Dr. Kat Smith is known as "America's Intimacy Expert" and happens to be 6'2"

Inspiration in Tall doses

I'm Tall You're Not – So That Makes us Even is a short book about Tall women (TomKat Production, LLC). Ever wonder what it would be like to live an episode of your life over several times a day? Well, for Tall women (aka Amazonian Goddesses) we are in a perpetual Groundhog Day movie-like drama that unfolds with us answering the questions like; "How tall are you?" or "Do you play basketball?" about half a dozen times a day.

This book deals with the humor of being a statuesque female in today's society, while enlightening these grand beauties on just how envied they are. Smith delves into the science of being tall (ScienTALLogy), growing up tall, and the art of dating women who are looked up to.

"I've laced the content of the book with several lists of successful tall women in various industries, because I feel that inspiration moves deep within the souls of tall women," says Smith, who is 6'2" in her bare feet. "It's important to note that we each have something uniquely designed by God. This is what makes us even. I may have height, but we are all gifted in one way or another. We should embrace these differences and not take ourselves so seriously. I'm Tall, You're Not emphasizes this for tall girls and women."

Though many see being a Tall woman as disadvantaged, Smith uses humor to show that Tall women have varied interests and many great skills other than basketball or reaching things on top shelves. "For instance, she adds, if the lock on the bathroom stall is broken, we can still pee and hold the door shut at the same time."

About Kat

Katherine Smith, former broadcaster, model and actor has a background in sales, marketing and running a small business, as well as presentation skills, which helped her through some demanding times in her career.

Smith is the author of The Naked Author – Exposing the Myths of Publishing and recently developed a line of products that inspire the statuesque female; Amazonian Goddess T-shirts, rings and pendants are worn to show pride and the bond of the tall tribe.

She says: ""I try to inspire others by my actions. I give all thanks to my beloved Grandmother who never allowed me to slump my shoulders or lower my eyes. My focus is to pass on confidence to tall teens and adult women. Be the Goddess you are."

About the book

Retail Price: $14.95 - available here

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Never say never because while we may have Life planned out, Life might have things differently planned for us. That is my athletic story.

I was born in Toronto, Ontario but grew up in the country, in the small village of Cookstown whose population is smaller than most high schools (population 800 people). As a child I only wished one day I could compete in the Olympic Games, but nothing in my youth of swinging from the monkey bars or participating in extracurricular sports in school would have ever told me that this wish would come to fruition.

However, on one fateful day Life would share its plans for me. While working at McDonald's restaurant at the age of 17 years old, a coach (Dave Hunt) from the University of Toronto saw my "never ending long legs" and wondered if I'd like to learn how to high jump. He introduced me to Carl Georgevski, who in turn introduced me to the High Jump. And the rest they say is history! I earned a full athletic scholarship to the University of Michigan and would be coached for the majority of my athletic career (even years after I graduated) by James Henry, the head coach of the Women's Track & Field program. That "fateful day" would prove to change the course of my life forever.

I am an Olympian and an 8-time Canadian Track & Field Champion in the High Jump. I have represented Canada on 20 national teams. I am the reigning Commonwealth Games gold medalist, as well as a Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, Pan American Games silver and bronze medalist, Francophone Games silver and bronze medalist, and a World University Games silver medalist. And if you had told me when I was a kid that I would become the athlete I am today, I wouldn't have believed it! Never say never.

On an aside, I'm also a nerd. I am an avid reader and have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Ironically, the more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know. I hold a doctoral degree in the area of sport psychology from Michigan State University, specializing in high performance For more than 15 years, I have committed myself to the understanding and implementation of high performance sport as an athlete, as well as a scholar and a professional. It's no surprise that my research area of interest is looks at how elite athletes are able to make the leap – from Good to Great.

My passion off the track is simply to improve the culture of sport in Canada, where the power of sport beyond the podium is embodied and well understood by all Canadians.

Thank you for stopping in to learn a little about me. But, most importantly thank you for your support. None of us can achieve all that we do in life without the emotional and caring support of those around us!

Dr. Forrester

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Roxane Gay’s writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others.

She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestselling Hunger.

She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. She has several books forthcoming and is also at work on television and film projects.

Visit her website

Ekaterina Lisina (born October 15, 1987), is a former Russian basketball player who competed for the Russian National Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal.

Ekaterina is now considered to be the tallest model in the world.

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Employee suspended by National Museum obsessed with tall women with long legs, court told

Dr Andrew Halpin has sued his employer over his formal suspension from his position as Assistant Keeper of Irish Antiquities.

AN EMPLOYEE OF the National Museum of Ireland who is challenging his suspension had "an obsession with tall women with long legs", the High Court has heard.

Dr Andrew Halpin has sued his employer over his formal suspension from his position as Assistant Keeper of Irish Antiquities following media reports in February 2017.

Dr Halpin, who claims his suspension is unwarranted and unlawful, was the subject of complaints of sexual harassment from female colleagues at the museum in 2016 and 2006.

He was informed he was being suspended to protect individuals at risk based on an alleged fear that due to the stress of adverse publicity there might be a repeat of conduct previously complained of.

Dr Halpin says any claim that others are at risk are false and in proceedings against the museum seeks various declarations from the High Court which if granted will allow him to return to work.

The claims are denied.

The High Court today heard Dr Halpin was sanctioned following an investigation into an allegation of by a female colleague in 2006. He did not dispute the complaint and was sanctioned by the museum.

Another complaint of sexual harassment was made in 2016, which Dr Halpin, with an address at Yellowmeadows Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin disputed.

A report into that allegation concluded there was no conclusive evidence to support the claim of sexual harassment.

Models

However as part of that investigation 700 pictures of "scantily clad" tall female fashion models were downloaded onto work computers by Dr Halpin were found.

The images were not pornographic, explicit or unlawful, however some of them had been altered by Dr Halpin to make the women look taller.

Oisin Quinn SC for the museum said it appeared that Dr Halpin had "an obsession with tall women with long legs". Dr Halpin cited stress as a reason for downloading this material.

Following the 2016 matter he was told by the museum not to have any physical contact with colleagues bar a handshake, not to work alone with female colleagues, and his internet access was limited. He also underwent counselling.

The case came before the High Court by way of a pre-trial application for the discovery of certain material.

Oisin Quinn SC for the museum said that it appeared that Dr Halpin had “an obsession with” and had downloaded the material “to indulge his fantasies” about tall women with long legs.

The museum seeks an order requiring Dr Halpin to give them certain medical records, including ones concerning his mental health, in advance of the trial.

Mr Quinn said the records are both "relevant and necessary" for its defence to the action.

Absurd

Counsel said as Dr Halpin seeks declarations that the museum is not entitled to require Dr Halpin to undergo either a psychiatric or neuropsychological assessment it would be “absurd” that he did not provide the medical information sought by the defendant.

Frank Callanan SC for Dr Halpin rejected the arguments advanced on behalf of the museum and said the records sought were not relevant.

Counsel said the application was "fishing" by the museum.

It was an attempt find something it didn’t know about at time it suspended Dr Halpin to see if that decision was right.

Counsel said his suspension was done to satisfy the media and create a distraction from other management issues concerning the museum.

There was no medical or lawful justification for his client to undergo medical assessments sought by the defendant, counsel said, adding the application was “punishment for suing the museum”, and "a PR stunt."

Dr Halpin was suspended after the previous matters had been dealt with, counsel said adding that his client had been caused intense upset and had been degraded and humiliated.

In reply Mr Quinn rejected claims made on Dr Halpin’s behalf.

Following the conclusion of submission from both sides Ms Justice Dierdre Murphy reserved judgment on the application. The Judge said she wanted time to consider the issues raised and would try to give her decision "as soon as possible."

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The family of Thailand's tallest girl, who died at age 24 last week, will donate her body to Siriraj Hospital, with hopes that it will benefit medical students.

Malee Duangdee, who was last measured at 212 centimeters, died on Saturday from a heart attack related to other chronic diseases. Malee was once recognized in the Guinness World Records in 2009 as the tallest woman in the world when she was 17 years old and measured 207 centimeters.

Thai Red Cross Society transported her body to Siriraj Hospital last night as her family hopes medical students can further their knowledge by studying her body. In Thai culture, a dead person used in medical study is respected and referred to as a "principal" among the students.

Over 3,000 people attended Malee’s funeral in Chang Kluea Temple in her hometown of Trat province, Nation TV reported.

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This is a much viewed section of tallwomen.org. Does it help to be a tall woman if you want to become famous? Well, judging from the list below it certainly won't do you any harm. 

As I keep saying: "The sky's the limit. Virtually!". For more on "celebrity heights" visit www.celebheights.com

Note: I have only listed women who have their own website or those I know "personally" and who have given me the permission to use their content, info and photographs.

By Kamilah Aisha Moon | Feb 26, 2016
Special to espnW.com

In honor of Black History Month, espnW is running a weekly personal essay about the influence of black female athletes.

I've always admired tall, strong, Amazonian women -- well before I reached 5'11" myself. Statuesque women exude a combination of confidence, power and femininity that can't be beat.

More from espnW.com

Reflecting on Olympic medalist Gabby DouglasA writer explores her connection to Flo-JoA writer reflects on ignoring black women athletes

As an Afro-puffed, chubby-cheeked girl, I sported my Wonder Woman raincoat, lunch box and backpack everywhere. My jump rope was my golden truth lasso, and I even broke my arm three times jumping off the back porch of our East Nashville apartment in my Wonder Woman swimsuit, trying to emulate her physical feat of effortlessly leaping from buildings on the show.

At some point, the live-action comic superhero I adored became eclipsed by a real-life wonder of a woman who lived in my hometown: Wilma Glodean Rudolph. She was lithe and sinewy. Her life was a study in outrunning pain and difficulty into a hard won freedom. Wilma hurdled a bedridden childhood that included scarlet fever, polio and an early doctor's prognosis of never being able to walk.

I loved knowing that her family did everything in their power to help her, taking long bus trips back and forth from Nashville's Meharry Medical Hospital to Clarksville, Tennessee, and taking turns rubbing her twisted limbs multiple times a day until she shed those braces forever. She cherished the love she came from as the source of her strength.

Though her father was a porter and her mother was a maid, she knew how spiritually and emotionally wealthy she was to come from their devoted love, surrounded by 21 caring siblings. I come from a similar foundation of love, and like her, I never take my family's support for granted.

My parents attended Tennessee State University a few years after Wilma became track-and-field royalty. She was the most famous of the school's Tigerbelles track team led by Ed Temple, one of the most successful coaches in the university's history. A sociology professor, he had a special eye for recognizing and cultivating young black athletes. The Tigerbelles were regarded as goddesses on campus; their record of achievement in the track and field world remains unparalleled -- they were unstoppable. Coach Temple promoted unity and teamwork, instilling an incredible work ethic in the women he coached into Olympic champions.

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Elizabeth Debicki is an Australian actress that was born in France. When she was five her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she began to walk down the path that would eventually lead her to where she is at this point and time. This rather tall woman, she stands about 6'2", has been noted as an outstanding student and has gained awards aplenty since her time in high school and is now set on making a film, TV, and stage career worth mentioning. She’s already accomplished at least a third of that goal and is still hard at work to attain the fame that she desires. With any luck and the talent that she already possesses she will continue to shine in the productions that want her and those that she auditions for.

So far she’s done a great job of getting noticed.

5. She’s very much into escaping from her own life for a little while.

As a child she liked to imagine herself as one of the characters that she happened to enjoy at the time. Children pretending to be their favorite stars and heroes is nothing new but this allowed Elizabeth to become her own person and attain a level of comfort with herself and those around her that helped her to grow and develop into someone that could slip into a role quite easily.

4. She doesn’t like to sit still.

Once she’s done with a role she wants to know what comes next. With some people this could be an indication that they are restless, that they have a wandering spirit and can’t settle no matter how comfortable they might be. With Elizabeth it feels more as though she’s eager to see what else she can do and what other roles are out there that might be right for her.

3. She trained as a dancer before going into theater.

She was about five when she started to learn ballet. The performing arts have been her field since then, though she moved into drama after a while and started gaining high marks for her performances and the ability to slip into her roles so easily. Even at a younger age it seemed that she was destined to go further, to possibly show the world what she could do.

2. She made her film debut in 2011.

She made her film debut in the movie titled A Few Best Men. She’s a relative newcomer to film despite having been around for a few years now. Chances are that at the rate she’s going now she could see a great deal of improvement in her roles and a greater involvement across the board if she plays her cards right. She is a skilled actress and should expect to see herself in bigger movies as time goes on.

1. She’s been nominated for several awards.

She’s been nominated for several but to date has only won one of note. She won Best Actress In a Supporting Role for her part in the Great Gatsby. The award was bestowed upon her by Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.

She’s here, and there’s no limit to how high she can go.

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This piece is from 2009 but still worth reading...

Kara Cooney is a striking, six-foot-tall Irish/Italian-American brunette with a quick wit and an odd fascination with things that would bore the pants off of many young women."I love anything old and dead," she says. "I have always loved anything old and dead... but Egypt just had this special quality. I've been doing this since 1994, when I started graduate school, and I have not been disappointed yet.

"It's an incredibly powerful culture and an incredibly innovative culture. I'm still waiting to be disappointed. There are still moments where I go, 'Oh, my God.'

"I'm not bored."

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Geena Davis: ‘After Thelma & Louise, people said things would improve for women in film. They didn’t’

Having built a career playing strong women, the Hollywood star is taking on sexism in the film industry, with a gender equality project that will launch at this year’s London film festival

By Elizabeth Day

Geena Davis is tall, very tall. In her bare feet, she reaches 6ft. Today, she is wearing 5in wedge heels and towers over everyone in the near vicinity.

This is worth remarking upon not because Davis’s appearance is the most interesting thing about her – it isn’t, not by a long mark – but because it shows her willingness to occupy a space, to lay claim to it. There is an assertiveness to her physical presence. Most tall women feel the need to slouch or wear flats or somehow make themselves seem that little bit less intimidating. Davis clearly has no truck with this. As she walks across to meet me, shoulders back, smile in place, arm outstretched to shake my hand, her entire stance is one of easy confidence.

Davis has long made it her mission to ensure women occupy more space in a notoriously sexist business. The film industry has never been an equal opportunities employer. But we are meeting at a time when the plates seem to be shifting. Several actresses have recently spoken out about unequal treatment and an increasing number of films are being made with complicated, interesting female protagonists at the helm. Are we at a watershed moment?

“The women in the industry, I think, are remarkable,” Davis says cautiously. “A lot of people are becoming very comfortable about saying it’s not fair.”

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Here you find secondary sections like the "Tallest Known Living Women" section, the "Famous Tall Ladies" section and other items that may or may not be of interest to you. I know that we have a lot of male visitors I am not catering to specifically but that doesn't mean this website can't be an enjoyable experience for them as well. I guess you will agree.

In this section you will find original content... in contrast to the "Links" section which mainly consists of links to other website and publications.

A chance meeting in Beijing set Chen Yue’s life on a course that would see her become the first Chinese woman to play college basketball in the US

The 6ft 7in woman from China and the NBA executive who gave her a life stood in the lobby of a Salt Lake City hotel last Thursday night. For a moment neither knew what to do. So many things Chen Yue had to say to Richard Smith yet no words came out. What do you tell the man who handed you a dream and never realized what he had done?Chen Yue tried. She wanted Smith to know he’s the reason she’s here. She wanted to say that when he chose her from a group of 80 boys for a basketball team in Beijing seven years ago it was the instant she thought she could be special, that she believed. And that this belief ignited a hope that brought her to the University of California where she is the first woman from her country to play college basketball in the US.

But Chen Yue’s English wasn’t strong enough for her to say these things. She couldn’t express the thoughts that swirled around her head in a mash of Mandarin and English. Instead she walked up to Smith, the director of basketball operations for the Utah Jazz and swallowed him in a hug.

And all she said was this:

"I'm so glad to see you again."

An NBA producer would eventually tell Smith the story of he and Chen is like the movie The Blind Side. Only in this instance Smith was not a parent taking in a football player but a basketball scout picking a team of children in Beijing and moved to choose a then-6ft 1in girl because she worked hard and he wanted to give her confidence.

“She hustled, I thought she should be rewarded for that,” Smith later said.

He never imagined the compulsive act of selecting a girl over a boy would inspire her to push until she found a way to do something no Chinese woman had done before. He never thought a random selection at a youth basketball camp would someday bring Chen Yue close to tears when she said: “Richard Smith starts my dream.”

He was just a guy from an NBA team halfway around the world trying to do what was right. Then he wound up changing a life.

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Joerg says: "They are not big, they are tall. Why is it so difficult to distinguish?"

Ladies are all bigger than Michael Jordan

16th September 2017 by Julian Cheatle

My Giant Life returns to TLC for Season 3 this weekend — following the day-to-day happenings of six extraordinarily tall women. But just how tall are the stars of the show, which is now in its third season? The answer is…they’re BIG!

The average height of a woman in the United States is around 5 feet 4 inches — while the women on My Giant Life range from 6 feet 6 inches to an incredible 6 feet 9 inches. Two of the stars, Katja and Lindsay are both 6ft 9in, making them nearly one-and-a-half feet taller than the average woman. They are also taller than Basketball players Michael Jordan (6ft 5in), Kobe Bryant (6ft 6in) and LeBron James (6ft 8in).

The new season of My Giant Life has lots in store, with baby fever, pregnancy drama and breakups.

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As some of you may know, I am a "Plus Size" model. My measurements are: Height 5'11" Bust 45" DD Waist 35" Hips 47" which puts me at a size 14. I put the words plus size in quotations because i think that it is utterly ridiculous that because i am a curvier girl, because I have bigger hips, a bigger butt, bigger boobs, bigger arms, (you get the point) that I somehow have to be segregated in a different section in a store and I am limited to places I can shop. To me, the term Plus Size is a form of segregation. Why is it that we can't all be called models? We do the same jobs, I stand in front of a camera as long as other models, I fly the same planes, to the same places, I get paid the same, and I get the same hair and makeup done. So why do I get a different title because I have a little extra meat on my bones? This is something I will never understand and I hope that as time goes on the fashion industry will continue to jump on board.

It's incredible to me that plus size makes up 67% of our population yet so many people still gawk at the fact that a bigger woman would ever dare be on the side of a Bus or in Times Square such as the most recent Lane Bryant Campaign. I would love nothing more than to go into a store with a friend who is a size 4 and be able to get just as excited about going because i know that on the clothing rack I will find something for me as well, instead of making the walk upstairs to the corner by the bathrooms where they sell 7 pieces of "Plus Size" clothing that are all similar to that of a potato sack and are from 2012's Holiday collection. It makes me so excited to see some top designers getting on board this Curvy Girl train. I'm so grateful to have worked with so many of the incredible brands that I have who ARE on board but there aren't nearly enough in my opinion, and I'm pretty sure I speak for every other curvy girl out there.

I am praying for a curvy girl revolution, ladies! I want my children to live in a world where curvy girls being on a poster or billboard isn't "News." I don't want to have to explain myself when people ask what i do and I say "I model" followed by a sideways face and an up down at my body, "Well, I'm a plus size model..."

It certainly doesn't make me any less of a model than anyone else thats for damn sure!

Visit her website

Ireland Baldwin shows off long lean legs in tiny blue dress that just covers her 'lady parts'

By Dailymail.com Reporter - Published: 09:10 GMT, 10 December 2018 | Updated: 09:24 GMT, 10 December 2018

She stands at six feet two inches.

So Ireland Baldwin doesn't have it easy when she tries to put on just any dress she finds at a store.

The 23-year-old model showed the challenges she is faced with as a tall woman, when she shared a photo of herself in a tiny blue dress to her Instagram on Sunday.

In the photo, Ireland stands in a mirror giving a sarcastic thumbs up while wearing the in question garment.

The dress featured a high slit and highlighted her legs and had a low neckline that showed off her ample cleavage, but was not to the model's liking.

'When you're over 6'0 and every tight dress is really just a long sleeve shirt that covers your lady parts,' wrote Alec Baldwin's daughter.

Ireland was alone in the photo, but she has been dating Corey Harper for the last three months.

The couple were spotted kissing at his concert in Venice, California back in October, and have seemed almost inseparable since.

Rumors around the couple first started back in August when they were photographed together.

Ireland, who is the daughter of actors Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, dated surfer Noah Schweizer last year.

Before that, she had dated rapper Angel Haze from 2014 to 2015.

Corey, 23, is an up and coming singer/songwriter whose music has been compared to John Mayer.

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It's time that the fashion industry meaningfully included tall women in the conversation

By Irene Agbontaen - Sep 30, 2020

For as long as I can remember, I've always stood out for being tall. The tall gene comes from my mother's side of the family. She's not tall herself, but her brothers are. I've always been taller than your average..

Growing up, my height made me feel self-conscious. I was always asked to stand at the back for any school photos because I was tall. There was and is a sense of always being asked to stand in the background and that affects your sense of self-worth. Tall women hunch, lean and diminish themselves so they can be at the same eye level as others. We dim our light to just feel included. Tall women are not told they're beautiful; they're told to go to the back and blend in.

One of the first times that I realised that my height excluded from me from things was when I was at secondary school. My mother and I would go on desperate shopping trips searching for plain black trousers for me to wear to school. Nothing ever fitted; they were all ankle swingers or unfashionable – there was nothing for a young, on-trend teenager. In the end, I just stuck to the old school skirt. I couldn't shop at the same places as my friends. I'd stand outside the changing rooms when my friends were trying on all these great clothes knowing that they would all look bad on me. I felt ignored and as if there was no space for me.

The advantages to all that was that it made me look deeper for my style. The singer Aaliyah was a big inspiration to me growing up – she dressed like a man but with feminine accents. I could do that as I could wear men's clothes. Being tall helped me to find my own lane.

Everyone deserves to be represented and for so long, tall women have just been given the scraps. I'm five foot 11, so I'm at the start of the tall spectrum, but I have struggled to find the most basic wardrobe essentials. My brand, TTYA, was born out of not being able to find those key pieces. I just wanted not to have to wear men's clothes all the time. When I first started TTYA, I created classics that were cut perfectly for tall women.

Representation is important, but society remains intolerant of women whose height goes above five foot seven. The only tall women we see in the media are Serena Williams and Gwendoline Christie. When I first launched my brand, Gwendoline emailed me to say thank you for including women of our height in the fashion narrative. When tall women are represented in the media, it's through the prism of masculinity. If you look at Gwendoline's character in Game of Thrones, she plays a manly giant – being tall is always associated with those things. Serena Williams has always been an advocate for her own femininity; she doesn't want to be described in masculine terms just because of her height. Honestly, if I had a pound for everyone who asked me if I play basketball, I'd be a rich woman. You're either an athlete or a supermodel, there's no middle ground.

In fashion, terms such as diversity and inclusivity are now being used as marketing buzzwords. When brands talk about clothing inclusivity, they tend to mean solely plus-size. A brand isn't inclusive just because it does a limited curve line. What about everyone else that doesn't fit into that bracket? I'm not saying that every brand should have fingers in all pies, but if we're going to use the word inclusivity we must do so correctly.

A lot of big labels want to be able to widen their bracket and to appeal to all women, but they go about it in a half-baked way. There's never much research – they just make things longer. It makes me think, 'are there any tall people behind the scenes designing this or consulting on it?' I'm a tall woman designing clothes for tall women. I understand our frustrations, what's missing in the market and what needs to be done to serve us better. I want to make sure we have a voice and a space in the fashion world.

Inclusion and diversity needs to mean something. If you're going to claim that your brand embodies those things, then that needs to start from the inside out – in your ethos, your staff and your values. It shouldn't be just a shallow front of house statement. Don't just use a tall woman in your campaign but not fully cater to them in your collection. You can't just add three inches onto a piece of clothing and think that's enough - you need to think about the construction of that garment and how it will fit a tall frame. For example, if I have a longer torso, then my waist will be at a different height. Loads of brands don't want to do the research required when designing for tall women. Instead they take the shortcuts.

Since launching TTYA, I've started thinking about my height differently. Suddenly I was very aware that there were so many women that felt the same way as me. I'd receive so much feedback from customers who felt finally heard – one girl's mother emailed to tell me that I'd made her daughter's prom because she'd managed to find a dress that fitted her. Knowing that I'd helped others made me feel understood too.

Any tall woman who walks into a room seizes the attention of everyone in it and I've learnt to think of that as an asset. I used to think about how I would best fit in, now I think, 'how can I use this to my advantage?' Tall women command a space. To all my tall female friends, if you want to wear six-inch heels, wear them. Don't let anyone else's insecurities change who you are or diminish you.

STYLE TIPS FOR TALL WOMEN:

Know your body ratio

Some people have a longer torso and shorter legs, or vice versa. Dress for your body shape; it'll make everything easier.

Don't go overboard when it comes to oversized

Only go up one or two sizes to achieve that effortless oversized look without it looking shapeless or overly baggy.

Find your wardrobe essentials

Once you have those in place, then you can layer clothes not necessarily for tall women on top.

As told to Ella Alexander.

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It's the time of year when Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit issue launches - to the chagrin of gender-equity advocates everywhere. But this year, the magazine is adding curves.

Despite the issue's name, we all know the content has nothing to do with the swimsuits, and everything to do with idealized female bodies. Gracing the cover this year is a model wearing an extremely low - many say "shockingly low" - swimsuit bottom.

And we've been hearing the buzz about the magazine's biggest-selling annual issue for days. Advertisers, journalists, writers and consumers play into its message: It's not the same old Swimsuit issue! This year, in fact, is different.

The notion of wearing a swimsuit while being larger than size 2 just got a few steps closer for a lot of women. In this edition, the size-12 model Robyn Lawley makes an appearance in the editorial portion, and Sports Illustrated accepted an ad showing a size-16 model, Ashley Graham, in a swimsuit.

The image of Lawley may show SI's growing approval for larger bodies. But as a 6-foot-tall size 12 (that's size 14 in the United Kingdom and size 16 in Australia), and with a bust of 36 inches, waist of 29 inches and hips at 39.5 inches, Lawley is much taller and thinner than most size-12 women in the non-modeling world.

Separately, the ad is for "Swimsuits for All," a company that sells swimwear for women larger than size 8. The ad is not creative: It uses the same old visual devices and adds body fat. The result is a Rubenesque, swimsuited model posing by a pool while a fully dressed, thin man looks at her approvingly.

Any kind of break from the reed-thin woman in a skimpy swimsuit is a big change. Women put themselves through torturous experiences when swimsuit season rolls around: dieting to "fit" into a bikini because they believe they must look a certain way in order to look good in a swimsuit. And hating themselves when they don't.

So these two images may just tell women what they need to hear: You do not have to be a size 2 to wear a swimsuit and enjoy yourself.

On the other hand, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue is really just old-hat sexism. Objectification of women should never be acceptable. How can we expect men, especially young men, to view women as equals when they're bombarded with images of women as something to be ogled? SI's Swimsuit issue, along with many other media images of the "ideal female body," imprints on a young man and gives him a distorted lens through which to view women: as bodies, not as people.

In an ideal world that's fair and equitable to women, this nonsense would stop. Until then, women larger than size 2 can start to see bodies like theirs in the swimsuit issue, and walk out onto the beach or pool deck with confidence.

Jennifer Berger, the executive director of the San Francisco nonprofit organization About-Face, is an expert in how media shapes our sense of self.

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Jeanne Robertson is a professional speaker who specializes in hilarious humor based on her life experiences. Speaking  to thousands of people annually, she utilizes her positively funny style to illustrate that a sense of humor is much more than a laughing matter. It is a strategy for success.

Other speakers might be as witty as Jeanne. Some might even be as tall. (Barefooted with her hair "mashed" down, she's 6'2" in her size 11B stocking feet.) But nowhere will you find a speaker so adept at turning personal experiences into funny material that does more than elicit laughter. This Miss Congeniality winner in the Miss America Pageant, “Yearrrrrrrrrrrs ago,” quoting Jeanne, uses her down-home Southern drawl to leave her audiences laughing... and thinking about her message.

Jeanne's success as a humorist has not gone unnoticed by her peers. She has been awarded every top honor in her profession including the top award in professional speaking "The Cavett Award."  She is also a member of the Speakers Hall of Fame and recipient of Toastmasters International's Golden Gavel award.. They like her back home too. The NC Press Association named Jeanne its 2001 North Carolinian of the Year. Most recently, he National Speakers Association honored Jeanne with its 2012 Master of Influence Award.

You may have seen this Hall of Fame speaker being interviewed by CBS correspondent Morley Safer on "60 Minutes"... or watched one of the seven humor DVDs she has produced in the last 14years... or heard her daily on Sirius/XM Radio’s Family Comedy Channels... or attended one of the "Just Jeanne" humor shows in theaters across the country... or seen her YouTube clips that have had more than 18million hits.  But only if you've seen Jeanne in person at one of the thousands of speeches or theater shows she has given over the past 49 years can you really appreciate why she stands at the top of her profession.

Jeanne Robertson is funny. Oh my, yes. She also knows that her job is far more than being funny. Her message is that a sense of humor is an attitude, an approach toward working with people. She believes that this humor attitude can be developed and improved, and she outlines how to do so while captivating audiences with funny, original stories.

Sit back and enjoy the YouTube clips below. Or, to see more, click YouTube.  You'll see why one syndicated TV segment about Jeanne's work was titled "Grandma Goes Viral."  She certainly has!  And people everywhere are laughing and having fun!

Visit her website

She's tall. She's funny. And she's going to be advising people to, among other things, watch out for teenage hussies, never go bungee jumping naked, never go to Las Vegas without a Baptist and, above all, never send a man to the grocery store. She's Jeanne Robertson, a humorist and inspirational speaker who will appear Sunday at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk. I knew her, in fact, before she was either Jeanne Robertson or Miss North Carolina (1963), but I never knew her when she was short.

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