Using an old white T shirt and a koki, I wrote various derogatory names and phrases that people would refer to short people as, and wore the shirt for the day.
This made me extremely uncomfortable, as these names and phrases took me back to the names I was personally called during preparatory and primary school. Names like “short-shit”, “midget”, “Shorty”, “dwarf”, “stompie”, and “ankle-biter” were written on the T shirt. This would blatantly indicate my shortness, or at least how I perceived my shortness, to the public.
The reactions I got were quite interesting – A lot of people stared at me, some chuckled to their friends, and some looked quite saddened! One woman approached me and said “shame man, you’re not that short!”… This kind of public attention that drew blatant attention to my shortness made me feel terribly uncomfortable, and I actually felt quite miserable. My whole personality and charm relies on my boldness and confidence, and that was all stripped away by wearing this shirt of shame that I had made myself. So, mission accomplished I guess!
Little Nicky, Big World. 