57% of Japanese women refuse to date short men: “I don’t want to walk beside them” “They don’t look dependable” “I feel sorry for our potential child”

He’s handsome, has a good personality, can carry a conversation, and even likes me. However, he’s shorter than me. If only he was taller I’d date him in a heartbeat… In this week’s poll, we asked 200 members of the site if men that are shorter than themselves are a romantic interest.

Q: Do you consider men shorter than you to be a romantic interest?

Yes 43.0%
No 57.0%

Q: Why?

Short Men Are No Good

■ I just can’t……

• “I just can’t think of them as cool” (23)
• “Can’t help but to think that they’re cute, not cool” (30)
• “It feels like I’m hanging out with a female friend” (33)
• “I don’t want to look down on him” (31)
• “It’s embarrassing” (25)
• “I’m sorry to say this, but when I’m taller than them when I wear heels, I get disappointed” (25)

■ Short men are…

• “They seem more narrow minded to me, I’m short myself so I feel resistance against men shorter than me” (32)
• “They don’t look dependable” (23)
• “It’s just not manly” (27)

■ I love tall men

• “I feel attracted to tall men” (39)
• “Being tall is a prerequisite” (24)
• “I’ve never had any interest in short men” (30)
• “Height is one thing I can’t ignore” (22)
• “I like looking up to speak to men” (30)

■ When compared to me

• “I’m pretty short, so even shorter is a little…” (33)
• “I’m small, so… What if we marry, have a baby and the child develops an inferiority complex?” (31)
• “I’m tall myself, and I like men that are taller than me, and he seems more dependable” (24)
• “Same height is ideal” (22)

■ I don’t want to pay attention to his feelings

• “I feel like I’d need to consider his feelings, like I wouldn’t be able to wear heels…” (23)
• “I’m sure we’d both be thinking about our height” (26)
• “I don’t want to walk beside them” (25)
• “I think he’d mind” (30)

Short Men Are Okay

■ I don’t mind

• “Too big of a difference might be a deal breaker, but I don’t care much about height” (24)
• “I don’t care much about height, if he does I’ll just not wear heels” 30)
• “If he’s attractive, height doesn’t matter” (24)

■ This is all you need!!

• “If he doesn’t care, neither will I” (51)
• “If he’s good looking” (27)
• “It doesn’t matter if we fall in love” (23)
• “If I can respect his personality, height doesn’t matter” (31)
• “As long as he’s nice” (36)
• “If he’s attractive in other ways it’s okay, and I think men who are concerned with their height are kind of cute” (21)

■ Too tall isn’t good, either

• “I don’t prioritize height, so if he’s a giant, it’d be tiring if our eyes don’t match in height at all” (27)
• “Too tall is exhausting” (26)

■ Summary

43% of women said that men shorter than themselves are considered a potential love interest, while 57% said the opposite.

Women who said “no way” mentioned that they “can’t think of them as cool” or “felt disappointed,” and viewed height as one of men’s appealing factors. Short men are negatively viewed by them as “undependable” or “narrow minded” as well. Many mentioned that they liked tall men, that “it’s a prerequisite that they’re tall” or that “I can’t give up height”, so height was a necessary requirement to even consider dating.

Balance between each other is important as well, so comments such as “shorter than myself is too much…” or “I’m tall so I’d like him tall” were common. It seems that women considered the men’s thoughts, saying that if she is tall, surely he would be concerned about each other’s height.

However, many women also noted that being tall wasn’t a must, as long as he “didn’t care about our height difference” or “if he has a good personality,” prioritizing the interior instead of the exterior. Men being too tall was seen as “tiring” to women, some even expressed that it was scary. So short men out there that feel conflicted about their height, just keep in mind that all women have different wants and needs!

Mynavi News