Shrinking Woman Size Measurement

Got a character who is shrinking? Here's what to watch for.

If you're writing a story about a shrinking woman, you'll want to know what to expect as she gets smaller. It can help the reader to visualize her situation.

For the purposes of this discussion, let's make the following assumptions:

1. Before shrinking, she is the height of the average American woman: 5 feet, 4 inches (162.56 cm).
2. Her shrinking is not caused by any force that would also affect inorganic substances, such as clothing.
3. Accordingly, she has 20/20 vision, no hearing difficulties, and perfect teeth.
4. The shrinking process does not cause her to become invulnerable to harm.

Now, let's see how her shrinking affects her:

First, her weight will decrease more significantly than her height. For example, when she is down to 98% of her original height, she will be just 92% of her original weight; at half her original height, she will be just one eighth her original weight; and so forth.

At 5', 1" (154.94 cm), her shrinking will definitely get her attention. All of her clothes will be looser than they should be; and she will notice that someone who should be shorter than her is the same height as her, if not taller. Also, when she sits in a standard room chair, her feet will no longer reach the floor.

As she shrinks from 5 feet (152.4 cm) to 4 feet (121.92 cm) tall, she will have to give up driving herself, if she hasn't done so already. Also, she may need help with more household chores.

At 3 feet (91.44 cm) tall, the top of her head will be level with the center of a doorknob mounted at the standard height. She should probably start leaving interior doors open. Also, she will be significantly smaller than kindergarteners, so any who are close by may want to play with her, and be able to force her to do so. Below this size, she will need a toddler's potty to take care of her bodily functions.

At 2 feet (60.96 cm) tall, her wardrobe could consist of baby clothes tailored to her dimensions, or perhaps clothes for American Girl or similar dolls. Hazards will include bee or wasp stings, as the venom will be proportionately the equivalent of multiple stings.

At 12 inches (30.48 cm) tall or thereabouts, she can wear most of the clothes made for Barbie dolls; she might not be able to wear her shoes, if she isn't comfortable wearing heels. When dealing with people of normal size, she will see them with distorted faces, as if she were viewing them through a fisheye lens.

At 8 inches (20.32 cm) tall, walking on the floor will be too hazardous for her. She will need to submit to having someone carry her from one stick of furniture to another, whether she wants to or not.

At 6 inches (15.24 cm) tall, Barbie's longer T-shirts could be worn as dresses; if she continues to shrink, it will become necessary to start cutting custom dresses from handkerchiefs. Hazards will include any blades and razors, which can cut her to the bone; what's worse, even if a tourniquet could be applied, there would be no way to get a transfusion into her. Also, natural predators (dogs, cats, hawks, etc.) will see her not as a human, but as prey.

At 3 inches (7.62 cm) tall, people and things across the room will be too indistinct to see clearly. She will be small enough to be carried in the palm of one hand.

At 2 inches (5.08 cm) tall, her voice will be too high-pitched and too soft for anyone of normal size to hear her.

At 1 inch (2.54 cm) tall, big people could no longer perceive all of her features. What's more, anyone who didn't know about her would think she was some sort of insect.

At microscopic size, her survival would be in great jeopardy. Single-cell organisms might prove hazardous, and her digestive system might not function properly anymore. Once she goes subatomic, she won't be able to breathe anymore.