It’s a Tall Thing…

As a writer, I don’t often share that much about my height. In fact, I would remain in total height anonymity, other than the fact that I’ve dubbed myself “Curious Tall Girl” on my blog. This platform may be the only place where I am judged solely on my story telling and not my physical appearance.

I honestly don’t think about my height all that much. I don’t wake up in the morning thinking, “I’m 6-foot-4… I wonder what I should do with my super long limbs today!” And while my height is a shocking revelation for others, it doesn’t really phase me. After all, I’ve been close to this height since I was thirteen years old, so I’ve had the past twenty or so years to get used to it.

I clearly remember the first day of my freshman year basketball practice… yes, I played basketball… I know, such a stereotypical tall person thing to do.

Our coaches were handing out our jerseys, filling out our stats, and calling us up one-by-one to get our measurements. This was the first time that I can remember getting a panicked, sinking feeling in my stomach strictly due to the uneasiness I felt about my height. I knew that there was no hiding it now… after years of speculating, everyone would finally know exactly how tall I was, including me. Yes, I was also (purposefully) in the dark about my exact stature. I had successfully avoided all measurement devices since my last painful growth spurt a few months earlier.

The coaches called us up by the team roster in order of our basketball positions: point guard, shooting guard, forward, and then the tall person’s position, center. I was the last called… the grand finale. As I sheepishly made my way to the front of the gym, I could feel my legs getting heavier and my face getting warmer. I quickly removed my shoes and flattened myself against the wall, ready for the inevitable reckoning to take place. As my coach, who stood about six-foot-five was taking my measurements, I remember thinking, “I’m not that tall! I’m way smaller than him!” And I was smaller than him, by at least a hundred pounds… but alas, only two inches.

“Six-foot-three!” he thundered like a triumphant warrior signifying the start of battle. My eyes widened like saucers, but not because of my coach’s booming PSA. My ears had suddenly filled with the unexpected sound of my teammates’ cheering and clapping.

I couldn’t believe it. I was a damn celebrity!

Looking back this scenario could have been a major source of embarrassment for me, but instead I took it as a grand gesture of camaraderie from my team. I was fortunate, this outpouring of support came at a critical juncture in my youth. My height had been validated instead of condemned. I’m sure that others have had a much rockier road to acceptance.

I think it was in those moments, and in the encouragement of my friends and family, that made me realize that being tall is amazing. After all, growing up is often brutal! We all have our own personal hangups, and it seems that our biggest ones are about things that we can’t change, namely our physical appearance. I’ve learned to embrace my height, and have had an abundance of positive feedback as a result.

Nowadays I have very few sources of contention about my height, and I don’t let the little things get under my skin. However, when I recently read an article about the trials and tribulations of being a tall woman, it really irked me!

This type of article does NOT help the “plight” of being a woman of advanced height, instead it tends to encourage social stigmas. Very tall women (above six feet) are extremely rare. Back in high school, I remember one of my friends running up to me after his statistics class, and was positively elated to tell me that women over six feet tall made up a mere .01% of the world’s population.

I felt like responding, “So what you’re saying is that I’m a freakin’ unicorn! Thanks dude! Good to know!”

Most of the tall women that we see in society today are either pro athletes or models. They are like mythical creatures, having some semblance to that of a siren, or at the very least a really attractive giraffe. Women who are over six feet tall are hardly ever spotted out in the wild. It’s true! I’ve only come across a few dozen in my lifetime, and every time I get super excited. Tall women are mesmerizing and slightly intimidating to me… I kind of get why people stare at us. However, I get over the intimidation factor quickly by offering up a tall girl hug or high-five, and then striking up a conversation, inevitably about where to find clothes. Although no one seems to know better than the statuesque goddess, Alicia Jay of Tall Swag.

Needless to say, it sparked my interest when I stumbled upon an article in New York Magazine written by a women who’s 6'2". I read the article hoping to hear about the benefits of being tall, only to be ultimately let down by her self-deprecating diatribe about the (very few) annoyances of being a tall woman. She even went as far as to point out some of the disadvantages of being tall to a young person who was complimenting her height!

The article ended up bothering me so much that it caused me to write a response. Here it is:

“Wow, thanks for such a “relatable” story about being a tall woman!

This article simply points out the pitfalls of growing up as an awkward (vertically enhanced) teenager, and the unfortunate run-ins with strangers that greet you with the conversation stopper, “You’re tall!”

I’d love to actually read an article about the ADVANTAGES of being a tall woman, because while it may be nearly impossible to travel without your legs being folded up into a pretzel, there are several amazing perks to being tall as well!

Tall people statistically earn more money and report higher levels of happiness compared to their shorter counterparts. We also get a lot of attention from being tall (wanted or not). My favorite perks include: compliments, drinks, dates, giraffe hugs, modeling in fashion shows (okay, this only happened twice), tall guys, being able to see over people’s heads at concerts, advantages in certain sports, and rocking most of the latest fashion trends… hello maxi dresses! I realize that you don’t know what some of these things are, but that’s because you’ve been projecting your insecurities on tall adolescents instead of exploring the awesome potential of your height!

So, to the author of this article… I invite you to gain some confidence, learn to love your long legs, and then call a slightly taller sister up so I can teach you to see yourself as the enchanting unicorn that you are!”