February 16, 2021

A Short Girl Living in a Tall World

You ever make really late night purchases when you’re half asleep only to regret them later? I did that recently with a pair of leggings. You see, if you’re as basic as I am your leggings come out to play in September and you start pairing them up with bulky sweaters and Uggs or some ballet flats. And you run around like this from September to late November gripping a grande PSL in your hand. That’s actually my weekend uniform! I love a really comfy pair of leggings with a soft sweater!

During the week I typically wear a suit to work with a cami that matches my any number of Converse but on the weekend I’m all about comfort. But those days seem long ago and the pandemic has made September through November leggings a year round event.

If you’re anything like me and you’re short you probably made many a legging purchase that did not work out for you. For example, my recent late night purchase must have been done when I was drunk (and I don’t even drink) because I ordered a pair of leggings on a blind buy because the description didn’t give me the length and I got them and I’m almost positive that I can make another pair of leggings from them.

Short girl problems though….it’s a thing.

I’m just saying if you don’t list the length of your leggings in the description the government should step in and fine you for it. These things were like 28 inches long! Dude…dude….! Seriously now! But fact of the matter is finding leggings for short girls is a challenge as they are all pretty much made for tall girls. I’ve just started buying Capri leggings and wearing them as regular leggings sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t!

I think the lack of short girl leggings is appalling and needs to be addressed. Who do I write to about this? The President? The fashion police? Bless her soul if she was alive, Joan Rivers? Karl Lagerfeld? Surely not as he’s equally dead and also, likely a hater of leggings and short, fluffy girls like me. Where do I complain? I need to start a revolution!

Also, let’s just complain about too high grocery shelves while we’re at it. I hate waiting in an aisle for a tall person to pass by and proceed to ask them, “Can you reach that for me?”

Short little ladies where do you buy your leggings?

Help your fellow short sister out 🙂

P.S. If it’s any help at all I’ve actually purchased the No Boundaries ones from the teen section at the Evil Empire and they actually sometimes work out a treat!

75 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Rachel

    Same probs here lady, but those No Boundries ones are great – especially the brushed ones! They are crazy soft and under $6, and aren’t so long that I have to have them bunched up my legs. I’m short and fluffy, so finding leggings that fit is kind of a nightmare. I don’t wear them out of the house, so I just deal with all the extra length.

    • Isabella Muse

      right? and they wash well too which for the price surprised me! when they bunch it drives me insaneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

  • Rachael

    I almost spit out my coffee at the grocery shelves comment, too accurate! I like GAP leggings but I really only wear Capri length and only to work out/lounge about the house. I’m a jeans gal in everyday life.

    • Isabella Muse

      Am I right though? And sometimes, you’ll get a person that wanders down the aisle and they look mean so you can’t ask them and you have to wait there for someone else! LOL! I like jeans too but leggings are so comfy sometimes 😀

  • Dot

    I used to like the ones from American Eagle and still have a few pairs, but I don’t really wear leggings anymore except to work out (and if I’m working out, I love the Gap petite athletic range). I haven’t had to have either the AE or Gap ones shortened, and I’m about 5 feet tall, somewhere between a 10-12/M-L. Usually for leggings, I’ve found M works. Good luck! I know the struggle well! (Don’t get me started on finding jeans that have proper knee placement, and I hate the current relaxed, loose fit that’s popular. I look like a corgi!)

    • Isabella Muse

      omggg me too with the jeans! LOL! I can’t find a pair that fits right! I love the look/style of boyfriend jeans but they look dumb as hell on me. I’m 5 too! I feel your pain!

  • Melissa

    The junior leggings work for me. Do try SHEIN. They have a lot of the smaller sizes but I haven’t purchased as yet. Their quality is average a hit or miss most often

    • Isabella Muse

      Likewise! those teen ones from no boundaries are brilliant! SHEIN is sooooo miss though sometimes! I’m always scared to buy anything haha!

  • Monica

    Unless you want an unintended tube top attached to those leggings (I’m 4’11” and regular-sized leggings come up to my boobs!), try Hue leggings or buy Capri-length everything ;). WHBM petite sizes aren’t bad either.

    • Isabella Muse

      LOL I know the feeling. It’s like a unitard! I’m 5′ and totally a tube top! Do your WHBM ones roll down at the waste? I’ve always had issues with them rolling! I’ll check out Hue!

  • Frozendiva

    My leggings and fashion type leggings are Hue, from the Bay or Simons. I like the cotton ones and mainly the capris, as I am short. The denim type ones have weird sizing, so you have to look at the fabric content. I remember buying a pair of leatherette ones and they did not fit me and would fit someone 5 sizes smaller.

    Simons has its own brand, but I haven’t tried them.

    Joe Fresh has pretty good ones. The price is right at $12 – $15 for regular cotton ones. Some go on sale to $5 and that is a good deal. The quality is good for the price. They also do fake leather and suede ones and those are decent.

    I have also bought leggings at Aritzia. The vegan leather ones are good quality.

    • Isabella Muse

      just chiming in but Aritzia is a win for anything from the vegan leather line. They are almost always a good length!

  • Minna

    American Eagle website carries leggings and pants in petite lengths and they are good quality in my experience.

  • Jess

    I’d rather be too short than too tall. I’m just shy of 5’9 and NOTHING feels made for me. You can’t take stuff to a tailor when you have this problem– they can’t magically make it longer! Alas. My best friend is 5’1 and we talk about this all the time. She basically has to get most stuff tailored whereas I just can’t buy most stuff lol

    • Isabella Muse

      I’d kill to be 5’9! Seriously! Everything already comes longer for you haha! I feel like everything I buy is for 5’5 and upwards! Even shoe sizes are sometimes hard! I swear we all want what we don’t have hehe!

      • Angel

        It really is insane and frustrating. My shoe size is 9.5 wide to extra wide. Sometimes it’s hard finding a shoe I can even put on. I have a friend who wears a 3-4 and really wants something cute that fits WITHOUT a Disney Princess on the side. My mom wears a 12 narrow, so she gets screwed in 2 places. Makeup is so much more inclusive than it used to be. It’s really time for the clothing and shoe manufacturers to step up!

        • Isabella Muse

          I normally buy a girls size in shoes because the styles are sometimes cuter but I’m actually not afraid of prancing around with Disney Princesses on my feet lol! But yeah, it’s true, shoe sizes and fashion just needs a revamp!

          • Angel

            Did you see when Converse came out with the dinosaur ones for big kids a year or two ago? I have never wanted smaller feet so much in life, lol!

      • Jess I

        The thing that’s funny is it really doesn’t come in lengths for me. Almost every shirt I buy is comically too short, to the point where I actually kind of feel like I can’t wear a shirt and pants. 5’9 is also a weird middle ground where regular and short inseams are too short, but tall is too long. I promise, this grass is not greener, haha.

        • Isabella Muse

          oh gosh thankfully shirts have never been too big a deal! It’s true! We all want what we don’t have!

  • Leslie

    Athleta petites are great but pricey! The cheaper alternative I have found are CRZ Yoga on Amazon. I am 5’0″ also, and the 25″ tights I ordered are GREAT. And they have pockets 🙂

    • Isabella Muse

      The Athlets are amazing!!!!!!! Do you find they wash a little crappy though? They seem to shrink on me after a few washings! I have to look up CRZ thanks for the rec!

  • Jules

    Have you tried old navy? I have the opposite problem… long legs, so half the time regular leggings look like capris on me! Their regular leggings run short (to me), but they also have them in petite length.

    • Isabella Muse

      I’ll check thanks Jules!!!!!!!!!!!!! I never noticed their petite length!

  • Violet

    I’m 5’2″� & learned very early on to not be shy about asking strangers to get something for me on the top shelves.
    Most of my leggings come from Macy’s brands petites and they fit perfectly leg lengthwise, but the top of those leggings still almost reach my boobs. Hue leggings are a good length for me too. Sometimes ankle length leggings & jeans will fit me.

    • Isabella Muse

      I wish I wasn’t but I always feel like I’m bugging people when I ask! I tend to wait and see if I can catch someone’s eye and smile casually and I read them after that little smile to see if they are willing to help! You’re like the fifth person that said Hue’s I need to try these!

      • Frozendiva

        I have lucked out at some grocery stores where I found the oddest spoon or ladle where it is not supposed to be. I figured that another short person came by and used it for something on the top shelf. I have also noticed a long spoon or something hanging on another aisle, taken it, and went back to fish the item from the top shelf.

        • Isabella Muse

          I do that! I look for anything around me that I can grab something with. I’ve used bottles of soda to knock boxes off a shelf or even longer boxes of pasta. Whatever is handy I use to knock things off the top shelf that I want haha!

  • Kimmwc03

    I can relate to the short girl problems but I usually buy short or petite leggings (American Eagle and a few other places have them) and I climb on shelves in the grocery store to get what I need when my husband is not with me.

    • Isabella Muse

      I just wanna say that I’ve always been tempted to climb the shelves but I’m like so scared I’ll fall and create a domino effect or something and like the entire grocery store shelving falls down all around me. Because I so have that weird dumb luck! Haha! So I never do it!

  • Renae

    Yep, short girl problems can be dangerous. I was reaching for a carton of milk that was on the top shelf of a grocery store cooler, inside of the shipping box it came in. I was glad to have something close to grab onto, (the open edge of the box,) because the last couple of cartons were towards the back of the box and definitely out of my reach.
    So I did what I had to do, and latched onto the front of the box and pulled it towards me, forgetting all potential laws of physics, especially those that concern pulling something down, towards you, at an angle. I nearly gave myself a concussion when the carton flew out of the box!

    • Isabella Muse

      I did this with bottled water once! I was grabbing a case but it was at an angle slant. I couldn’t reach it so I stepped on the bottom shelf and pulled it towards too quickly and two cartons came tumbling out. I wasn’t even worried about being hurt but more embarrassed that bottles of water went everywhere haha! Seriously, we are a danger out in society!

  • Remuil Nash Korol

    Not tall! Middle world almost any pants and jeans on me became capris like I’m outgrown my school pants and didn’t buy the new one!!!
    And as I mentioned before in your stories – I need to stand on my knees in stores to take anything from the lower shelf)))

    • Isabella Muse

      hey middle ground isn’t bad though! You sort of get the best of both worlds 😀

  • Claudia

    The Zella 7/8 length at Nordstrom are the perfect length for my 5′. Get the live-in, they suck you in just a little and are thicker for when you bend over and they fit my fluffy self in regular sizing. When it’s cold out I wear those under jeans and am warm. My short people at the store nightmare is that scene from the animated Grinch movie. I use my kids (4 & 6) by hoisting them into the shelf to reach for stuff.

    • Isabella Muse

      Looking these up thanks Claudia! No kids, otherwise I’d so be using and abusing my children to reach stuff LOL!

  • Debbie

    I am a petite, fluffy girl, and I get you. When at the grocery store I go straight to the housewares section and will pick out the longest pair of tongs just in case I need to reach anything on a high shelf. Otherwise I will use the stretch and pray method. As far as the leggings go, it is a struggle. I get most of mine at Marshall’s or at Torrid (where they still let you try on.).

    • Isabella Muse

      I wish my local grocery had more hardware around but they don’t! If I’m lucky I find a stirring spoon and use that to grab things! But I always feel guilty lol! I mean here I am using it to reach stuff and hopefully no one buys it later on after I used and abused it as a reaching tool lol! Torrid is a no go for me 🙁 They are always sooooo long! I feel like I can cut them and make another pair!

      • Debbie

        They even hang such devices on hooks in the aisles especially for those of us who are vertically challenged. I thank them for their consideration.

        • Isabella Muse

          lol not around here! It’s every man/woman for themselves! Find a spoon or a box or anything to grab or knock the stuff off the top shelf with!

  • MDW

    I like to bunch up the extra fabric around the ankles like the print leggings on the left side of the photo.

  • Katherine J Lowery

    I buy the 25 inch Align leggings from Lululemon! They fit me like a full length legging. I’m 5 feet tall. They also make 19 inch and 23 inch I believe. And all lengths of bike shorts (10, 8, and 6). I love that store. But my bank account does not – lol!!! And grocery shelves, and pantry shelves in my very own kitchen!!!!! It’s hard being short in a tall world.

    • Isabella Muse

      19!?? oh my gosh going to look!!!!!!! I have to keep a ladder in the pantry as I can’t reach the tops shelves at all! Likewise in my laundry room! I have shelves in there so I keep a step stool to reach! It sure is!!!!!!!

  • Kellly

    Hah! I have the exact opposite problem. 28″� would be about mid calf length for me. I can never find (affordable) things that are long enough!

  • FrugalCat

    Yup. Same prob here (5’1″ with maybe a 27 inch inseam.) I’ve been buying Capri leggings for years. And “ankle length” or “cropped” pants, which usually are full-length on me. In addition to being short, I am also very short-waisted, so mid rise pants are high rise on me. And the new, trendy high rise pants are past my ribcage. It’s pretty hard to find low rise pants these days. Low rise on me just fits like a mid-rise, I swear I am not trying to look like Brittany Spears circa 2002.

    Another thing that accentuates how short I am- I don’t wear heels. Plus my husband is 6’1″ so we look mis-matched in pictures. At least he gets things off the top shelves for me.

    • Isabella Muse

      likewise! crapped, capri, those are basically pants for me! I don’t either! I’m either in a pair of converse or flats!

  • Swoozy

    Women’s sizing in general is a crime that needs to be addressed. 5’7″ and short waisted with a 32″ inseam – nothing fits. Pants up to my bra line, all the time. I normally just buy men’s athletic tights because why is every woman’s pair 7/8s? Who are the women who want their shins cold, dry and scaly in the Winter?

    I also have to scale grocery shelves, which is ironic as I think most women still do the bulk of the grocery shopping. . .

      • Swoozy

        The top shelf definitely requires climbing if something is towards the back. I recently had to leave a lone 2liter bottle of Fresca at the store because I couldn’t reach it, had nothing to slide it to me, and no taller people near by.

        • Isabella Muse

          happens to me all the timeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Had to leave boxes of pasta, cans of veggies, etc because they are at the back and no one is around! When things were hairy in March and groceries were really low in stock it was even worst!

  • jill

    oh isabella, that is too funny! me, i just wear the capri leggings – but man, do i ever sleep-shop! i’ve gotten packages and scratched my head, trying to figure out where it came from (well, it’s usually from Nordstrom, Sephora/Ulta, or the Beast of all BEASTS, eBay). i really have to
    delete all my saved credit cards out of all those sites, it’s just too damn easy. in fact, i could do it in my sleep!

    and yeah, every time i want the Archway Oatmeal Raisin cookies at Publix, i have to hunt around for a tall guy. They caught me climbing the shelves one time, and it was not cool.

    hahaha remember that old song “Short People”� by Randy Newman (i think)? aaaah, you’re too young but look it up on YouTube. you’ll laugh.

    ❤️
    Jill in Sunny Florida ☀️

    • Isabella Muse

      HI JILL! You’re not missing New York now are you? 🙂 Haha! LOL! I “sleep shop” too! My sister, you met her, climbs shelves like a little monkey lol! She just gets up there! I DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS! 😀 gonna go google now sounds like my kind of song lol!

  • Chelsey

    I have the opposite problem! I buy leggings and they’re always ⅞ or Capri length on me. But lululemon will hem anything for free. So go scour their “made too much”� section for a good deal and then take them in and get them hemmed to your perfect length!

  • Bethany

    I have the opposite problem. I am 6’0. I feel like they often offer pants in petite but rarely in tall. It has gotten harder since I went to a plus size. I also find shirt sleeves are often too short. Tall girl problems. Lol!

    • Isabella Muse

      oh my god I want to be you when I grow up! I would kill for that kind of height! It must be luxurious always being able to grab what you want from the top shelf!

  • Tippy6

    I’m 5′ 3″/160 cm tall, I weigh 97 lbs/44 kg, with a short waist and a 33″ inseam. Inseam, not outseam. I take a size 00 and mid-rise jeans fit the best because of my short body. Try finding those. My wingspan is 72 1/2 inches and finding anything with sleeves long enough to stop just below the wrist in my size is impossible . I’ve believed for years that I was the last person made on that day and all they had left were mismatched spare parts in an abandoned utility closet at the people factory.

    • Isabella Muse

      you’re actually super petite not only in height but weight! LOLLLLL yeah they just threw some clothes together for us with whatever was left!

  • miska

    Isabella,
    I have the opposite problem, I was 5’11” in 5th grade. Everything was too short. I used to have to shop in the men’s section for jeans and pants that fit. I cannot adequately put into words just how much that sucked in my impressionable teen years. I was already dealing with the taunts of my peers (daddy long legs, jolly green giant and so many more…kids can be so mean). All of my friends were wearing these cute styles and here I am wearing the same jeans as my Dad! I was stuck in men’s clothes through high school. Now I’m also in the plus size category which just seems to add more to my struggle. Add on to that the fact that my Mom and Gram were 4’11” and couldn’t relate. I remember when I discovered this specialty women’s tall boutique in my city and blew $75 on my first pair of jeans that did awesome things for my figure. This was back in the late 90’s and a shit ton of money for me to drop on anything, especially a single pair of jeans. Still, finding jeans that actually fit my body correctly was worth every penny and then some. I wore those jeans until they fell apart. I wish the fashion industry would pull their heads out of their asses and revamp women’s clothing sizing. There are way more body shapes and sizes than what’s available out there on the market. And don’t get me started on how brands can vary widely in their interpretation of a size…like one brand’s size 10 is a size 12 or 14 in another brand. I feel for you in your struggle to find clothes that fit right. It shouldn’t be this difficult! We’re on opposite ends of the spectrum fighting the same battle.

    • Isabella Muse

      girl, I bet that was hard but I bet everyone wishes they were you now! We are indeed fighting the same battle! Sometimes I forgot that tall people have the same issue as I do but I different level (no pun intended). We just have to love ourselves no matter what 🙂 And I honestly know the feeling of finding good clothing. The sizes and even fabrics across the board are just so wishy washy. I wish everyone would just pick one size and make it universal in every brand versus “This size xlarge fits great with so and so but the size xlarge is too small with this other brand” Jesus. Cant an x-large be an x-large can’t a small be a small. You have to really know your sizes from the brand you’re shopping with and never expect that just because it fits from that brand it’ll fit from another brand in the exact size. It’s crazy and you’re right the fashion industry really does need get with it!!!!!!!! Hugs to you my tall sister 🙂

  • Melissa

    Hey Muse – I’m not a short girl, but I LOVE the IUGA leggings from amazon – inexpensive, soft (except the striped ones – they’re more spandex-y) and a little thicker (I get the compression ones to smooth out all the lumps and bumps). Anyway, their capris are the “7/8” length, and I bet they’d be perfect full length leggings for my shorter legged friends. Hope that helps!

    • Isabella Muse

      Thanks Melissa! I’ll check them out :)!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thicker is good especially in the Winter 😀 You’re awesome thanks for reccing!

  • Christina Amarante

    Senita Athletics has awesome leggings.. I love the Athleta leggings but they are expensive, Senita leggings are the same but half the price..

  • Jessica

    Loved this post! I am 6 feet tall and everything is too short. You need to say what kind of leggings they were because everything is a capri pant on me.
    And yes I am asked all the time if I can get something off the top shelf and I’m always happy to.
    So funny how really no one has it made ❤️

    • Isabella Muse

      Aw as a tall lovely lady I’m glad you enjoyed reading about short girl woe haha! Oh my gosh I can imagine it must be difficult find clothes! Thank you! Can we shop together one day 😀 Hehe! We all want what we don’t have ;-D but learning to love ourselves is the most important part!

  • Ashley myers

    I feel sorry for u for having to wear a suit to work. I wear a nice pair of jeans & a top shirt & most days I cant wait to come home & rip them off & put on something more comfy.

  • Tasha

    I buy ALL my leggings from Aerie…they are the best ones that I’ve come across and I’ve tried a lot of leggings over the years.

  • Karren McDaniel

    Ann Taylor Loft has upped their petite legging game lately. They have a good color selection and options for waist length (I am a “high waist girl). I am 5 feet 1 and the length is perfect for me. I love a good pair of leggings.