Height was/is a bad example. As a male whose vertical growth slammed to a halt at 5'8" (my girth, alas, seems capable of infinite expansion), I am aware that height makes a significant difference to the way one is treated. I am ignored while the six-foot-plus streak of yesterdays' dishwater is listened to attentively despite the fact he that has the IQ of a garden snail. Height=superiority in this culture.

Fortunately, one can still rely on the old Dwarf saying that 'if his hands are higher than your head, your teeth are level with his groin'!