Unfortunately, society’s unrealistic beauty standards of perfect body weight and height take a toll on a lot of individuals’ mental health. Some tend to take the negativity in and laugh it off. But they tend to overthink it and keep suffering alone. When someone makes fun of your height, it might not be easy for you. But others choose to return the bitter pill of such people’s words to them. It is a great balance between remaining silent and fighting them off physically. It is a way to not lose connections and yet make them understand their mistakes. Let us see about the ‘Short People Comebacks’.
Short People Comebacks
Short people suffer right from their childhood to their entire life from bullying, teasing, getting called names, being stereotyped and discriminated against. Not only students and friends but sometimes even teachers, parents, and relatives tend to make them feel inferior and insecure about their height knowingly or unknowingly.
To not permit others to make you feel inferior or insecure and to safeguard your mental health, coming up with comebacks at the right time becomes very important. These comebacks can be direct, indirect, intelligent, humorous, or sometimes even upsetting. So, let us see what to say when someone calls you shorty.
What to say when someone calls you shorty
Easier For Me To Smash Your Balls
What does it mean when a guy calls you short? It means that he is very shallow and doesn’t care about inner beauty. It is a perfect threat as it is funny too and you can either say it in an angry tone to increase its impact or in a humorous tone to reduce its impact. You can also customize it as per the gender of your bully. Further, you can increase or decrease the intensity of this comeback as per your need such as replacing the term, “smashing the balls” with “breaking your leg” or “hitting where it hurts”.
Even let them know that there aren’t only disadvantages of your height, there are many advantages too such as being closer to their balls. Sometimes they might be blinded by the disadvantages of being short and the advantages of being tall. It is a great option to remove their blindfold and show them an alternate perspective that they never knew existed as well.
Don’t you know that growth only takes place until they are mature enough?
While the prior comeback is perfect to shut their mouths, this one will help them question their existence. By saying so, you will make them understand how their short people jokes are not a joke anymore. It is a great idea to let them have a peek into how their innocent and harmless jokes affect you adversely.
You can also add, “Looks like you are never going to be mature, as you are still growing.” It is a perfect way to make them understand their mistake, let them feel guilty, and apologize to you. Using this comeback, you are also showing off your intelligence which they never knew existed. Show it to them that small height does not equal small brains.
Is it the last interesting thing in your life?
When someone makes a joke about your height, they are trying to put your height in the center and your talents and everything else in the periphery. But by throwing this comeback on their face, you are making it a point to put their life in the center and your height in the periphery.
Let them understand that they are being way too nosy and annoying. Highlight it to them that their life should be more important to them than your height. But if it is not, it is a huge problem. Further by saying so, you are also being proud of your height and calling it interesting. Perceiving yourself as beautiful and giving yourself love is the most badass thing to do. And they should know that you are one.
And I’m talented and kind too.
You might not be given certain responsibilities in your educational institution or workplace. Your parents or relatives might worry about you not getting partners to marry. You can use it with your elders by saying it in a cold, respectful and polite tone. It becomes significant to help them focus on the right things when they just spend too much time brooding over less important things.
And it is a good reminder to self too that you are so much more than your height. Your height won’t become a hurdle in your achievements. Thrashing society’s image of perfection over a more important set of qualities required to lead a life is a very important thing to do. We need to be reminded that we are the ones who have framed this image of perfection and it is not the last verdict. Everyone can have their image of perfection.
Wow, you won the laughs of our group! Come on, now, give us a treat!
Use it when you don’t want them to behave in this way with you ever again or maybe never show their face to you too. They won’t dare pester you again when you just playfully make them pay for your food. It is a smart way to let them win and yet not win. Having free food is your victory for sure!
You are also conveying to the group how the person who jokes about your height is not the only culprit. When they laugh and boost their ego, it encourages them. Sometimes, such small yet subtle signs can make them bully as well. They may not be involved directly and might not even realize it. Yet in some way, it adds to your body negativity and self-loathing.
It’s just sad to see you ignorant of body positivity in the 21st century.
This is just a perfect way to call out people’s insensitivity and lack of knowledge. Any normal and nice human being is very much expected to know about and implement body positivity. Some of these bullies just go on and on about how perfect and amazing they are.
It is just an apt way to enlighten them about their greatest and intolerable imperfection which is their ignorance about such a sensitive topic. It is not just a comeback but can be a beginning point of someone’s motivation to gain knowledge. Hence, you are not just doing yourself well but doing the welfare of your bully too.
Life is short, you know, and I don’t want to waste my time arguing with your empty mind.
This comeback is much more straightforward than the others. But it is also very polite. You cannot use it with your elders or you might tarnish your reputation of being a good girl. However, you can use it with your friends or other acquaintances freely.
They will understand that you are just ignoring them. You are neither letting them win nor are you losing. You have important things in your life and maybe they should too. It is just a nicer way of hitting a metaphorical slap on their faces.
I’m comfortable with my height, but not with your nosiness.
This comeback screams and upholds self-love louder than anything else ever will. Let them know that you love yourself the way you are. If society calls your short height imperfect, then let it be. Tell them proudly that you are completely alright with being imperfect. And if you don’t have a problem with it and so they shouldn’t as well.
If you don’t want people to hit you where it hurts you, it is better to not let them get too close to you. Sometimes, the people around us forget these boundaries. And this dashing comeback will show them their places. Let them know frankly that you feel uncomfortable with such unnecessary interference.
Oh, yes, I shrank by falling into a washing machine.
There are times when bullies just make this outstanding observation of like, “Oh, you’re so short that”, and then they just go on suggesting all the remedies to increase the height. But before they begin to do so, you can just shrug it off humorously without even letting them know that you are not interested. But they will understand it. Of course, you will save yourself a lot of precious time and your temporal lobes will not become dull by listening to their nonsense.
It is courageous to break the assumption that if a person is short, he/she is looking for a remedy for sure. People just come up to you and throw a remedy at your face even when you never asked for one.
So, as humorous as this comeback might be, it is a great time saver and a mouth shutter too.
No jungle story ever had a giraffe asking.
If they can bully you just because you are shorter than them, you can bully them too for being taller than you. Point it to them that height does not equal capability or talent. So, there is no need for them to be so proud of their height and make you feel inferior about the same.
This wonderful, playful, and hard-hitting metaphor of a giraffe and king of the jungle is the best way to ease a bitter truth to them. Although the giraffes are the tallest, their height doesn’t give them any power in the jungle. Though your bully might be roaring at you now and then, let them know that they are a giraffe and not a lion.
Perfect Ways to Give Comebacks
Stay calm like you always are
Don’t let them even predict that you are going to give a comeback now. It should be so uncertain that it should just hit their heart. If you change your body posture or facial expression, they might become alert and begin to think of a comeback as well. Hence, just remain calm and let your comeback come to them like a firecracker. The need is to fight an attitude or their ignorance and not a person.
Remain assertive rather than being passive or aggressive
The comeback is not sarcasm. So, don’t be so passive and cold while you say it. It is a way to take your stand firmly. If you say it in a cold tone, they won’t understand how much their short people jokes affect you. The comeback is not an insult. So, don’t be aggressive while you say it to them. Convey that you don’t have a problem with them but with the way, they perceive your height. There is no point in cutting off good connections over a joke. You can always adjust the intensity of the comeback as discussed earlier. You can also choose direct comebacks over indirect comebacks for someone who keeps joking about your shortness.
Let the comeback just flow smoothly
Don’t be nervous or stutter while saying the comeback. It will reduce the power of those words. Even though the comeback in itself is important, non-verbal gestures make a huge difference. If you stutter or take unnecessary pauses in between, you are letting your bully know that you are scared or you are unsure and less confident. And this is what might encourage him/her to bully you more. It is why saying the comeback smoothly in a flow, with confidence is very important.
Don’t give them a chance to think of a comeback
It is very significant to ensure that your comeback is fully proof. If it is very vague and common, they will reply to you with a stronger comeback. It is what will reduce the effectiveness of your comeback. There are chances that it will decrease your self-esteem and self-confidence to give a comeback next time. Again, just like the prior point, it will give them more power over you.
Use their words to build your comeback
To make your hunt for a great comeback easier, feed them their words through your comeback. Add the phrases or words they use. It is a guaranteed way of coming up with a strong comeback. They might not have even thought and felt how bitter their words are. And you can grab the opportunity to make them feel so. For example, if they tell you to go to hell, you can reply, “Surely, I am nearer to hell. I can even take you there with me.”
Never use the same comeback again
Using the same comeback will make you predictable and give them numerous opportunities to come up with a comeback to your comeback. So, even though you might love a comeback very much, it is vital to not use them again and again with the same group of people.
The best comeback is not giving them your time
There might be times when you don’t remember any comeback. So, you can just say to their face that you don’t have time for this. Let them know that there are many important things in your life. After you give this comeback to them, make sure to just walk away. It will add to the intensity of the comeback. You are also implementing what you just said. You are also taking away their allowance of wasting your time and energy.
Alter your comeback from person to person
If it is your parents, relatives, or near and dear ones, you need to make sure that you are not too harsh or inconsiderate with them. At the end of the day, they are your support system. The aim of giving comebacks to them is to educate them and let them know that their short people jokes are affecting you. So, prefer giving them a bit of indirect or humorous comebacks.
Keep the harsh, direct ones for a bully. You need to assert your power over them. Thus, the purpose of your comebacks to them is to threaten them, to take your stand in front of them courageously. The combination of harsh comebacks with a laugh can be used for your friends. The goal of your comebacks to them is to be assertive and educate them as well. Therefore, this is how you can change your comebacks from person to person.
What to do if you are tired of giving comebacks?
It can be that you are tired of giving comebacks or you are not the kind of person who can give comebacks. Some people are too kind and nice for this cruel world. If you are one of them, you might feel guilty or sad after giving a comeback. And instead of safeguarding your mental health through the comeback, it is ruining your peace. Thus, these are some of the things to do rather than give comebacks.
Leave the person alone
You can start to avoid the person altogether. There are two kinds of responses that humans choose to stay safe from predators- fight or flight. Giving comeback is a fight response while avoiding them is a flight response. This response may make you look like a coward. But sometimes, it is better to be on power saver mode. Even meaningful silences can create a great impact. If you start avoiding them, they will understand that they are losing you slowly. This is what may change their attitude. They might introspect and try to change themselves.
Ignore their short people jokes
You can choose to accept that this particular person has a certain kind of behavior and you just don’t want to deal with it. So, you can just ignore their short people jokes by changing the topic of walking away. As we talked earlier about not giving them the allowance to insult you, if you constantly ignore them, you are snatching away their power to torture you mentally.
Seek professional help
If you are feeling helpless about the fact that they are conquering your mind negatively and that you cannot do anything about it, you can seek a mental health professional. You might also be mentally exhausted by repeatedly giving comebacks and listening to their jokes again and again. It might have had a worse effect on your self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence. You could be struggling with getting sleep, making friends, and coping up with your academics or career. You might also be constantly worried about them being around and their judgments. Going to therapy isn’t only for those with mental disorders. You can also go there for self-improvement.
Change your company
It may feel like the end of the world to leave people whom you might know for years. But, you can trust us that it will only do you good. They are not the last people on Earth. You can always find better people. And, anyway, it is their loss to lose their dear one just because of their toxic attitude. Now, in the case of family or relatives, you don’t have this option. If it’s your family, you can either choose to move out or stay with your friend. In the case of your relatives, ignore them entirely. This option is indeed the difficult one but if it is the last one, then be brave and go for it.
Complaining about them
If it is a stranger or a bully, of course, you don’t have an option to change your company. So, you can complain about them to the authorities. In the majority of college campuses and workplaces, bullying and harassment are called upon. You need not be embarrassed or scared to complain about them. There might be many other victims of such bullying. And if you raise your voice against it, it might provide them with great encouragement.
Conclusion
Hence, these are some of the short people comebacks and other peripheral issues surrounding it. This process of giving comebacks is going to be full of laughs, sarcasm, tears, and taking a stand for yourself. It might be easy or difficult, might break or make your relations. But it is your choice when to withdraw from this process. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Don’t be too hard on yourself. It is your journey so just nurture it like your very own. So, which one of the above is your favorite comeback?
