And Now a Word From the Tall Girls...

A few days ago I posted a blog all about the joys of being short. I asked my friend to write a follow up to present the other side of the height spectrum since we often commiserate with one another when discussing our vertical challenges. Oh, and because I <3 her pretty face. So without further ado, here is her amazingly well written response.

Tall People Problems

After reading my good friend’s “Short People Problems” blog post, and seeing some of her 5’3” perspective, I will admit I have a new understanding of her frustrations of being short.  But, I think it’s only fair that I share the frustrations from the tall end of the spectrum.  

All my life I’ve been “above average” height for a girl.  I grew until I was in my early twenties, and finally stopped once I reached 5’10”... a tall 5’10” but I can’t quite claim 5’11”.  

When I was younger I was constantly being asked if I played basketball.  No? Oh, then volleyball. No??  Well, at least you swim backstroke… No? But you’re so tall!  …Yeah, that doesn’t automatically mean I’m good at certain sports.  Why does being tall have so many preconceived notions surrounding it?

Sometimes it feels strange because I can see over most of my girlfriends’ heads. It’s something I’m used to, but every now and then when spending time with my girls, I’ll have this realization that I’m towering over them and it trips me out!  Can we just sit down somewhere?

Lucky for me, my boyfriend is 6’3” (and devastatingly handsome), and I never feel awkward about my height around him.  But, I know plenty of other women who have felt self-conscious because their partner is shorter. The truth is, we live in a society where it’s strange for a woman to be with a man who is shorter than she is.  But when a woman is shorter than her partner, she’s seen as more feminine; it’s normal and more acceptable.  My cousin once dated a guy who was several inches shorter and after they broke up someone told her to “please never date a short guy again, it was weird.”  What??  Tell her not to date someone who treats her poorly, height shouldn’t dictate whether or not you feel comfortable holding hands in public.  Props to Rhea Pearlman and Danny DeVito for not letting height deter their relationship!

Really, the biggest problem with being tall is finding clothes.  Thank the good lord for skinny jeans because in them I can get away with a 34” inseam, but even those are hard to find.  Oh, and that adorable jacket in the store window?  Nope, the sleeves land roughly two inches above my wrist. Just about everything long sleeved in my closet ends up getting pushed or rolled up, so it’s all ¾ sleeves, and you’d be surprised how many skirts should be marked as ‘mini’.  Short people have to hem their pants, but at least you can hem!  There’s only so much fabric and then it’s over!  We tall people have nothing to work with!

Yes, there are frustrations that come with being tall and when I was younger, I hated it.  But to be completely honest… aside from still getting mad when the clothes at the mall aren’t made for my long limbs... I’m actually pretty happy with my height.  It’s something I can’t change, so I’ve come to embrace it.  I hope all tall and short people can learn to feel comfortable in their own skin, we are how we are, so find a way to love it… and to the average height people: shut up, nobody asked you. just kidding!  But if anyone needs something off the top shelf, I’ll just be at the nearest basketball court doing slam dunks...