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Description
Controversial (yet positive) stamp ahoy!

This goes out to all the men out there who have been insulted about their short stature at least once in their life, and yet, still have the courage to live their lives! Keep rockin'!

A manlet is defined as a male who is under 5'10" tall. (I'm a foot shorter.)

Statistically, the vertically challenged males have been marginalized in all aspects of life, from the dating world to the financial world. Psychological studies have shown that taller men tend to be happier overall, as well. Taller men tend to earn more and get promoted to top career positions more quickly. Majority of women also prefer the taller men, because they tend to believe that the taller ones have a better ability to protect, to procreate, and to provide. On a far less eloquent note, many a douchebag on 'net forums (especially those in bodybuilding and dating) have also insulted their shorter counterparts, calling them 'manlets.'

However, many who are of below average height have been brave enough to still live a full, happy life. As a manlet myself, I salute them. Because they have been marginalized and underestimated, the actions that they have taken in order to make a difference took more courage and audacity. They had to face insults, the fact that people usually don't take them seriously, and more intense competition.

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Being insulted for my height used to be a big, red, berserk button for me, and it almost ruined my life. It even led me to be a self-harmer. Rejection after rejection from various women sure didn't help my self-esteem one bit. I almost became a bitter misogynist, which is one negative stereotype associated with the more vertically-challenged males, perpetuated by the standards of beauty imposed on us (although more subtly than what is being done to women) : the tall, dark, and handsome archetype.

Thankfully, I remained steadfast in my values, somehow. I continued to believe in the equal, fundamental dignity of all human beings. Even so, I struggled through each day, praying to a cosmic force in the heavens to make me even just an inch taller. My prayers weren't answered with a yes, clearly. But I realized that they have been answered with better things and people to come to my life. I had been met with the realization that had I been taller, I would've been one of those bullies who ostracized those who were shorter than me. I would've been that douchebag picking up girls left and right, treating them as mere status symbols to brag about to my bros. I wouldn't have built up my passion for art and writing, instead spending my days playing basketball without a care in the world. (Nothing against the sport though.) I wouldn't be staying at home lost in reveries that would soon become deep thoughts about the meaning of life, or why I have been made the way I am: short, pale, and, well, not handsome (for most people anyway, although some might opine that I may be a bishie/pretty boy. Thanks.). I realized that my short height made way for a much 'taller' character: one that is passionate about the finer things in life and the things I can do to leave a lasting, positive mark on the world. It was what propelled me to have a passion for creating beautiful things, thus leading me to pursue a career in architecture.

As of the time I made this stamp, I have been clean of self-harm for about two years, and I also have an amazing [now-ex] girlfriend who accepts me for who I am. This girl, along with my life experiences, is the inspiration behind the making of this stamp, and thus, my complete acceptance of how my genes have encoded my being. At 21 years old when I made this stamp, my (nearly-invisible) growth spurts may have ended, but my life is only starting. I'm certain that there are yet many challenges I have to face, having to carry all the time a 'blemish' that is visible even from afar, but I'm also certain that I will face them head-on. Unfortunately, she and I have now broken up because she believes that I should not be involved in her issues that would probably endanger our relationship anyway, although we are still on good terms with each other.

So, even though people around me would throw those height-related insults at me, I have stopped giving a fuck. I now know that being a manlet fundamentally doesn't make any man any less of a man. It's what the man does with what he has that makes him more or less of a man.

-------------------------
In fact, one of the fanfics [for Star Ocean 3, one of my favorite video games] I have conceptualized 10 years ago was about a seducing shapeshifter who had a horrid body image. It was written as a power fantasy of sorts, about the dorky, scrawny loser becoming a powerful hero who then has his revenge on the alpha bitch who ruined his life. It is aptly titled Image, with a Gary Stu protagonist named Ymmyj. 10 years later, I am actually publishing the fic as rewritten from the perspective of 23-year-old me.

Description
Controversial (yet positive) stamp ahoy!

This goes out to all the men out there who have been insulted about their short stature at least once in their life, and yet, still have the courage to live their lives! Keep rockin'!

A manlet is defined as a male who is under 5'10" tall. (I'm a foot shorter.)

Statistically, the vertically challenged males have been marginalized in all aspects of life, from the dating world to the financial world. Psychological studies have shown that taller men tend to be happier overall, as well. Taller men tend to earn more and get promoted to top career positions more quickly. Majority of women also prefer the taller men, because they tend to believe that the taller ones have a better ability to protect, to procreate, and to provide. On a far less eloquent note, many a douchebag on 'net forums (especially those in bodybuilding and dating) have also insulted their shorter counterparts, calling them 'manlets.'

However, many who are of below average height have been brave enough to still live a full, happy life. As a manlet myself, I salute them. Because they have been marginalized and underestimated, the actions that they have taken in order to make a difference took more courage and audacity. They had to face insults, the fact that people usually don't take them seriously, and more intense competition.

-------------------------
Being insulted for my height used to be a big, red, berserk button for me, and it almost ruined my life. It even led me to be a self-harmer. Rejection after rejection from various women sure didn't help my self-esteem one bit. I almost became a bitter misogynist, which is one negative stereotype associated with the more vertically-challenged males, perpetuated by the standards of beauty imposed on us (although more subtly than what is being done to women) : the tall, dark, and handsome archetype.

Thankfully, I remained steadfast in my values, somehow. I continued to believe in the equal, fundamental dignity of all human beings. Even so, I struggled through each day, praying to a cosmic force in the heavens to make me even just an inch taller. My prayers weren't answered with a yes, clearly. But I realized that they have been answered with better things and people to come to my life. I had been met with the realization that had I been taller, I would've been one of those bullies who ostracized those who were shorter than me. I would've been that douchebag picking up girls left and right, treating them as mere status symbols to brag about to my bros. I wouldn't have built up my passion for art and writing, instead spending my days playing basketball without a care in the world. (Nothing against the sport though.) I wouldn't be staying at home lost in reveries that would soon become deep thoughts about the meaning of life, or why I have been made the way I am: short, pale, and, well, not handsome (for most people anyway, although some might opine that I may be a bishie/pretty boy. Thanks.). I realized that my short height made way for a much 'taller' character: one that is passionate about the finer things in life and the things I can do to leave a lasting, positive mark on the world. It was what propelled me to have a passion for creating beautiful things, thus leading me to pursue a career in architecture.

As of the time I made this stamp, I have been clean of self-harm for about two years, and I also have an amazing [now-ex] girlfriend who accepts me for who I am. This girl, along with my life experiences, is the inspiration behind the making of this stamp, and thus, my complete acceptance of how my genes have encoded my being. At 21 years old when I made this stamp, my (nearly-invisible) growth spurts may have ended, but my life is only starting. I'm certain that there are yet many challenges I have to face, having to carry all the time a 'blemish' that is visible even from afar, but I'm also certain that I will face them head-on. Unfortunately, she and I have now broken up because she believes that I should not be involved in her issues that would probably endanger our relationship anyway, although we are still on good terms with each other.

So, even though people around me would throw those height-related insults at me, I have stopped giving a fuck. I now know that being a manlet fundamentally doesn't make any man any less of a man. It's what the man does with what he has that makes him more or less of a man.

-------------------------
In fact, one of the fanfics [for Star Ocean 3, one of my favorite video games] I have conceptualized 10 years ago was about a seducing shapeshifter who had a horrid body image. It was written as a power fantasy of sorts, about the dorky, scrawny loser becoming a powerful hero who then has his revenge on the alpha bitch who ruined his life. It is aptly titled Image, with a Gary Stu protagonist named Ymmyj. 10 years later, I am actually publishing the fic as rewritten from the perspective of 23-year-old me.