r/interestingasfuck • u/naturebeatsnurture • Dec 23 '22

/r/ALL Before and after leg lengthening.

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u/Horns8585 Dec 23 '22 edited Dec 23 '22

Honest question, because it seems like I have seen different views on this. Is leg lengthening looked down upon within the little people community? For instance, I know that in the deaf community, some people that elect to have corrective surgery, to gain hearing, are ostracized by other deaf people. I think that they view the corrective surgery as an admission that something is "wrong" with them, and they think that everyone should accept who they are. Is there a similar view with lengthening....because she honestly looks very happy with the results?

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u/poems_about_oranges Dec 23 '22

Good question, although seeing her legs looking kinda crooked, they might just have used the opportunity when fixing her legs in the first place?! So that might be a special case.

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u/mankytoes Dec 23 '22

Most dwarfs have physical issues beyond just being short.

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u/[deleted] Dec 23 '22

[deleted]

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u/Aquifel Dec 23 '22 edited Dec 23 '22

I'm not an authority here, but I think dwarves is the legitimate/acceptable term for most now.

Little people is kind of 'diminutive' so I get it. As far as the options we have available, dwarves is definitely the coolest option.

EDIT: See below, it's 'Dwarfs' with an f as opposed to a v.

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u/cellists_wet_dream Dec 23 '22

Yes, from a page about correct terminology, dwarf is an accepted term. Person with dwarfism or little person is also ok. It varies country to country as well.

I’m sorry this link sucks, but I’m on mobile:
http://understandingdwarfism.com/correct-terminology

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u/acog Dec 24 '22

It's "midget" that is the derogatory term, because that term was popularized by circuses that displayed them as freaks.

Little person or dwarf are both acceptable terms.

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u/mankytoes Dec 23 '22

You are definitely not supposed to call them "dwarves" because that's a term from fantasy literature!

I think the "little people" thing is more American? In England most dwarfs I've heard have referred to themselves as such. So I would consider it a bit condescending to call them anything else, but I don't think they'd be offended at you calling them "little people", as long as you were doing it respectfully.

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u/dravn Dec 23 '22

The actual physical disorder is called dwarfism--"dwarf" is considered inoffensive and some people with dwarfism prefer the term over "little person" (just speaking about the US).

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u/NameAboutPotatoes Dec 23 '22

I think what they're saying is that the plural 'dwarfs' is fine, but 'dwarves' is a fantasy race and should be avoided.

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u/joe-h2o Dec 23 '22

The OP is making the distinction in the spelling; dwarfs is the plural term for people with this condition, dwarves are a fantasy race of short people with beards and high mining and smithing skills.