I have always struggled with using the word ‘petite’ to describe myself.
Feeling ashamed if someone used that word to describe me, because clearly, being overweight, I was not petite. I always thought that it meant that you were both short and thin. I haven’t been at a ‘normal’ BMI for 20 years now, so I’ve always felt embarrassed to call myself petite.
Turns out, I was wrong. Big time. Petite doesn’t care if you are thin or not.
It only cares how tall you are.
Just now, I did a google search, and, I kid you not, this is what comes back as a definition.
Hmm, that definition doesn’t trigger me AT ALL. It’s everything that is wrong with how the world perceives being petite.
You don’t have to be attractive to be petite.
Nor do you have to be dainty.
You do have to be ‘small’….although that word, to me, is the wrong word as it still has a weight implication. A better word would be of ‘small stature’.
So, what does petite actually mean?
Jeetly.com sums it up perfectly. It refers to your stature (height) not how much you weigh!
So just how short is considered petite?
Per Wikipedia, a person is considered to be petite if they are 5’4″ / 163cm or less.
I’m not stick-thin, can I still be considered petite?
Yes, it has nothing to do with how much you weigh. It’s all about your height.
Take a look at Kelly Clarkson, who is 163cm / 5’3″. She’s not ‘celebrity-thin’ but she is still considered to be petite because of her height.
Real Life Weight Loss Stories
I’ve created a series on my website called “Petite Weight Loss” because it’s a whole different game to lose weight when you are a short person. These stories are all from people who have lost their weight and changed their bodies, and their lives, completely.
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