A lot of people aren't too pleased with the knowledge that they are below average height, but for me, it's a pretty sweet deal. Having enough inches about me to go on most amusement park rides, I can fit in cars and clothing more easily, and although I might develop a Napoleon complex some day, I'm also going to live longer, so... ha.
But the worst thing about being short is when you're in a situation with a lot of tall people where you're trying to look at the same thing (e.g. if you're at a concert, or you're all taking a photo together) - if you're not quick enough to get to the front, you're going to spend a lot of that time standing forlornly on your tippy toes, or peeking desperately through shoulders and waists.
Not fun.
That was the reality of the vertically challenged since time immemorial, but now, there's a solution on the horizon that doesn't quite require extensive plastic surgery, or an embarrassing trip on the shoulders of one of your tall friends.
Meet Dominic Wilcox, who has invented a pair of glasses that'll give short people a vital height advantage.
Effectively a pair of periscope glasses, the One Foot Taller spectacles effectively add 12 inches to your height, turning you from a laughing stock into a towering, beanpole freak of a person - at least when it concerns your field of vision.
Though Wilcox is a tall person himself (with the glasses thereby giving him an unfair boost), he does empathise with us pocket-sized people.
We're actually the inspiration for the glasses, as he explained on his website.
"I was standing at a gig and turned to see a small woman dancing away but unable to see the band. This gave me the inspiration to design a way for people to see over obstacles such as tall people like me. It works well, though dancing with it on might be a challenge."
Yeah, try not to think too hard about trying to navigate a crowded concert area or (God forbid) try to use a bathroom with these bad boys on, but at least everyone who sees you wearing these will be sure to give you a very wide berth.
There's also a special mention for the tech giants Microsoft, who challenged inventors like Wilcox to come up with interesting ways to solve everyday problems, and I think he pulled that off, didn't he? Wilcox also came up with a way for pedestrians to go past an oncoming pedestrian called the Directing Jacket, which can be found here.
The One Foot Taller Glasses were shown at the Extraordinary Solutions to Everyday Problems exhibit at D&AD Festival, which took place last month, so you've missed your chance to see these unbelievable specs in action. But I'm sure if you ask nicely, Dominic Wilcox will let you try a pair on. Probably.
