Asian American Attitudes toward Height | Asian American Poll

AA ATTITUDE TOWARD HEIGHT
(Updated Saturday, Jun 6, 2026, 12:07:54 AM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Assuming you are an Asian American, how important is height in your assessment of a person's attractiveness?
It's a key element of attractiveness. | 20%
It's one of many factors I consider. | 44%
It's less important than other personal qualities. | 28%
I am not attracted to tall people. | 8%

Assuming you are an Asian American, which best matches your feelings toward your own height?
I'd like to be 3 inches taller. | 43%
I'd like to be an inch taller. | 27%
I'm happy with my height. | 26%
I'd like to be an inch shorter. | 4%

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I feel that the most essential element of beauty is within the way a person carry themselves. If a person has "Charisma" , height(or face) is not so significant.

My favorite HK actress...Gigi Zhao..she's TALL and pretty..but the most beautiful thing about her is how she acts and reacts.
Beijing Angelique Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 20:38:37 (PST)

Man of Lha-sa(mancha):

Cool...you've read more things by Marquez than I have. I guess I was "Zai sheng ren mianqian niang san zi jing"
:)Marquez wrote a short story that I found really interesing... "La Luz es Como el Agua" Octavio Paz...I've heard of him!! He was once a Nobel Prize winner..??

So...can you speak both Chinese and Japanese..?

Beijing 17 yrs old 6'2 Skyscraper Angelique...( female) Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 20:25:00 (PST)

I am short: 4'11.5"

I am fat: 112 pounds

I am dumb: bad grades

I am depressed: I sit here at the computer with unwashed hair, unbrushed teeth, in my dirty pyjamas, wearing thick glasses, dreaming about what it would be like to be all those beautiful successful people in this world.

Any advice?

short, fat, dumb, and depressed Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 17:43:00 (PST)

FOP:
If you've ever seen the movie "Gattaca," I think this is what they intended to portray there in that scene where the protagonist realizes he can't impersonate the other guy cuz he is 4 inches too short. Basically, doctors slice the bone horizontally (usually in two places, both above and below the knee), and attach the top and bottom halves to a mechanical brace which can be used to adjust the distance between the two segments. With only a small distance in between the sliced segments, bone, muscle, and nervous tissue grows to fill in the gap quickly, in regenerative fashion (just like healing from an injury). So the mechanical brace is adjusted to maintain that small distance between the two sliced segments, exploiting the regenerative growth to lengthen the legs. Gruesome but effective.

CANTONESE WARRIOR:
"The idea that tall is beautiful is a Western idea - we are not white"
Oh please, European imperialism was bad, but it isn't responsible for human nature.

To make this statement is to assert that women all over the world were egalitarians living in harmony with everyone and believing a short man could ensure the survival of their children as well as a tall man, until the evil Europeans came along and implanted into their defenseless heads the idea that height has evolutionary advantage. The basic characteristics that are found attractive in men are the ones which indicate the ability to defend children and support a family.

T.H. Lien Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 11:39:10 (PST)

B. Lee,

That's pretty nutty. I know one of the most sought after jobs in asia for women is the airline stewardess. Asian airline usually specify around 165 cm as min height requirement. All airlines have them no point having an employee who cannot reach the overhead bin compartment.

Cops, Fireman, Sumo wrestlers all have some physical requirements before entering a profession. I think reader are blowing this out of proportion.
AC dropout Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 09:26:09 (PST)

if everything else was equal, taller girls and boys are more attractive than shorter ones. just by looking at the poll from the left, 64% of you guys think it's a key element of attraction and it's one of the many factors that you consider. height is just beautiful. most would agree that being petite is not something overly attractive. it's just something you adapt to.

tall vs short Friday, March 29, 2002 at 23:11:06 (PST)

CANTONESE WARRIOR,

I think this boils down to the overwhelming acceptance of the white standard for beauty. Mass media in the United States have always portrayed Asians as being less attractive then whites. Unfortuately many people buy into it.
Proud 2 b Azn Friday, March 29, 2002 at 20:23:36 (PST)

"The Chinese soliders in the guard were amazingly tall, they towered over Bill (who is not so short himself I think)."

Wow, that's tall! Bill Clinton is one of the tallest American Presidents ever, at 6'2 1/2".

B. Lee Friday, March 29, 2002 at 13:34:32 (PST)

The only so-called heightism that I know of is Hong Kong police department's minimum height criteria for male and female cadets. My dad used to be a cop. However, since policing is a physical demanding job, you must meet certain physical requirements before you can join the force.

I think this height/aesthetic discrimination exists even in the western world. It could be subtle so that we are not aware of it. The spokepersons for the the US government are probably screened for their appearance.
FOP Friday, March 29, 2002 at 13:13:15 (PST)

cantonese warrior:

you represent an antiquated view by asians. that of "we are short and lets accept it" however, this stereotype is NOT true anymore by worldwide standards. the chinese, korean and even japenese average height these days are medium tall for worldwide standards and very similar to many parts of europe. your point may have made sense 30-40 years ago, but is becoming moot at this point.
ck Friday, March 29, 2002 at 10:06:27 (PST)

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