Large-scale studies analyzing more than 15,000 cases worldwide show a surprising truth: the real difference in average size between groups is barely 1 centimeter. That’s right—just one. A margin so small that it has no practical meaning at all. The huge variations we’ve been told about? They are inventions of pornography, exaggerations from cinema, and old prejudices dressed up as facts.
The real story is not about race—it’s about how racism sold a lie for centuries. Colonial narratives, stereotypes, and media portrayals turned a minor biological variation into a global “truth” that still circulates today. This wasn’t accidental: it served to exoticize some bodies while ridiculing or diminishing others. By repeating the story, society created a myth that was far stronger than the science ever supported.
So why do people still believe it? Because fiction is sexier than reality. A scientific paper filled with measurements and statistics feels boring compared to the dramatic fantasies of films, pornography, or online debates. Myths spread because they trigger emotions: envy, pride, shame, or desire. Truth, on the other hand, is often quiet, uncomfortable, and easy to ignore.
But the evidence is clear: size is individual, not racial. Genetics plays its role, but there is no group destined to be universally “larger” or “smaller.” Human diversity is wide, and trying to reduce billions of people to a stereotype erases that complexity.