It's All Up In The Air...Confessions of A Short Lady

HIGH POINT, N.C. - April 4, 2018 - PRLog -- I'm short...and with that comes some perks along with some challenges. I can walk under branches without moving them, but my feet don't always touch the floor. So what are the challenges of short people anyway?

I have come to terms with it as most of us have, but those jars of peanut butter on the top shelf, my holiday dishes in the top cabinet, and the lone sock in the bottom of the washer can still be a challenge at times. My name is Megan and I'm the blogger here at Zack Rack along with being the resident shorty (I'm 5'0). Read on to learn more about what the weather is like down here on a daily basis.

What are the challenges and perks of being a short lady?

Some perks

• I can always sit in the front row and people never ask me to move
• I'm always in the front of pictures
• I can sometimes buy cute clothes in the kid's section (shoes and gloves too because I am small :))
• I never get hit with branches when walking under trees
• People often think I'm younger than I really am
• Tall guys like short girls in many cases (come on you know it's true)
• When I worked as a paramedic I could nearly stand all of the way up in a car to provide patient care during rescues and I could fit in many small places that most of the guys couldn't.
• Rarely bumping my head over anything
• I can hem pants really well because I've done it so many times over the years
• You can always find a nice tall person to get things off of the top shelf for you (thanks to the firefighter who got my marshmallow fluff down for me last Christmas from the top shelf at the grocery store. I don't know how they expected me and my short companions in the baking aisle to get that. :))

Now for the challenges

• Pants are always too long
• Everything I need always seems to be on a top shelf
• People use me as an armrest
• I can't be intimidating (being short and people thinking it's cute doesn't exactly make you menacing)
• I nearly have to climb in the washer to get things from the bottom
• Oh the nicknames
• I can't see over hardly anyone so I'm always on my tip toes
• My feet often don't touch the ground in adult-sized chairs and I have to sit on the edge
• I have to sit very near the steering wheel in the car and everyone complains when they drive after me


As you can see being short has its ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Who is considered short?

Women who are 5'4 are considered average in the US and anyone below that is short by most people's definition. The average height for a man in the US is 5'10 and anyone under that is again considered short. So most products, cabinets, and stores are geared toward the average person.

How has this short lady and other short ladies adapted to our challenges over the years?

As I said earlier reaching things, buying pants, and sitting comfortably can often be a challenge. Driving can also be challenging, particularly around here as a farm girl where the truck seat simply will not go close enough to allow us to drive comfortably and reach the brakes in time to stop. I have come up with a few adaptations though to make life easier.

Things that are too high to reach:

• Use a reacher
• Storing for my height (I don't put anything where I can't reach it on purpose)
• Tongs (I buy mine by the pair at the dollar store and have a pair in every room of the house almost, to my roommate and boyfriend's amusement) are great for pulling fan strings and such
• I couldn't be without my trusty step stool
• Asking friends or family to reach things when all else fails

Things that are too deep to reach into:

• Those tongs come in handy for grabbing socks and other small items from the bottom of the washer
• The reacher is great here too
• Surprisingly the step ladder works well for this and our deep freezer where my gelato always seems to fall to the bottom somehow.

Driving

• As cliche as it may seem I use pillows when all else fails. This works well to pad behind you when the seat won't slide up any further in a truck or other large vehicle.
• Pull the seat up as far as I can
• Use a foam driving cushion if I have too

When my pants are too long:

• I learned to sew early so I usually just hem them by hand really quick
• If you don't sew then liquid stitch is a great option

When my feet won't touch the floor

• I usually sit on the edge of the chair
• If I want to be comfortable then I stuff throw pillows behind me so I can have support and still sit near the edge for my feet to touch
• Adjustable office chairs are great
• High heels are great because at least they give the illusion that my feet are touching (it can make us short people look like a child with our legs dangling and some of us are very aware of that)
• Purchasing smaller furniture and recliners can help to give you a comfortable place to sit without being on the edge all of the time.

How can Zack Rack help a short lady out? Learn more today https://zack-rack.com/product-specifications-handicap-acc...