Asian American Attitudes toward Height | Asian American Poll

AA ATTITUDE TOWARD HEIGHT
(Updated Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 04:39:09 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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Comments posted during the past year remain available for browsing.

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

whoever believed that a small guy can beat up a big guy is an idiot.

if all things are the same except for size, the big guy will and should always win. he has to be some sorry sissy to lose to a short guy. i saw a skinng 6'3" guy beat the crap out of a buff 5'9" guy. the short guy looked like he lifted a lot of weights, and he still got his ass whooped by a bean pole. he just had no reach to land any hits. short people only try to act tough, but in a real fight against a strong guy, they always end up wasted and battered like useless wimps.
the truth Tuesday, September 24, 2002 at 10:12:55 (PDT) [66.107.44.253]

In all sparring sports size matter. That's why they invented the weight class.

Of course if you are a well trained fighter, it also means the general populace are not skilled enough to be much of a challenge.

Which is why a 5'4" can and will beat a 6'6", if and only if, the 5'4" is extremely well trained.

If skills are equal, usually the bigger person will win in a physical confrontation as a general rule of thumb. But for people who enjoy sparring sports, there is always luck and strategy that might work out to the smaller guys advantage.
AC Dropout Monday, September 23, 2002 at 12:51:27 (PDT) [24.90.98.143]

I disagree in a fight size does matter. A taller fighter has the advantage in reach. If you look at boxing matches taller guys has the reach advantage this also applies to kickboxing. Now for street fighting this can also apply to. Now if you have a very well trained smaller fighter he or she probably can beat a bigger person. However,if you got a bigger person that is equally trained then the bigger person will win. Ever heard of the term a big good man will always beat a good little man. Size does matter that is why we have weight class in boxing , wrestling and so on. Usually the heavy person tends to be the taller person too. Case in point in Boxing most heavyweight boxers are over 200lbs and usually over sixfeet tall. If you look at light weight boxers they are usually only 135lbs and for most part anywhere from 5'3 to 5'7. Now for a lightweight boxer to beat a heavyweight boxer I never heard of. It does not matter how quick or fast you are. In a fight power plays a BIG part. good example would be bouncers. I never seen a bouncer that is 5'4. But,I see lots of bouncers that are 6'4. Plus I wouldn't want to mess with a big guy.
I'm only 5'8 Sunday, September 22, 2002 at 18:36:56 (PDT) [24.199.65.228]

Ray's mate,

Thanks man. In street fighting, size does not matter. Alot of it has to do with speed and agility. Most Americans are not healthy at all. Most tall people are slow with maybe some exception of the athletic type, but they are still slower on average.

I have a friend who is 5'4 who sent a 6'6 guy to the hospital. I mean really hurt him. He of course did not go to jail because it was self defense when the man tried to rob him. The man had a broken jaw after being hit by a right hook then went to jail. Every man is made of flesh and blood.

And yes, the human physical skeletal anatomy does not allow humans to grow exceptionally tall on average. This indicates that shorter people like Asians and Latinos/Hispanics will eventually grow taller, but it will take longer due to the lack of food in their poor nations and the foods they eat. If humans were to undergo an evolution to past the limit, it would happen 20,000 years from now, the average time of evolution.

Europe is the center of the world, according to Geography. Because of that, the people developed earlier, getting better nutrition and jobs. They were able to trade to one another and able to maintain a powerful source of trading routes across the world due to their location. But everywhere you turn, there's seemingly a pattern emerging. Northern Asians are taller than Southern Asians by 3-4 inches on average and Northern Europeans seem to be taller than Southern Europeans.

Actually, my brother's coworker, a southern Chinese man was surprised on how taller Northern Chinese were compared to Southern Chinese, especially near the Chinese and Mongolian border. Actually, this is the part where many NBA scouts have uncovered several seven-footers. When they heard that there were a couple of seven foot China men between the ages of 12-17 yrs old in a small village, they came flocking in. The scout later said," They're out there. You just have to know where to look," refering to the huge landmass of China. Northern China tend to be more isolated than Southern China. Before then, they have never even considered looking passed Southern China and Asia because Southern Asia has just been too popular.

Throughout Scandinavian history, they have never been really envolved of the major wars of Southern Europe. They were somewhat isolated from the rest of the world, partly because they were divided by the ocean. Maybe that is why they are taller. And to add to that, Healthcare benefits and other factors are much different than other parts of the world including the united States.
They avoided wars the same way the English did through the English channel, but the English were more aggressive, therefore, were envolved in plenty more European wars. So I think isolation has to be considered as a factor as well regarding height and health. The difference though between Northern Europe and Northern Asia is that Northern Europe is equipped with better nutrition.

Hannybunbun,

I myself, a first generation of Asian-Americans in my bloodline and the youngest of my siblings was equipped with better nutrition at an earlier age. They came to America in their late teens while I came here at six years old. My oldest brother is 5'3; my second oldest brother stands 5'5 while I stand at 5'8, still growing. Rice does not help in growing that much. All it is carbohydrates. I have a Vietnamese-American friend who despises rice and never eats it. What do you know. He grew to be 6'3, which brings another point. Rice is grown mostly in Southern Asia not in the northern part where it tends to be colder. Everybody knows what Mongolian Beef is, the dish highly popular in Northern China. That's why you'd see countries like Thailand and Vietnam grow rice at ease.

Japan, on the other hand is an ocean too far. They do eat alot of rice and noodles and other foods filled with carbohydrates. That's what they're basically eating, carbohydrates and water, and some protein. Protein alone will not make you taller. There has to be plenty of other important nutrients present in ones bones to make growth possible, but regardless of what they eat, they are and will continue to grow slowly. It is not as rare to see japanese six footers nowdays, you know.

The way a culture eats definitely is a factor.
Ray Saturday, September 21, 2002 at 16:42:32 (PDT) [68.96.110.59]

I hate to exagerrate, but most poor countries like those in asia can't afford to have a hormone treated chunk of bloody steak for dinner every night
america is fat Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 10:12:42 (PDT) [24.191.63.72]

Hi B. Lee,
Thank you for your posting , I agree with you that poverty is a huge problem and a deciding factor with malnutrition. I am referring more to Chinese that feed their babies and toddlers this out of tradition rather than financial need to.

This is not only an isolated incident, but the conjee diet is something that many other Chinese mothers I encounter in playgroups and in social circles are also told. Conjee, in itself, is a good PART of a diet, but never should be an exclusive tool of nutrition for a baby/toddler..and that being where malnutrition can come from. It is not intentional from the well meaning parents nor grandparents, whom are giving what they know, but it is only they do not know any different.

In our particular case, they could afford better and more food, but gave this out of tradition, as it was what his mother ate as a baby, and her mother etc. The reasons were not financial, but traditional.

However I think you brought up a good point for sure about height differences and health differences with populations and poverty and lack of food. America, although it cannot be compared to the third world poverty, nor the poverty induced in many communist or non-democatic population, also has poverty, generations of homelessness. But we are blessed here with so much we should be grateful for.
hannybunbun Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 10:03:14 (PDT) [66.44.92.162]

Hannybunbun,

Obviously diet has to do alot with growth. But when you say, "Maybe there should be some educating and updating some old way thinking that might be lacking", it wasn't intentional for Asian parents to starve their kids in the past.

After the Korean War ended in 1953, South Korea was a dirt poor, fourth world country throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. My father and uncles, who all grew up around that time, can personally testify food (especially high quality food like good meat) was very scarce. They are all 5'3" to 5'6". My brother, my male cousins, and I, who grew up either in Korea and America afterwards, are all heights of 5'8" to 5'11".

Also, while China has made great economic advances within the past few decades, China still has 1.3 billion people, most who live in poor rural areas, where food and money is not plentiful like America.
B. Lee Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 21:35:01 (PDT) [66.44.54.12]

I think that healthy food also plays a role along with the deciding genetic factors of course in how big we become.

My friend, a Chinese mother of two, told me that she truly believes that her two children grew up so healthy and bigger and strong because of variations in diet by growing up in the West. Her sister whose children grew up in China are smaller frame. Now I am not saying that the Western diet is in any way the best, but there is more variations and chances for nutrients.

For example when my husband was growing up as a baby and toddler in China, they fed him almost exclusively Rice "conjee", soup. this seems to be a very common practice from many older Chinese peoplewhom have given me baby advice.

Although rice is a grain and is an important part of diet, this Conjee was made with rice, most parts water, maybe a small piece of sweet potato pureed..and at times some chicken broth added. My husband is 5'3 and smaller framed. His younger brother moved to the West at a younger age and is 5'8 and larger framed, he had nutrients and variations in his diet my husband did not have.

The Conjee diet for a toddler does not provide the 1000-1200 calories needed, has only a trace of protein, and no calcium. Not to mention all of the other important nutrients it is lacking.

I think that good nutrition starting as a baby/toddler can make a big difference in health of an adult later. Maybe there should be some educating and updating some old way thinking that might be lacking.
Hannybunbun Tuesday, September 17, 2002 at 08:29:47 (PDT) [207.172.11.148]

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