Anonymous

I am a 16 year old girl and about 180cm. I am taller than everybody and just want to fit in - is there anyone who can help me lose just a few centimeters? I really want to be shorter. PLEASE help!

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Stuart Smith Profile
Stuart Smith answered

You can't make yourself shorter, but 180 cm is nothing to be self-conscious about!  You're about the same height as celebrities like Liv Tyler, Minnie Driver, and Kate Middleton (all 178 cm).

Everyone's different, and some of us stop growing very early or quite late - but many sources (see below) say that girls usually stop growing around the age of 16 anyway.  So you may find that you don't get any taller, while a few of your friends have late growth spurts.  Even if you do continue to grow, try not to worry about it, as you're well within the range of normal human heights (the world's tallest woman was half a metre taller than you).

When you're an old women, you may get a bit shorter because your spine will compress.  However, you'll probably be much more relaxed about your height by then anyway.

Sources: Adolescents in the Internet Age by Paris S. Strom and Robert D. Strom, page 428; Growth, Maturation, and Physical Activity by Robert M. Malina, Claude Bouchard, and Oded Bar-Or, page 61; Paediatric Exercise Science and Medicine by Neil Armstrong and Willem van Mechelen, page 160.

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Melinda Moore
Melinda Moore commented
It's funny how we're never happy with our height, no matter whether we're short or tall.

I'm under 150cms tall, and desperately wanted to be much, much taller when I was younger - and I'm getting shorter with every year that passes, too!

I can never see anything at gigs, or in cinemas, and none of my family can ever find me in busy shopping malls, if I wander off - as they can't spot me in among the taller people...so there are definitely advantages to being taller. I also have to shorten every item of clothing I buy.

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