About

Shortstack is a slang term describing the body type of a short and voluptuous (hence, stacked) female. Though this phrase is used online while describing fictionalized females, the term can also be applied to real-life examples. Not strictly enforced, this term can refer to both relatively short, normally proportioned women, as well as characters who have defining features such as bust and hip size exaggerated past the point of natural order. While it is not inherently bound, the shortstack body type is usually associated with monster girls, such as goblins, dwarves and halflings.

History

The term "stacked" has long been used when referring to a female that has larger than average features. This can be seen in the Commodores song "Brick House," recorded in 1977, in which the chorus clearly proclaims:

"That lady's stacked, and that's a fact, ain't holding nothing back."

Later on in the song, the measurements for the woman previously called "stacked" are also given. Measurements in this instance refer to the bust size, waist size and hip size of a woman's figure, given in three sequential numbers.

"Thirty-six, twenty-four, thirty-six oh what a winning hand."

This early designation is known as the "stacked ratio" of two-thirds, in which a "stacked" female figure is attained if the waist is two-thirds the size of either the hips or bust, with both at once being seen as the ideal hourglass figure. This figure was unchallenged in modern culture until Sir Mix-a-lot came out with his song "Baby Got Back," recorded in 1992, in which he makes a direct challenge to the previously ideal figure, saying:

"Thirty-six, twenty-four, thirty-six, haha, only if she's 5'3."

The significance of his statement lies in the fact that these measurements themselves are deemed impossible to occur naturally. The closest recorded human known would be Marilyn Monroe, who is thought to have been a 36, 24, 35 while standing at 5-foot and 5-inches. Sir Mix-A-Lot states in his song that he prefers a figure more out of proportion than Marilyn Monroe, and shorter, providing an early example of a short stack referenced in pop culture.

The earliest recorded usage of the term in a professional capacity can be found in the fashion and modeling industry. "Shortstack" was a name of a program created in order to promote female models whose body type didn't fit the "normal" model standards on account of being too short.^[1] The program was established in 2006, and as of writing this entry, it's hosted 12 Annual Charity Fashion Shows.^[3]

Notable Examples

Midna

Midna is a character in the game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, released on November 19th, 2006, for the Nintendo Wii. A mysterious, imp-like creature that accompanies Link throughout the game, directing his journey and providing occasional commentary on locations and events. She proved to be very popular among the fans, sparking multiple fan art iterations. She is often credited with planting the seeds of the fetish for shortstacks in the minds of many people, as said in the meme by Funnyjunk user heroedelavida^[2], posted on April 6th, 2021 (shown below).

Yordles

Yordles are a group of characters from the online video game League of Legends who are defined as being part of the Yordle race. Similar in appearance to goblins, Yordles are usually detailed as more stocky whereas goblins in fantasy lore are usually lither in appearance. Two prominent members of this group include Poppy (shown above) and Tristana (shown below) who are regularly drawn and rendered as short stacks in official game artwork as well as fan art.

Goblins

Goblins are a classic fictional race appearing in many fantasy universes, one of the races traditionally used as opponents. They usually take the form of small, green humanoids with pointy, triangular ears and tend to be characterized as physically weak, but making up for their disadvantages in size and strength by being inventive, ruthless and/or numerous. Goblin females are a very common source for shortstack characters. The origin for this outlook on them is usually traced back to World of Warcraft, which was the first well-known universe where female goblins were prominently featured.

Hana Uzaki

A non-monster girl example, Hana Uzaki is a titular character of slice-of-life anime and manga Uzaki-Chan Wants to Hang Out!. Due to her short stature and prominent bust, she is sometimes referred to as a shortstack.

Search Interest

External References