parlando » writers, i entreat you

writers, i entreat you

Posted on September 15th, 2008 by Scraps.
Categories: Words, Badness, Editing.

When presenting a short character, especially a short character presented negatively (as most of them are, and when they're not, they're presented as being extraordinary, which is almost worse), please resist the impulse to link height and character. This sort of thing isn't insight, it's second-hand pop psychology. If you throw Napoleon in there, it's also imbecilic.

The constant assumptions made about the psychology of short men (we're all insecure and overcompensating, don't you know), and the demonizing of traits that are admirable among the tall -- a short man isn't tough and no-nonsense, he's a ruthless bastard; he's not ambitious, he's power-hungry; he's not charming and charismatic, he's smarmy and slimy; he's not confident, he's arrogant and pushy -- aren't just cliches, they're offensive. Stop it.

Even an often well-meaning phrase like "making up for his physical shortcomings" is annoying, unless you're talking about being a fireman or something. The world throws constant shit at short men -- more than the non-short really comprehend -- so in that sense being short is a "physical shortcoming": in the same sense that it's a "shortcoming" to be female or non-white. But you wouldn't say of a character that she "made up for being a woman" or "made up for being black". At least, not any more (I hope).

6 comments.

trifles

Comment on September 15th, 2008.

Doing my bit: The main male character of the silly book coauthored by me was, in my head, shorter than average male height. It was referenced, once, by the female main character meeting another guy who was taller (and thinking his tallness "was just weird"). It's a fly-by description, and not at all indicative of his personality or morals or whathaveyou (except in as much as any physical description in a romance novel is likely to be paid attention to).

Rose

Comment on September 15th, 2008.

Maybe a weird thing to say, but I'd never realized you were short. And, for the record, knowing doesn't give me any new insights into your character whatsoever.

ethan

Comment on September 15th, 2008.

If it makes you feel any better (and I'm not exactly sure why it would, or should), I think that, all other things being equal, men shorter than average height are more physically attractive than men taller than it. And the short men I know don't tend to be particularly ruthless or power-hungry; just prone to complaining about the way clothes fit them.

Robin Z

Comment on September 15th, 2008.

Hmm ... thinking on it, I suspect Dorothy Sayers broke the 'making up for' rule in a couple of the Peter Wimsey mysteries - but then again, I think there was a hint in one of Wimsey being irritated at the inconveniences of his height, and it went unremarked in most, so...

Vicki

Comment on September 15th, 2008.

A lot of that demonizing of traits is very close to what's done when women have the same traits. I suspect there's some kind of not-necessarily-conscious belief that women and short men are not supposed to compete with tall me, who are "natural" leaders or some such.

The hard part — and again this is very similar to asking writers to do the same when talking about women — is going to be getting through to writers who actually believe that it's improper for a short man to be assertive, charming, or self-confident.

Qoodi Gandoflini

Comment on October 20th, 2008.

I've met a 5 - foot guy (150 cms.) and slim, too. I was nice & friendly to him. I noticed that he becomes really arrogant when you treat him well. Once you ignore him, he is nice and tries to be friendly again. Almost all the qualities mentioned in your article fit him so well. He's insecure & ruthless. Once he said when he was very drunk that people always make fun of his height. The photos he has of himself on the net for making friends and chatting are when he's lifting weights in the gym. He likes to show that he's a masculine guy. I wanted to be a friend of that man, and I didn't care at all about his height, but his attitude and arrogance are so terrible. He's really stupid to behave in this manner, and really "making up for his physical shortcomings," as mentioned in your article.

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