When did I first Know Reader 1

I guess I had some idea from an early age because, even as a child, my mom used to comment about how difficult I was to size; my pants always needed to be hemmed. 

However, I didn't really have any context for the implications of my proportions until the age of 10.  I was invited to the birthday party of a girl who had recently started at my elementary school.  I was the only new school friend she invited, the other dozen or so party guests were all from her old school and were strangers to me.  We were doing some kind of a game seated in a circle when my "friend" blurted out for the group "Doesn't Marie look like she was cut off at the knees?".  Lovely. 

The comments continued into junior high.  Another friend told me that she had asked her mother why I was built so differently.  Her mother, who was an RN, told her that some kids have chromosomal defects that cause the growth of their legs to stunt in adolescence.  What an ignorant and hurtful remark.  It's clearly genetic; my dad and all his siblings (male and female) have similarly disproportionate bodies. 

In high school the remarks intensified.  I did have a fair amount of friends and was even at times in popular circles.  I also had some boyfriends and was viewed as "cute".  But I was also shy and sensitive and made myself an easy target for all those kids who loved to bully.  I was teased daily about my body and was called "low rider" by the meaner kids. 

I'm happy to say that the public commentary has declined in my adult years but there are still enough comments (from friends and from strangers) that I'm well aware my body hasn't actually changed.  Only the maturity of those around me has changed.  I do control what I can by keeping myself in much better shape than I was ever in as a kid, which helps to make my proportions less obvious.  I even enjoyed a few especially fit years where I was approached often with questions about my workout routine and diet and compliments about my shape.   Sadly, I've let my fitness level slip, I'm still lean but not nearly as fit, and my proportions have become more obvious again. 

To this day I am plagued by the memory of those many comments and I view myself as slightly deformed.  Though it reads as such mine is not a completely unhappy story.   I'm slowly learning to embrace other aspects of my body and to appreciate that I have always enjoyed excellent health and strength from this body.  I'm trying to take the good with the bad.  And, despite the somber tone of this email, I'm a happy (and sometimes funny) woman who is lucky enough to be surrounded by an amazing family and friends. 

I do believe that I would fit in among the more disproportionate of your readers.  I certainly hope that most, if not all, were spared the level of attention that I had to endure.  My hope is that sharing my story, will help your readers (and you) feel a bit better about their own experiences. 

When Did You Know?

When did you come to the realization your proportions were different? Was it a slow development, or a distinct moment when you knew?


When I was about eleven, my legs were somewhat bowed, and since I was skinny, it was even more noticeable. A friend of mine at the time practiced ballet, and I remember how we did a leg test, you were supposed to be able to hold a paper envelope between your knees. With my feet and heels touching, and legs relaxed, there were a number of inches of air between my knees, whereas her straight legs held the paper with ease. I was not eligible for ballet!

Around that same time some, a guy once exclaimed with disgust at my crooked, knocking-knees legs, and thus I mostly wore jeans and trousers from then on, this was my first "legs" insecurity, and I had inward facing knees as well..

When I became a teen I was quite interested in fashion, and remembered reading about Elle Macpherson 44 inch legs, and I also believed I had lengthy legs since I was very tall. There I was lying on the carpet in front of our huge floor length mirror measuring my legs, and I measured them about the same 40 ish inch length. Looking back, I know I had wrongly measured with my feet and toes pointing long and forward (adding 3 or 4 inches), and not from the heel. And so for a number of years I had unknowingly deluded myself at having supreme long legs, however they were still slightly bowed, not as much as before, but I was still slightly unsure of them.

When I reached my late teens I had a very loving and wonderful boyfriend, who happened to adore my legs, he loved that they were crooked, and exclaimed at how boring straight legs were. These were the happiest times for my legs. They were toned, and I liked the length, and shape, and everything about them. (Most tops were shortish on me but I cleared it as just being tall.)

When my teenage years ended, I began to discover that my legs were not long, but slightly short for my height. There was no distinct moment, but a collection of happenings that brought it all about. I don't recall the the chronological order but here goes:

• My beloved brother, not being particularly beloved hinting at my having short legs.
• My hubby, telling me my proportions were slightly different.
• My having a baby, and the OBGYN, telling me I had a "nice long torso" with lots of room for the baby, and that being the reason why my belly never got very big. And how she (the doctor), with her petite frame and small torso had had a massive belly with her baby.
• Being told by a chiropractor I had a long torso, and a flat back. Double bad, and the reason behind my flat ass.
• Being measured by a pattern maker who calculated I had arms and torso longer then normal (I think she said by an inch or so) which explained how most sleeves were too short on me as well.
• Seeing my cousin for the first time in many years, and being shocked at how long her torso was, and coming to the conclusion that this was perhaps genetic. However my mother has long legs, so it all came from my fathers side.

Once I came to the realization I had these particular proportions, I was depressed and became obsessive at trying to hide them. I would stare at my self in the mirror with disgust. When it came to clothes all I cared about was whether I looked long torsoed or not, I did not care for pattern or color, or style. It was at this time I began this blog, because had I ravaged the internet trying to find info about this issue, and found so little that I decided to create my own. And the blog has attracted many more readers then I ever expected, and has been a healing process for me, I am no longer unhappy about my proportions, and I discovered they are not as extreem as I believed.


Would love to hear your stories.

Loony Comments

We get quite a lot of comments on here, and I do read them all with great enjoyment, and I have picked out some of the more unique ones. These are insightful and amusing and some slightly wacky. Is that really the reason Asians have longer torsos? Do our limbs stop growing at the onset of menstruation?


“Bloody hell, I'm looking at this pic of all these top models and thinking I see proportionally leggier girls every day at the train station lol.”

 “Anytime you lose weight, it makes the torso look less big and the legs look longer. You can really see it in extreme cases. For example, the morbidly obese always look like they have very short stubby legs. When they lose weight, it seems like their arms and legs grow longer.”

“Sometimes, I think it's what us, women, prefer or like in ourselves. Like long painted nails, eyebrow shapes/plucking, huge hooped earrings. All very intense intra-gender competition.”

“A guy friend once remarked to me that a short waisted girl often looked under developed to him kind of pre-pubescent girl. And it's true, while the limbs grow prior to puberty, it's during puberty that the torso grows and becomes more womanly.”

“When we grow, our long limbs grow first (our legs and arms) and then our spine last. Actually in women, usually after our first period, the only part of our body that grows vertically is our spine. This is why pre-teens are often quite leggy and gangly looking.”

“The angle of women's legs from the hips can actually make women's legs look longer than they are from the front.”

“Asians usually have a long torso due to their vegetarian style since ancient times. They have long intestines to digest vegetables which makes their torso long.”

“About longer intestines, I've read an article about it on an Asian website, regarding the difference between Agricultural Tribe (East-Asians) and Hunting Tribe (Europeans). It is same as animals, such as Goat and Lion. Goats have long intestines to digest leaves.”

“The Hunting Tribe had to have shorter intestines because meat (food) rots inside the intestines, and would cause them to be sick if they had long intestines. But the Hunting Tribe is muscular which works for athletics/bodybuilding.”


“Do you think the lack of the waistline is because of the shortness of the torso, or because a lack hips and curves?”

office chair issue

A reader writes in with a question:

"Everyone always envy's my body for the tiny waist and womanly curves, but its because I hide my short legs with long boot leg pants and high heels."

However she continues: "My biggest issue is that I have a desk job in which I sit at a computer for 8-10 hours a day.  My head towers over my coworkers if I sit up straight because of my long back. That causes me to slouch down and now I have neck and back issues. I tried to lower my seat all the way down but it doesn't go down far enough. I was wondering what other people that are built like me do when they have desk jobs?"

Having your office chair lowered all the way down is certainly your best step, however slouching is not good for your health, as you said, and sitting up straight is always elegant regardless of how long your back is. If it really bothers you, you could look into office chairs that can go down even lower then your present one, however I am sure your co-workers don't take notice these things, and besides siting up high is nice, sort of regal like.  

What are your thoughts?

Update: A kneeling chair is one of the better options for our body type, as it keeps the spine in proper alignment, and helps you to sit up straight. A good source for such chairs is: ErgoDepot.

poll - least flattering clothing

Here is a poll, we all adore polls. The question is, what type of clothing do you consider to be least flattering for our body type, of long torso with short legs. What makes us look the worst?
You can select more then one answer.

Brave Reader 3

Here is our third photo submitter, she writes: "I'm looking for some advice regarding how I can dress to disguise my odd proportions. I have always had a long, fairly-thin torso and shortish muscular legs...but add a round bum, skinny ankles, and long feet to the mix and it just gets a whole lot weirder."

I do understand the way you describe your body, however it is not as "odd" as you believe it to be. Your legs are shortish and muscular as you say, however you have great ankles, slim ones are always good, (imagine if they were the opposite). Live Tyler was quoted saying this a few years ago "I’ll always have a more round stomach, but thank God I have thin ankles.” Liv does not have a long torso, and that is why she has a fuller stomach area. She means that not being skinny is saved by thin ankles which give a elegant slim look.

Your body is most similar to Kelly Osbourne's, now that she has slimmed down. I don't know if you are of similar height, you appear taller, but Kelly too has short muscular legs with quite pronounced calves, and tiny ankles, and a long torso.

Your calves in comparison are much slimmer then hers, and your ankle to knee length is good, and appears longer then the knee to hips length, which is desired.

Regarding your outfits, the top two are good; the bikini is adorable, and quite on track with our bathing suit advice, very flattering. The blueish dress has a wonderful high waist, fitted top half, and flowy from the waist down with a good length, and matched with the black tights and shoes, it's ideal.

The outfits with the black short shorts, would be better if the shirts were shorter, thus raising your visual waistline.

I general, I think you can follow all the clothing advice on this blog, your proportions are not odd.

brave reader 2

Here is our brave reader number two, she says: "Many of the women you have posted have very long, lovely legs!  Or perhaps that's just compared to me.  I have very, very short legs.  My inseam is 23 inches, and my full height is five feet and one inch.  I've always heard that dreaded comment from friends: "You have a great torso BUT....your legs are too short."  Oh, I know.  I've forever hoped that I'd have a miraculous growth spurt and catch up with my peers at their 5'8'' or 5'9'' statures.  But no, I've always been the small one.  My short legs make it impossible to "work" an outfit like my long-legged friends.  I've been left in their shadows for far too long (Figuratively and literally)! Of course, I'm the short one in the photos.  I kept some of my friends in for contrast."

Dear reader, by looking at the photos I can see you are indeed short, however, your proportions appear close to balanced, your legs are not "very, very short", only a little bit short, it's your overall height that is petite. In fact your proportions are almost the same as your tallest friend where both of you are on the beach, with her everything is long (torso & legs), with you everything is shortish (torso & legs). Besides you have a nice body, slim yet curvaceous, with a very pretty face (I've seen it), so stop your insecurities.

I think in many cases we see ourselves much more disproportionate then we truly are, that is how it is with me, and the first photo submitter and you too.

brave reader 1

Here is our first brave reader to share images of herself with us. We shall call her "photo submitter 1" and she writes:
"I have forever been self-conscious as the result of a comment my voice teacher made once about my "disproportionately short legs." I'm not sure about the angles at which some of these were taken, though I am on stage in the one with jeans, thus the photograph was taken from the audience at a lower level."

Dear photo submitter 1, you have a great body and that blue dress of yours is gorgeous and entirely ideal for the LSL type of body as it visually raises the level where the legs begin. The tight dresses do flatter your slim and feminine waist, however they do show that your hips are a little bit lower down then average, and I mean only slightly, and only if I am looking at you in a critical manner. Otherwise you appear close to normal. However looking at the photo in which you are wearing jeans you appear very long legged, due to the low flattering angle. Really you have nothing to be insecure about.

height & leg poll

As suggested by one of our readers:
What would you rather be?

Very short like Kylie Minogue, but with proportionally long legs
or
Tall like Keira Knightley, but with relatively very short legs?

measurements & proportions

Quite a number of you have asked me whether you are proportioned or if your legs are short. Here is an optimal at home method for measuring your trunk and leg proportions (Anthropometric).


This method is called The Cormic Index (Sitting Height):
1. Sit on the floor by a wall, with legs straight out and flat.
2. Have your bottom, back, shoulders and head straight and touching the wall, and your eyes gaze forward, and sit as high as you can.
3. With a hard book, or box placed on the top of your head, have someone make a small marking with a pencil underneath the book/box, or just keep holding the book/box. It is best to have someone assist.
4. Measure the distance from the floor (where you were sitting) to the pencil marking on the wall or to where the book/box is still being held. This is your sitting height, in other words the length of your body.
5. You can measure your total height as well if you are not aware of it.

With these measurements you can determine how long your legs are, by subtracting the sitting height from the total height.

My measurements are:
Height: 175cm  (69 inches)
Torso: 90cm      (35.5 inches)
Legs: 85cm        (33.5 inches)

Leg ratio 48%
Sitting height ratio: 51%

Apparently the average woman has legs that are at least 45% of her total height. 48% and up is considered aesthetic and preferred. You can figure this out by dividing your leg length over total height. (You multiply this by 100 to have a whole number if you wish)

To determine your torso proportions do the same as above but with the sitting height

One knowledgeable commenter went into great detail in this post here.
" If your torso ratio is .52 or .53, you are completely within the normal range, and also very average too by the way. You should have a longer torso than your legs by the way, most humans do. If you're below .52, then you have very long legs for your torso. Usually, only some select Africans and Aborigines from Australia have ratios below .52. Africans and aborigines can have averages of .49 to .50 although the range of their ratios will follow other human populations."

I also found this quote in one study: "The mean Cormic Index for European and Indo-Mediterranean populations is about 0.52. Africans have proportionally longer legs, in general, with ratios around 0.51. Asian and Far Eastern populations have proportionally shorter legs and means of 0.53-0.54 (Pheasant, 1986)."

However I do not entirely understand how the sitting height can be used as a torso height, as it includes the neck and head as well? And according to all of this my proportions are in fact normalish. However I am not entirely convinced.
How are you all proportioned?

Lastly, legs which are 1.4 % (Nicole Kidman ) of the total height are regarded as perfect.




More info:
Valdosta University Georgia USA sitting height data
Another measuring method video
Feminine Beauty site

comments

I have had this blog only for a short while, and you my lovey readers have given me great tips, and wonderful words to strengtheng my body-image self-esteem, and for everyone reading too. Thanks!
Here are some particularly splendid comments:

"Come to think of it, no one - neither man nor woman - has ever commented on my short legs. However, they do see the slender waist. I guess that's what we get instead. No one is perfect, but everyone is beautiful."

"I don't think we're screwed if others have slightly shorter legs.... We should feel empowered as they are more people we can relate to that successfully conceal their disproportion. It doesn't really matter how long are legs are! It seems that short legged girls are everywhere and we're ruling! :)"

"Maybe we short legged ladies are more normal than we think and that no one really cares as much as we think they do."

"In a tall woman, a long waist is, I believe even perceived as being sexy and elegant, as the torso is the focus of most attention. Often, a very short waisted person looks rather unattractive and dumpy. "

"I just read about a woman who was lamenting her short torso/long legs. A body type similar to Bette Midler for instance. Where the breasts almost seem to start and end where the waist/pants begin. She said that long slender female torsos were frequently objects of art/sculptures in museums and almost all notably sexy Hollywood actresses/stars have that feature. Upon thinking about it, I think that this is true. There's always something good and bad about our bodies all around, don't you think?"

bathing suit advice

Summer is upon us and the wonderful joy of going to the beach can sometimes be harmed by a bathing suit dilemma. This is when your body is totally out in the open with no dresses or winter coats to mask any insecurities, but there are choices to make your body appear more proportionate and make you feel better about yourself.
To begin with I do not recommend one piece bathing suits (there are many available for tall and long torsoed females), these just draw attention to one long expansive piece of body. However the kind with most of the material being cut out would be fine.

For the top half, a bandeau with or without straps is good, another option is a halter and generally anything with a plunging V neckline. Also two-tone suits, one color on top and another on the bottom, counteract the length of the torso and make the waist look shorter. Make sure the lighter color is on top, and the patterns must go on top as well, to draw the attention upward. Up top you can have the polka dots, the horizontal stripes, the ornaments and embellishments but keep the bottom simple. Tankini's are also fine, but don't have them meet the bottom half, as it looks like a one piece, anyway if you buy your tankini  from a regular place (not designated for tall ladies) it will show a nice strip of bare skin, which is good.

For the bottom half, boy-shorts are entirely taboo as they shorten the legs in the extreme, and low-rise bikini bottoms, the kind that only just cover your private region, are not good either as the torso appears even longer. Instead choose bottoms in a high-waist style, the waist band reaching the hip bones or higher, or somewhere in that region. Also bare in mind that a high-cut style in the leg holes, will lengthen as well, sort of like those crazy 1980s bathing suits pulled way up high, but don't quite wear them like that of course. If you are brave enough, go in a thong, that way the legs will reach even further up!
Another great tip is to simply wear a scarf type cover-up tied at the waist. When you are swimming or lying down do take it off, but when you are strolling about or playing beach games have the scarf tied around your bottom half, in particular at the waist (not at the hips) and that way, the true length of the torso is hidden.

Covering your body in self tanner, and in particular the legs, will make them appear slimmer, and consequently longer.

Shown above are varations with of the halter neck and high rise bikini style.
Check out these darling retro inspired two piece bathing suits at Mod Cloth.
Photos via Victoria's Secrete, JCrew, Lands End, and Target.

video advice

Here are three videos from an online show titled My Body, My Style.
The advice is quite valid in fact, and the transformation to the jeans and red blouse look is incredible! All of a sudden she looks very youthful, and long legged, take not that in all the after looks she is in heels and makeup, making the metamorphosis more noticeable. However I think the final pink dress is too tight in the bottom area, and it looks good in the video only because she is wearing insanely tall heels, which are unrealistic in normal life, with regular shoe-wear her butt would be too low down. I also think her proportions were quite close to normal, so she was not such a prime candidate to demonstrate the long torso/short leg situation. However it is all valid advice.
Casual look
Evening dress
Office look 

your opinion?

Hey, dear readers of Lady Short Legs, help me out give me your opinions.
I am sure all of you have ideas and observations on celebrities that would suite this blog, some of you have all ready given me your suggestions in the comments and I want to hear more.
What other celebrities have a long torso coupled with short legs?

Note: I am loving all your comments folks, thank you!

clothing advice - top half

The biggest taboo for us ladies, is the turtle neck, this item of clothing must never be worn, unless you are camping in cold weather, and with relatives. The only way it could possible be permitted would be if it were worn with a large scarf or poncho to mask the neck part. Basically all high  necklines are bad, as they enhance the length of torso, in fact even a basic tee-shirt is not so good, as it has a highish neck line. More feminine tee-shirt versions that have some buttons in the front to be left unbuttoned are a suitable alternative the regular tee. 

The optimal neck line, is a V neck, or other such low and open necklines, as these do not have a lengthening effect. If the weather is chilly you can wear other visible clothing underneath the V-neck but in a different color. In fact a tube-top is the ultimate torso shortening top, but one needs to have supple teenage breast to pull of this bra-less, no strap clothing item on its own. Otherwise wear a tube top over a shirt for example, sort of like a corset for a great all breasts type look. 

Layering is a very necessary practice for us, as many pretty tops are too short, thus equip yourself with basic tank tops in dark hues, that are long in length for layering under everything. This under shirt or tank should always be darker then the top layer shirt. This way it creates an illusion that your top half is shorter than it is, as the eye sees the end of the lightly colored top half clothing item as the end of the torso. Which brings me to one mistake some long torsoed females make, which is to wear just a long lengthed  top, or a tunic reaching the hips or thighs. Simply put, wherever your top clothing item touches your bottom clothing item is where the eye perceive the end of the torso and the beginning of the legs. So you want this important line to be relatively high, and if your trousers and your top do not meet then you bridge the gap those basic dark long tank tops.

Regarding color and pattern, the top half of the body is where you can go all. Keep the bottom half entirely black or dark, and the top half light to draw the attention up to your face and not down to your legs. You can have fun with color and patterns here, horizontal lines the the obvious best, and jewelry is also a good idea, especially earrings. 

Coats are best long to the knee with an elegant high waist and an A line spanning from the waist down to mask where the butt ends. They should be figure hugging only in the top half. Regarding short jackets, well they look very good with a dress, however when it comes to wearing them with trousers or jeans be careful of the length, it should not be to the hip, but higher.


Another cool optical illusion is long hair, as it covers the back, hiding its true length. Say you have your hair out and it reaches half way down you back, this really mask everything going on back there! So very short hair while being good for petite females as it does enhance the neck and make them seem taller, it is not good for us as it showcases our long backs. 

Also check out clothing advice bottom half

clothing advice - bottom half

I began this blog because I am afflicted with the short legs/long torso thing, and could not find a site specifically focused on our issue, so I thought to start one myself. Here is my best advice that I have gathered over the years and experienced and tested on myself:

BOTTOM HALF DO'S:
My greatest advice is to wear all black on the bottom half of your body as this color lengthens, and narrows and distracts. Thus your shoes, socks, tights, leggings, skirts, trousers and so forth should be ideally all black, or at least a similar color like navy, brown, gray etc...

Try to wear some sort of a high heel, obviously spiky four/five inch stilettos are unreasonable, who wears those, I certainly don't. But a wedge, or a sturdy stacked heel by a brand that focuses on comfort is a very good idea. During summer when your legs are bare choose shoes that are nude colored to match you skin town. During winter tall boots reaching your knee or higher and very flattering, however never buy boots that are lower than the knee, either mid calf or those cute looking ankle booties.

Never ever wear pedal pushers, or capris, or cropped pants as this drastically shortens you legs. Thus either wear short shorts, (never below the knee) or long pants/trousers that touch the ground. Regarding waist lines, those low waisted jeans that sit at the hips or lower are extremely unflattering for us girls, so higher waisted ones are much better, but be careful to not go too high in the waist as that can draw attention to the problematic long back area.

When it comes to skirts, don't choose pencil or narrow tight skirts as this shows how low your rear end really is, so it is better wear high waisted skirts (at your belly button) that are very puffy, almost like a ballerina tutu, or like skirts of the 1950's which become an almost complete circle when you spin around. This way people are tricked into thinking our legs are long, and our behind quite high up. Also regarding skirts, A-line skirts are fine too, but stay away from dropped waistlines, the ones that are tight through the waist and buttocks, but then fan out. These can make a woman's behind look voluptuously nice, but this style will only accentuate a long back, shorten the legs even further.

My primary outfit of this winter is high heeled black boots reaching the knee, black thick wool/nylon tights, and winter short shorts, in black.

kate hudson bikini and rear

Kate Hudson is an attractive female actress, with a leg to torso proportion that is close to equal, but upon closer inspection her torso does appear slightly longer. This is best observed in these bikini photos where you can see that from her shoulder to the beginning of her thighs the distance is quite long. In her favor is her good and shapely bottom which balances out this mild disproportion, and the fact that she is overall a cute girl.

Working on ones buttocks is in fact, one of the best things a girl like us can do, as this brings the buttocks up and thus shortens the back, and consequently lengthens the legs. Whereas as a bottom that is low and saggy really does make ones back appear even longer! I suppose an instant improvement would be to wear an undergarment that lifts the rear.

vogue forum

There is a great thread on the forum pages of Australian Vogue, on our subject of short legs/long torso. It is from 2006, but still very relevant, and reading the what the lovely females have shared on the subject really does make one feel better, and gives one a sense of not being alone on this matter. One quote by "shopaholic*" is especially appropriate:

"If you're looking for a celebrity "role model" with a long torso/short legs, it's Keira Knightley. I remember she once said in an interview that a designer criticized her short legs while she was trying on a dress so she ended up wearing pants instead. After I read the interview, I had a look at some of her photos, and she does have a long torso/short legs. That made me feel a bit better."

I will try to find that article to get the exact quote form our role model Miss Keira.

Men do not prefer long legs

According to this new study published in the Body Image journal, men prefer women with average length legs as supposed to very long ones. The study showed photographs to men, in which the legs of women had been either shortened or lengthened slight to alter the leg-to-body ratio, but keeping the overall height the same. The results were that men chose the women with the shorter legs. Researchers are unclear as to why this is but one valid idea is how a woman with very long legs and a small torso might find it harder to carry a baby.