It’s mainly a fluke of nature–encoded

in our genetic makeup is the fate of being short, perhaps reflected in one or numerous small-sized relatives. Coupled with a bit of luck and a few environmental factors, this fact can become even more pronounced. Short people know their heights down to the dot, and it can be quite an enthralling experience to meet anyone shorter than us. Though having a petite stature may oftentimes bear its advantages, of course we are going to be pessimistic (sorry:) here are 17 disadvantages to it that prevent us from reaching the heights of our lives.

1. People think you’re younger than you actually are

This is especially aggravating when you have a younger sibling who is taller than you. You're always having to remind them who’s the boss around here.

2. Can’t reach anything without a step stool

Kitchens and grocery store aisles were not built for people with short legs. Getting plates for food becomes the daily, mini war in itself, either scrambling to locate a stool or pulling ourselves up onto the counter like a fish out of water. And sometimes, you're forced to get creative.

3. Short strides

Your average-to-tall friends complain about how slowly you walk, even if you're walking faster than usual. It doesn't help that one of their strides is double of yours.

4. Shopping in the kids section

Okay, maybe it's a great way to save money if you're broke, and maybe Mickey Mouse ears never go out of style, but sometimes you just want to be able to walk into the adult section and find happiness there. Besides, many of the pants don't fit petite girls, as the manufacturers produce pants intended for people without fully developed hips.

5. Dangling feet

On buses, in desks, on the toilet...you name it. We just for once in our lives want to know what the ground feels like.

6. Limited sight

Maybe everyone is watching something, and you're too old and lonely to be carried, but you still want to see. Needless to say, you can't. Even when you are standing on your tiptoes.

7. "Cute"

Any nice thing you do is excessively adored over, and sometimes you don't really want the extra attention.

8. Being looked down on

Literally.

9. Hard to disguise weight gain

Five extra pounds on a short person looks like ten, and ten looks like twenty. And then we have to cover it up with more clothes, which aforementioned, are difficult enough to locate.

10. Heels are never high enough

Hobbling around on the toes of your feet all day. Blisters abound. But let's face it: you're still short.

11. Can’t reach the gas pedal

Pull your seat all the way up. Sit up straight and lean forward. Reach for the accelerator... yeah, you might still want to consider getting those shoes.

12. Eat less

With our naturally lower body mass and less muscle and bone to nurture, we require less sustenance to maintain ourselves. While a normal or tall person can scarf down a plate of pasta and a slice of cake, that can be a more questionable choice to us.

13. Have to sit in the front in class

If we sit anywhere near the back, the tall torsos and unattainable, towering heads of our fellow peers block our view of the board.

14. People reach down to hug you

We're always very conscious, hyper-aware of the awkward hugs that ensue when people have to bend down just to hug us. Or, the alternative is hugging someone only to encounter a mouthful of the other person's shirt.

15. It’s hard to have level eye-contact

Conversations can become very interesting; we have to crane our necks in order to seem like we care about speaking with the other person, to seem polite and genuine.

16. You get tired of standing on your tippy toes

This acute pain is especially pronounced after doing so for long periods of time. Lesson learned: toes can get sore.

17. Top lockers aren’t as great as you think

With our short arms, we have to reach over other people's heads during locker breaks, especially if there's a considerable number of people there. And even if you're the only one present, it's arduous work having to reach up to the upper half of your locker, to maximize all the volume of space you purchased; on the other hand, having a bottom locker entails having to actually get down onto the dirty floor and crawl between others' legs.