The couple met almost 13 years ago online and have been together since then. They have built a life for themselves with their daughter.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on July 18, 2020. It has since been updated.
People come in all sizes but that doesn't change how people love. Love is a pure emotion and it doesn't see through the artificial parameters made by people. And, yet there are people who judge others who "deviate" from the norm. It is unfortunate when that happens as the world would be a nicer and sweeter place without our prejudices.
For a married couple, Nanette and Richard Kilmer, it has been a joy to find each other but others don't always see it that way. Nanette, 37, who is from the Philippines, is 4ft 3in and her husband is 6ft 2in. Over the years, they have heard many taunts, including being called a "mail-order bride." Dealing with ignorant behavior together over the years has only made them stronger. The couple, married more than 10 years, lives in New York with their daughter, as per Metro UK.
One of the absurdest things they have ever heard from people could make anyone angry. People assume that Richard, an American, has a fetish over small women, says his wife. "He had dated tall women, average and short women (not as short as me). There are accusations that he is a pervert. He is the farthest from that, he is not sexually deviant. Relationships are more than sexual. It is founded on friendship, mutual trust, respect, and of course love. I have been accused that I am a gold digger and just wanting American citizenship. I am capable of earning money and I was never afraid to work to earn a living. We have been through highs and lows financially and we conquered all of that by being there for each other. I became a US citizen solely because I want to take part in voting to at least have a say in our daughter’s future," Nanette told Women Working.
The couple met online when Richard was a military contractor in Afghanistan and Nanette was in the Philippines. Until she met him, she didn't feel very confident dating as people had rejected her over her height previously. "Rich would tell you that when he first talked to me, he was blown away by my humor, and I wasn’t even being funny. When we met, he knew our connection was strong and our chemistry is obvious. We make each other laugh every day, even in the darkest of days," said Nanette.
The first time Richard saw her, he remembered thinking, "'Oh, wow, she is a lot smaller,' but that didn’t matter. We’d already fallen in love online," as per Metro UK. They went on to date for a few more years before getting married in 2009. Now, their bond is as strong as ever, if not more.
"Nothing fazes us. At the end of the day, we know who we are and that we have each other for keeps. They are strangers. They are not part of our union. We are lucky we have found each other. Some people wait a lifetime to find the kind of love we have," Nanette told Women Working.
For Nanette, there was never a doubt in her mind about Richard. "Right from the start, he has been the most genuine person I have been with and I could tell in my soul that he is the ONE," she said. The mom now enjoys "seeing her daughter grow and learn everything about the world around her. I enjoy seeing the world through her eyes."
She believes that they have grown as a couple since they welcomed their daughter. "I think we have grown exponentially since then. All our goals now are focused on our child," she added. She 37-year-old says that her daughter has been "curious" about her height and asked, "Why mommy is tiny Rich has explained that it doesn’t change the fact that I am her mommy and all moms come in different sizes."
Another thing that brought a positive change in her life was living in the US. "Living here made me less conscious about myself and more about letting myself shine, not because I’m oddly small but because I am me. But maybe this was also partly because I am older and I couldn’t care less about other people’s assumptions of me or us," Nanette told Women Working.
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