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The Why Factor: Short

Short

24/04/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Short

Why do some short people lie about their height?

Why do short people earn less and suffer more from sexual jealousy?  Felicity Evans examines the impact of being below average height.

Why do some short people lie about their height?  How much difference does a few inches make?  Felicity Evans is 5 foot (152 cm) tall. That’s 5 inches shorter than the average woman in the UK.  In this edition, she examines whether society discriminates against short people and if so, why?  She asks what’s it like being shorter than normal and how it affects your self-confidence, career choice and overall happiness.  

She talks to Joe Mangano, who at 5’4” hasn’t grown since he was 15 years old.  He describes how it feels to be treated like a child.    

Orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Dror Paley, explains how he makes patients taller by breaking then lengthening their legs.    

Felicity meets Vince Graff (5 foot 2”) who shares his experience of finding love and happiness, despite being well below average height; and Isobella Jade, known as the ‘shortest working model in New York City’, offers her advice on how to be successful despite being at least 6 inches shorter than the average catwalk model.   

The programme also hears from Tim Frayling, Professor of Human Genetics at Exeter University and Lance Workman, Professor of Psychology at the University of South Wales. 

Presenter: Felicity Evans
Producer: Sally Abrahams

(Photo: Graphic illustration of the height measurement of a tall and short person. Photo credit:  Shutterstock)

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