I'm slightly ashamed to admit this, but I used to have a height requirement.

In other words, if a guy wasn't 6'2", I wasn't really interested.

In my defense, I'm 5'9", and while I love being tall, the one situation in which it really sucks is dating. Women almost always talk about wanting a guy who is taller than them, but it becomes more and more difficult when you're basically the same height, if not a little taller, than the average man in America. And don't get me started on when I wear heels or Timberlands!

I remember I was talking with a guy friend about my height requirement.

He, being under six feet tall, gave me this funny look and said "wait so let's say you meet a guy who is perfect for you. He has everything that you could possibly want but...he's only 5 10'. You're just going to let him go?"

At the time, I thought he was overthinking it. There was nothing wrong with wanting my own Michael Porter Jr. or Ben Simmons, so when we walk into dinner parties, people say "now that's a power couple!" But the more Valentine's Days that passed and the more New Year's kisses I didn't receive, I realized that maybe my friend had a point. I don't want to look back and have any regrets about passing up on an amazing guy who checks all the boxes except maybe he's a little vertically challenged.

There is often a negative stigma about dating someone who is a tad shorter than you or even your height. I say forget that.

To you men under six feet tall: keep shooting your shot.

While you might get an occasional airball, you'll eventually get a slam dunk! And to my fellow ladies out there: keep your eyes open. Whether it is his height, weight, fashion sense, or another superficial factor, the man of your dreams could be right in front of you, and you don't even know it.