Height Difference

Height Difference is a trope in which one character is emphasized to be taller than another. This is often a ship-related trope, seen as a romantic dynamic. However, it can also be used a 'cute' aspect of platonic and familial relationships too.
Some fandoms even make 'height charts' of their characters to show their headcanons for who is taller and who is shorter.
Some fans argue that shipping characters with height differences, whether canonical or fanon, are an attempt to normalize pedophilia. Others point out:
==Varieties==
===Mundane height differences===
It is common for height differences between human characters of the same age to be emphasized. This trope occurs in slash, femslash, and het fanworks. However, due to the fact that cis men are on average taller than cis women, this trope is less common in het fanworks. When it occurs, it is usually because the female character is taller than the male character, or the male character is significantly taller than the female character (a foot or more).
Ships featuring a human dwarf and an average-height human will often fall into this trope by default regardless of the respective ages of the characters.
====Examples====
*Jaime/Brienne of ASoIaF/GOT
*Richie/Eddie of IT
*Sherlock/John of Sherlock (TV series)
*Tyrion/Sansa of ASoIaF/GOT
===Interspecies===
Relationships involving characters of different species will often emphasize natural height differences between them. This trope is common in fandoms with diminutive races like hobbits and dwarves. It is notably popular in the Lord of the Rings fandom, in which hobbits are often shipped with taller dwarves, elves, and humans. Dwarves are also shipped with taller elves and humans. The interspecies height difference trope also occurs in fandoms with alien species that are naturally taller or shorter than humans. It may thus sometimes be an example of Alien Kink or Xeno.
====Examples====
*Bilbo/Thorin of The Hobbit
*Kíli/Tauriel of The Hobbit
*Blackwall/Inquisitor of Dragon Age: Inquisition – Adaar (Qunari) and Cadash (dwarf) versions
*Commander Shepherd/Garrus of Mass Effect
===Age Differences===
Relationships involving characters of different ages may emphasize their height difference. This can occur in underage fanworks that pair a fully-grown adult with a still-growing teenager. It may also feature in fanworks where an adult character is De-Aged through some means.
====Examples====
*Harry/Snape of Harry Potter
*Snape/Hermione of Harry Potter
==Casting==
Depending on the source material, there have even been times where fans demanded a height difference between actors to properly represent a relationship on screen. 
For the IT fandom, it became a pertinent part of the casting discussion before the cast of Chapter Two was announced. Many were satisfied with James Ransone and Bill Hader's height difference, but many would have appreciated an Eddie Kaspbrak who was even shorter.
==Fanworks==
===Fanart===
Bilbo/Thorin (The Hobbit)
*untitled by avivatang
*unittled by inches
*nose kisses by injureddreams
*you came back by reapersun
*breakfast in bed by rutobuka2
*untitled by rutobuka2
*untitled 2 by rutobuka2
*untitled 3 by rutobuka2
*untitled 4 by rutobuka2
*brb sailing off with this ship by spader7
*untitled by toastedbuckwheat
Jaime/Brienne (ASoIaF/GOT)
*Coat by ayofandomthings
*untitled by Cherloak
*untitled by fiovske
*untitled by jeremyjohnirons
*untitled by kuma-la-la
Kíli/Tauriel (The Hobbit)
*+in starlight by against-stars
*+in woodlands by against-stars
*untitled by hvit-ravn
*untitled 2 by hvit-ravn
*untitled 3 by hit-ravn
*untitled by miniprawsplayground 
*Tauriel and Kili by moeon
*Tauriel and Kili: It was real ! by Sentunaika
*untitled by spader7
Reddie (IT)
* untitled (archived version) by ActualFrog (2017)
* Numerous pieces by Hannah
* untitled (archived version) by Goha-Corrugated-Cardboard (2020)
* untitled (archived version) by Slashpalooza (2019)
Sherlock/John (Sherlock (TV series))
*No Time by alessiapelonzi
*sentiment by archiaart
*Shut Up Sherlock by demicoeur
*Im sorry John by DOXOPHILIA
*SH: height difference by Puffintalk
*untitled by reapersun
*untitled sweetlittlekitty
*Kiss of John and Sherlock by WolframD
===Fanfiction===
* a frostiron fic by anonymousstoryperson (2019)
==Art Gallery==
File:Tyrion and Sansa's Wedding by MathiaArkoniel.jpg|ASoIaF fanart by MathiaArkoniel – Tyrion, an adult human dwarf, and Sansa, an average-height adolescent girl
File:Blackwall x Siba Cadash by YoungGirlBlues.jpg|Dragon Age fanart by YoungGirlBlues – Blackwall, a human, with a female dwarf Inquisitor
File:How to talk to a short person by GigaSlime.png|Final Fantasy VII fanart by GigaSlime – Tifa (height increased from canon) lifting Aerith against a wall. Based on the "Tall Woman Lifting Short Woman" meme.
File:Eternal Bond by MikaelHankonen.png|Fire Emblem fanart by MikaelHankonen – Ike and Soren, canonically the same age. Soren (right) stopped aging physically in his mid-teens due to a curse.
File:Hug by staypee.jpg|Harry Potter fanart by staypee – Snape, an adult professor, with Hogwarts-age Hermione
File:Kiliel by Dralamy.jpg|Hobbit fanart by Dralamy – Tauriel, an elf, and Kíli, a dwarf
File:Sunday Rain by maXKennedy.jpg|BBC Sherlock fanart by maXKennedy – Sherlock and John Watson
File:The Button by maXKennedy.jpg|BBC Sherlock fanart by maXKennedy – Sherlock and John Watson
File:Pride Pair by missgreeney.jpg|Steven Universe fanart by missgreeney – Rose Quartz, an 8-foot-tall Crystal Gem, and Greg Universe, a human male.
==References==
Category:Romance Tropes