Thanks for your thoughts, John. I pinned the blame for my dissatisfaction about my nose on racism, and how race plays into gendered appearance expectations. The patriarchy reference was, by contrast, about the judgment leveled at women for caring about beauty, and the pressure we feel to look “beautiful” in the first place. I’m not sure if that clarifies it, but I hope so!

I’m sorry you faced so much rejection for your height. For what it's worth, I’ve definitely been attracted to short men, including having had a boyfriend who was slightly shorter than I am. If you’re right that “women are genetically wired to want taller men,” then maybe I’m defective. But I prefer not to see it that way, lol. ;) I think a lot more about beauty preferences is about societal conditioning, and what we see most often around us.

I hope you’ve found a woman / women who appreciate you and aren't fixated on height!