There are superficial, mostly logical standards that some women apply, there's also some degree of basic attraction that's tied to height. Then there's your game and the strength of your frame. The best player I know seduced hot women when he was on cancer treatment - skinny, with terrible acne and ugly hair, he looked 2/10, pretty literally, also of average height. Women mocked him to his face, but it didn't even affect his frame, it was all fun and games to him, and a game that he's better at than any girl is. If you saw him in his prime, you'd think that "he's just getting laid because he's so good looking!" but his results weren't that much worse when he was 2/10 than when he was 8/10.
A masculine, confident man of a below average height is going to have way more success with women than an insecure, tall and decently handsome dude. But the question is - do you want women to be attracted to you because of your looks, or because of who you're as a man? Being short and ugly is "playing on hard mode" but it lets you develop social skills that a luckier man won't need, the skills that also translate to other social aspects of life and may help you with earning money as well.
