How it Feels Being Tall

How it Feels Being Tall

I'm somewhere right between 5'11" and 6'0. And I'm a girl. This is great if you're an athlete, a model, or if you need something off the top shelf, and please don't misunderstand, I love my height, but it does have its downsides:

First, I'm not an athlete or a model. I can't play off questions about my height with, "yeah, I parlayed my height into a career, it's earned me a million dollar paycheck!" Not that my height has been BAD to me, but still...it hasn't earned me any money, so I'm not sure it warrants all the "WOW, you're tall" comments.

Next, there's nothing more uncomfortable than walking into a room full of men, especially in a professional setting where many of them are your superiors, and towering over them--all of them. I am a very confident person. I love who I am and what I've accomplished, and again, I love my height--I even wear heels...BUT, for whatever reason, when I walk into this situation, I feel myself stooping to prevent myself from standing out. It's just awkward.

There's no good response to "what sport do you play?" or even more simply, "so...what sport?" when you haven't played competitively since high school. It feels almost like you're disappointing the person by saying, "I played basketball in high school." Their face falls, their response being, "oh, so you didn't play in college?" Ummm, no, that's what I just said. I can only imagine what it feels like for the women who didn't play sports at all.

Pants are SO hard to find. I am permanently scarred from the one time I overheard someone asking another girl in middle school, "Why does she always wear high-waters? Come on, get some pants that fit!" There are the rare stores or boutiques that carry 36" and 38" inseams on their pants (a shout out to the Buckle and Victoria's Secret, to name a few!), but those stores are few and far between. I don't know how many times I've ripped out the seam at the bottom of my pants or jeans to try to gain a little more length. God bless the capri pants, I probably have 8 pairs!

The same thing goes for long-sleeve shirt length. 'Nuff said.

You get teased as a kid. I was not a large kid, but due to my height, my BEST FRIENDS took to calling me "elephant" in elementary school. Then, when the movie 'The Lion King' came out and we were all calling each other the names from the movie, I got dubbed "Pumba." Come on, the large, smelly warthog? I couldn't have been given "Nala?" I guess it's because a lot of times tall is equated with big...not always the most flattering connotation.

There are great things, too. When you're young, height is equated with age. I don't know how many Rated-R movies I snuck into as a young teen because no one ever thought to card me.

If there's something on a high shelf, you can always reach it.

You stand out, so in a room full of people vying for the same position, your height is going to make you stand out and be remembered.

No one can legitimately ask to borrow your clothes, cause if they fit right, no one else will be able to fit them.

Finally, you can gain some weight without it being very obvious--you have a taller frame to carry it on.

If anyone else has more to add, I'd love to hear it. For all you tall women out there--you're great! Work your height to your advantage! For everyone else, try to refrain from the "wow, you're tall" comments. Trust me, we know.

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