Why do some women obsess over height so much?

Maybe some of the girls on here can answer this question. For the life of me, I've never really been able to understand certain women's need to date a particularly taller man. Now I can understand if you're a particularly taller girl (5'10+ or taller) that you'd want to date at least a guy your height or a bit taller because it might be a bit weird to you dating a guy who is a few inches shorter than you. But, I've seen plenty of girls in the 5'2 to 5'6 range completely disregard any decent guy under 5'9 based almost solely on their height, and I can't for the life of me really understand it. I get the whole "instinctual" thing of taller men being potentially more protective and what not, but in this day and age, it seems a bit weirder to me than say in the last couple of centuries given (on paper) how much more open with sexuality and relationships we've become as human beings in general. I mean, I can understand weight, appearance, personality, etc. being a detractor for some just because those are things someone can control. But height? I mean, you might be the nicest guy on the planet, but your parents were only 5'7 or shorter and you don't become any taller than that when you become an adult, and you're basically undatable to some women just because of the genes you were handed, something that was completely out of your control. I'm only 5'8 myself, so I'm not the tallest guy on the planet, but this pre-requisite for height still baffles me some and why it's such a sticking point for some girls to only date certain men. Maybe some of you girls can enlighten me a bit on this because to this day, it's still a head scratcher why some people put such a big emphasis on something you can't control.

I never got why some girls refuse dating anyone who isn't at least 3 inches taller than them. A possible explanation might be though, if she fancies high heels and platforms, that she wants her partner to still be taller even when she wears such shoes. Then again I'm not very understanding in that regard since I too wear high heels and platforms but still wouldn't cut off a guy just because he isn't 6"3'. I personally get pissed when a short girl only (!) dates tall guys since that sucks for both short guys and tall girls. Like dude, I already struggle finding guys MY height that I'm compatible with. Not even to speak of those taller than me. Leave the tall guys to the tall girls.

I'm a bit over 5'11", so I am on the other side of the spectrum. Many men are intimidated by tall women because it's not seen as inherently "feminine" as being a shorter girl. I suppose it is a societal thing. Unfortunate, but you cannot force someone to be into you. Height is part of appearance, just as facial structure, eye colour, hair, etc, and no, you can't really fault someone for being attracted to who they are attracted to. If they like taller people, cool. If they like shorter people, cool. If someone isn't into me because of my height, there is no point in pursuing them. To be honest, though, it usually comes down to confidence. If I am interested in a guy that is 5'6" and he feels emasculated by my height, I am no longer interested. However, if he doesn't give a damn about it, then neither do I. The approach helps a considerable amount. Also, I'd like to mention that being "nice" is the bare minimum for acquiring someone's interest. There are so many other qualities that people are into and appearance usually does play a huge role. I could be a down right sweetheart, but that won't change the fact that not all people are going to be into my height. And if they're not? Guess I just rock my five inch heels and move on.

I'm 5'10" and I've dated girls both shorter and around my height, never had an opportunity to date a girl taller than me. I don't think any girl has turned me down specifically because I wasn't tall enough exactly though I was friends with a girl who said I wasn't her type because she was into bigger guys but I don't think she was just talking about height itself (I think she meant more jacked in general with a big dick, her ex had 9", she always talked about the great sex in both quality and quantity). I was 116-130lbs for a long time so I'm pretty skinny. (I also have only 6.5" and I dated her best friend so she knew I wasn't hung). I don't care much about height but I do think smaller girls are cute to a point. But if they are too petite I would be worried about hurting them (sexually) even though that would rarely be an actual issue, more perception. Although I did date one girl, she wasn't particularly small but she was shallow and we couldn't have sex in certain positions (doggy) because I went too deep and bruised her cervix. So their is a certain perception I might hurt really short/petite girls, just like their is an automatic perception that smaller/shorter guys are smaller in all ways. It's silly but some girls are very focused on penis size. I've known girls that will only consider dating guys of exceptional size. My last roommate being a perfect example. She has stated, and we discussed in detail about how she knows she is only attracted to the wrong kind of guys that tend to be immature, druggies and cheat on her, but she likes "bad boys" with 9"+ and claims sex with anyone much smaller is pointless.

I dunno. I always thought it was just a cliche since neither I nor any female I personally know think like that. Then again, at 5'1, it's not like I'm ruling out a significant portion of the population even if I did have that as a requirement

You already kinda answered your own question on the "Instinctual thing". Its an evolutionary preference. And sadly, unlike weight, height cannot be changed. My friend, Lindsey is pretty short herself, and loves this fact since it means short to average guys are tall in her eyes. But she kind of feels like she would break anyone who is smaller than her. At the same time, there's a maternal instinct that sort of kicks in with small guys that kinda works against a guy's efforts. So according to her, that's why a guy who's taller tends to be more preferable. That said, there are guys who refuse to change their weight, and they do alright with women, mostly because they bring something completely unique to the table. And its the same for guys who tend to be vertically challenged. They're going to have a hard time bypassing female preference when they first meet, (Not all women, but a broad percentage of them) but like the chubby guy who frequently gets attention from females, if they're funny and self deprecating about it in a way that isn't pathetic and still shows a level of confidence, then short guys often have a better chance than they realize. Like seriously, humor patches up a large spectrum of short comings. And honestly, if you see a girl who's 6'2 sitting alone at a bar or a party, then by all means talk to her. Most of the other guys are a bit intimidated, so if you are used to looking up at women, you're already at more of an advantage than you realize. Because if she picked out a nice dress to stand out and she's there to meet people, then she just wants to understand why nobody is talking to her, and that does kinda hit at her self esteem a bit. Thats not a recipe for automatic success, but at the very least, its a rare situation where an intentionally cheesy pickup line can make some one's day. By the way, I'm also 5'8, and plenty of my male friends who are shorter than I am also have no problems with women. And honestly, I don't have any aversion towards women taller than me. I've noticed that I consistently have liked shorter girls, but I don't know whether this is an attraction specifically for shorter girls, or if its just that the kinda traits I look for in girls consistently happen to come in shorter packages. I don't consciously notice this, so it is kinda hard to say. But I have had crushes on at least 2 girls who were taller than me. So if you're a tall girl, there is still hope.

Honestly height shouldn't matter much since it's mostly just genetics and who drew the short straw (sorry for the pun). I get the whole penis size thing but I don't understand why it's a solid deal breaker for most girls XD give the person a chance first

This has been quite a sore subject for me. It took me more than a decade of pain and suffering to come to terms with it. Like kyrastarholder, a short male is one that inherited bad genetics. My dad was a model, and since I inherited my mom's short gene, I could only reach 5'4". And then I realized all the other good genes I have that make up for it. Those girls who only care about height? Fuck em. I can make a harem of my own! Once I realized this I got a lot more confident and confidence can help a woman overlook height. For instance, Veru is 6" taller than me but is totally smitten by me because I'm confident and know just how to handle her. She is like a wild horse that needs to be tamed~