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“You’re so short!”: the stigma (and disability) of being a short woman

ISBN: 978-1-78350-156-4, eISBN: 978-1-78350-157-1

Publication date: 27 December 2013

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter examines the everyday experiences of short women, focusing on the problems they face and the coping strategies used to navigate being short in a heightist society. Further, this chapter views height as a stigmatized identity, which both negatively and positively impacts short women.

Methodology

Sixteen qualitative interviews were conducted with women 5′2″ and under.

Findings

Using the literature on stress, and coping models laid out by social psychologists, this chapter elucidates the unique place of short women in American society.

Originality

While there has been a wealth of literature on how short stature impacts men, research on how short stature impacts women has been scant.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments

The author first thanks the women who took part in this study and shared their experiences of being short statured. The author also thanks Renee Anspach, Elizabeth Armstrong, and Karin Martin for comments on several earlier iterations of this chapter. Finally, the author thanks Sharon Barnartt and Barbara Altman for graciously allowing this chapter to be included in this publication.

Citation

Rott, L. (2013), "“You’re so short!”: the stigma (and disability) of being a short woman", Disability and Intersecting Statuses (Research in Social Science and Disability, Vol. 7), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 207-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3547(2013)0000007010

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited