who are my height or not much taller, 5' 9" or 5' 10," max," a Reddit user said. "I'm actually uncomfortable around men who are a lot taller than I am, and I tend not to be attracted to them. I like to face my guys eye-to-eye. I don't want to be towered over. I've never been attracted to someone shorter than myself, but I don't discount it."
"I'm 5'8" and my boyfriend is 5'3"," someone else shared. "I'm so much more happy with him than I was with my 6'2" ex. Height is irrelevant — personality is what's important."
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