Winnipeg's Chantal Van Landeghem has picked up two swimming golds at the Pan Am Games in Toronto

CBC News Posted: Jul 15, 2015 11:42 AM CT Last Updated: Jul 15, 2015 8:02 PM CT

Manitoba's Chantal Van Landeghem, 21, stole the show on the opening night of swimming competition, finishing with two gold medals and two Pan Am records.

Her parents, Wayne and Dinah Van Landeghem, watched all of the excitement unfold from their home in Winnipeg Tuesday night.

Wayne spoke with Chantal right after she hopped out of the pool following the women's 100-metre freestyle race.

"[She's] really excited. And she could not get over the crowd. She said this is the first time where she actually could feel the crowd and hear the crowd. She said 100 per cent of the last 20 metres, the crowd like pulled her," Wayne said Wednesday.

He believes the double gold will give his daughter the confidence she needs to achieve her next goal, making Canada's Olympic team.

Three years ago, while trying to qualify for the London Olympics, Van Landeghem finished 0.01 second off of the qualifying time.

Canada's crown jewel

Chantal's former coach of six years, Tom Hainey, says Chantal is Canada's crown jewel in the 100-metre freestyle event. So the wins didn't surprise the coach at all.

Tuesday, Chantal beat out 12-time Olympic medallist Natalie Coughlin from the U.S. Chantal has the physical advantage over many of her competitors, measuring six feet three inches tall.

"I was so happy for her. When you coach an athlete and you go through what we went through together, the highs and lows – the low being missing the Olympic team by a hundredth of a second – and for her to do that in front of a home town crowd. That's where she trains, that's her home pool now. It's awesome," Hainey said.

"Her progress has been outstanding. And once we saw how she reacted to missing the team, I knew it was just a matter of time. She is a very big girl. Tall. And it takes long time for tall women to gain strength, no matter what you do."

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Maria Taylor, 6'2"

Maria Taylor is in her seventh season as a host analyst & reporter. Taylor is a co-host on ESPN's College Gameday, sideline reporter for ABC's Saturday Night Football, and a recurring co-host of ESPN’s “Get Up!”.  In 2016, Taylor joined analysts Tim Tebow, Marcus Spears and Paul Finebaum as host of the SEC Network’s traveling pregame show SEC Nation. Taylor was also tabbed to host ESPN's NCAA Women's Basketball tournament selection show and coverage of the Final Four as well as report on Saturday Night Prime Men's Basketball. In addition to her hosting and reporting duties, she is an analyst on other SEC and ESPN telecasts of NCAA Volleyball. Prior to 2016, Maria served as a college football reporter on SEC Network Saturday Primetime broadcasts and anchored the network's nightly news and information show SEC Now.

In 2013, she was the sideline reporter on ESPN2’s Saturday night Primetime college football games. Taylor covered 2 consecutive BCS Orange Bowls. Additionally, she has been an analyst on NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Preview Show and also ESPN’s coverage of both the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and Women’s Volleyball National Championship.

Prior to 2012, Taylor was a reporter and host for IMG College at the University of Georgia for three years. She also appeared on various Comcast Sports South studio shows including the Dawg Report, SEC Men’s Basketball Tonight, and SportsNite.

Taylor attended the University of Georgia where she played volleyball and basketball for the Bulldogs. She was named to the All-SEC volleyball team three times and was also a member of the USA A2 National Volleyball team. She graduated from Georgia in 2009 with a degree in broadcast news. She returned to the University of Georgia to pursue her Masters of Business Administration which she completed in May 2013. Maria is a native of Alpharetta, Georgia.

IN THE COMMUNITY

In 2015, Maria Co-Founded a non-profit organization called The Winning Edge Leadership Academy. The mission of the Winning Edge is to educate, foster professional mentoring relationships, provide networking opportunities and enrichment scholarships to ethnic minorities and women who are seeking careers in the sports industry. Since 2015, the academy has helped 16 students work towards job or internship placement and provided mentoring and funding for professional enrichment trips. To Learn more or get involved visit: http://www.winningedgeleadership.org/

Visit her website

Meet CMH Fashion Week Designer Stephanie Foster

CMH Fashion Week launches on Sunday, Oct. 12, with a High Fashion Tea and wraps up on Saturday, Oct. 18, with the 5th Annual Finale Runway Show. Ten local designers will send their looks down the runway, as will headliner Althea Harper. Here, meet designer Stephanie Foster.

Name: Stephanie Foster

Age: 27

Residence: Columbus

Credentials: I took the Fashion & Fabrics class at Northeast Career Center. Upon high school graduation, I received a four-year scholarship to play on the women’s basketball team at Florida A&M University. I also received my Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism and became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

My story: I began sewing in the 11^th grade, and it was at that time I knew I wanted my own clothing line. I also played basketball my whole life, and I met a lot of tall women like myself who had trouble finding fashionable clothing that fit correctly. I have taken my own personal woes with clothing and turned them into Prissy Duck Designs! I provide clothing for women of many shapes and sizes. It’s been a long time coming, but I can finally show people what I have to offer! 

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Meet Ekaterina Lisina, the World's Tallest Model Who Hails from Russia

September 23, 2019 | by Akshamsha

Ekaterina Lisina, the former Olympic bronze medalist, has hung her basketball shoes and is moving her crosshairs to hold the title of the tallest model in the world.

Officially named the tallest woman in Russia and the woman with the largest feet, Lisina stands at a staggering 6ft and 9 inches on her bare feet. The legged beauty retired from the professional sport to become a model.

Lisina believes that she is the tallest model in the industry. "The record is held at the moment by Amazon Eve and she is 6ft 8in, which is smaller than me," she said. 

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Meet Ella Williams, the world’s tallest woman in the late 1800s

BY MILDRED EUROPA TAYLOR, at 02:10 pm, May 31, 2018, HISTORY

Ella Williams, otherwise known by her stage name as Mme Abomah was in the late 1800s described as an extraordinary woman who stood over eight feet in height and could easily support the weight of a man on her outstretched arm.

Born in South Carolina in the USA in 1865 to slave parents, Ella Williams grew to become an international celebrity and travelled all over the world as the tallest woman in the world.

She missed being born a slave as the 13th Amendment to the US constitution was ratified about 10 months before her birth.

Her real name was Ella Grigsby but since Grigsby was the last name of her parents’ slaveholders, she took on the last name of her employers, Elihu and Harriet Williams, a family she worked with while in her teens.

Growing up, Williams was contacted by various circus and show promoters to sign a contract and tour as a giantess, due to her abnormal height, something she gained after being struck with malaria when she was around 14.

Williams refused these offers from show promoters. However, while working as a cook in her native South Carolina, she agreed to be hired by Frank C. Bostock for a tour of the British Isles in 1896.

History says Bostock at the time mixed a little fact with fiction in promoting his act.

He gave Williams the stage name Abomah, a name which came from Abomey, the capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin).

He further promoted Abomah as being a member of one of the legendary Dahomey Amazons, the all-female fighting force that existed around the time.

“One of King Dahomey’s Amazons who has been brought over to England for show purposes is a giantess indeed. Her height is eight feet, and she is both broad and muscular,” he used to say, according to the American press.

Bostock took Abomah’s act to Europe because racism in the US was then very distinct.

Abomah’s manager knew that in Europe, his strong and beautiful African Giantess would definitely be given massive audience.

During her 30-year-career, Abomah did not only tour Britain but most of continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Cuba, and South America.

Abomah also had very expensive and extensive clothing, making the Amazon Giantess always appear elegant and royal.

When Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, Abomah cancelled her tours and came back to the US in March 1915.

She worked for Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey and at Coney Island.

Abomah was still doing shows in the 1920’s before she left the scene.

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'I wanted to make that excluded girl feel included.'

By Lauren Rae Jun 5, 2017

'I felt there was a girl like me, who was always excluded and I wanted to make that excluded girl feel included,' says London-based stylist Irene Agbontaen.

Bored of the difficulties that came with finding clothes for women her height (she's 5'11"), she decided to create a line of her own that could fill in the gaps in her wardrobe. Called TTYA (Taller Than Your Average), the line addresses all your tall girl woes and screams, 'I'm tall and I'm fashion.'

'It's about being style conscious, not self conscious,' Agbontaen explained. And her ethos is taking off; ASOS, Selfridges and Barneys New York all stock the line, which includes Jourdan Dunn and Iman Hammam among its fans.

This month, she expands her line with a new 'I Do' collection, which focuses on occasion wear. So, what better time to catch up with the woman behind the brand than right now. She opens up to ELLE about her views on body and ethnic diversity in the fashion industry and how her little startup became a global hit.

Tell us a bit about your design background?

TTYA: I just got really frustrated with the current availability on the market for tall women. At the time I travelled a lot and I found it so annoying to just get the basics, so I made my own; maxi dresses, maxi skirts, leggings, all of the basic wardrobe staples I couldn't find. I didn't have any design background at the time, but I've done a couple of courses since and I'm still heavily influenced in the design process.

You were quite the big in the London nightlife scene - how has that helped you in your new career?

I used to work predominantly at a night called YOYO [You're Only Young Once] at the Notting Hill Arts Club. It was a night that broke through a lot of artists before they got signed and then it would turn into a party. It was a massive cultural impact on London because we broke everyone from Jessie J to Tinie Tempah. It was fashion, art, music and was just a really cool underground subculture. I was the door girl at the time, so everyone had to get through me to get in. I met a lot of influential people organically, who became good friends of mine.

You started in an e-commerce and styling background, could you tell us a little about that and your transition into design?

I used to work at ASOS and Selfridges. You know when you go for a job and they mention that the company has 'ideals', Selfridges ideal was 'every woman should be able to come to our store, that's our thing' and I'd say 'well I'm tall and I can't shop here' so your ideals don't really work for me. So it was like, well, there must a market for this kind of girl because I'm surrounded by tall girls all the time and I know things don't fit them. In real life we can't Photoshop jeans to fit us, so that's the premise of the transition.

What struggles have you faced when building the TTYA line up from the ground up?

At the start, I knew how to make things look good because of styling and working at ASOS. No one really tells you the most important thing is how you make yourself visible. I can make it all shiny and amazing and it can be the best brand on the planet, but if no one knows that it exists, it's pointless. For me the biggest learning curve was how to self promote. I took loads of classes on SEO and Digital Marketing to make sure everything was brand aligned.

Okay, so, who is your key demographic?

The go to label for all girls who want to feel inclusive. That's it!

What were the #TallGirlProblems you faced before curating the TTYA line?

Sleeve swingers were a no no!

Very few brands cater to taller women, do you feel that TTYA fills a gap in the market?

My brand is made by a tall woman, so I know first-hand your frustration. You're not coming to a boardroom of men talking about tall fashion. If you want to relate to tall girls, you've got to talk to girls like me and I think that's what my brand does. I'm tall, I'm one of you and I've started this brand so we no longer have to feel excluded.

The fashion world is far more accepting of different sizes in recent times, but do you think the industry still needs greater diversity?

I feel like it's moved on quite a lot, at one point 'Curve' was probably one of the biggest market shares. You only have to look at what Beth Ditto did for Evans. When you've had a customer that feels so neglected and left out for so long, once you cater to them they will keep coming back, because there's a place for them to go. It's like you're giving them a home to keep coming back to. I'm happy that it's gotten so much better now.

You're currently being sold on ASOS, in Selfridges and Barneys New York - where's your dream place to be stocked?

I'd like to have my own stand alone store one day, perhaps a concept store where I can do TTYA Talks and make it more of a home base. For me, it's about reaching as many girls around the world as possible. A place where people can connect, chill and have a cup of tea. More of a community base, that'd be my dream.

Your brand ethos stretches further than just the clothing - it sets out to encourage women.Tell us a bit about TTYA talks.

I started TTYA Talks back in 2013 and set it up as a space to open up my black book. I'm lucky enough to be indulged in a community of women that I really respect. So TTYA Talks focuses on industry and career specific topics and it provides direct access to successful women working across the creative industry. Each series has a specific topic. We did one focused on entertainment and lifestyle - I had everyone from FKA Twigs to Donna Rooney speak at it. I've set up a podcast now so that if you're unable to come to the talks, you can always listen back to the podcast.

One of your recent campaigns features the beautiful Naomi Shimada - does she pretty much embody the aesthetic of your brand?

100%, she's carefree, she's free spirited, she's an activist and she's a feminist - I love everything about her! She makes me look at myself and think 'who am I?', 'who do I channel?', 'what do I represent?'. I went back to Lagos over Christmas and reconnected with my roots.

I shot my lookbook there and found the whole team through social media: the models were all Nigerian based, hair, makeup and photography were all sourced from Nigeria. I'm really proud of that. It's based around weddings/guests at weddings and it'll be live on ASOS from May and in my ASOS Black collection (called 'I Do').

The reason I shot it in Lagos is because, in my culture, it's pretty wild when you're in your 30s and not married. So I thought it'd be a bit lols to be like: 'well I'm going to shoot this wedding collection and I'm not married. I'm going against the grain, but I'm [also] reconnecting with my culture'.

There seem to be so few black women designers leading major brands, what are your thoughts on this?

TTYA: I think it leads to communication. Being a pioneer, doing what I'm doing and pushing a brand as much as I can, opens the gateway for new generations. I feel like it's always about educating the next level down and by doing that you position yourself as a gatekeeper, so you can now open those channels for others. We've got women of colour in our corner who are opening those doorways and kicking down those barriers for us.

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Visit the Taller Than Your Average website

A Chinese schoolgirl who is nearly 7ft tall aged 11 has been compared to one of her country’s greatest ever sportsmen.

Zhang Ziyu towers over her classmates at 6ft 10ins tall and is already a prodigious basketball player.

Now Zhang, who idolises NBA star LeBron James, has been dubbed ‘the female Yao Ming’. Yao, now retired aged 38, was a Houston Rockets centre for eight years as well as a constant for the Chinese men’s national basketball team.

He is considered one of the country’s greatest sportsmen and was inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

Now in her sixth year at Wenhua East Road Primary School in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong Province, Zhang is reportedly likely to become a basketball player in the future too.

Both her parents are former professional basketball players, who began teaching their daughter about the game at the age of five.

Her mum, Yu Ying, now coaches Shandong's provincial women's basketball team.

Zhang's classmates at school are fond of their very tall friend.

'I like Zhang Ziyu because she's very tall!' one said.

Another added: 'She can lift some of our shorter classmates using one arm!'

A schoolboy who has known Zhang since the start of primary school said: 'She was 1.6 metres (5ft 3in) in our first years. We've been growing for six years but still aren't as tall as she was in grade one.'

Another added: 'She's younger than I am by a few months, but she has to bend down to talk to me.'

Besides calling Zhang the 'Female Yao Ming', some believe China may have finally found a successor to retired professional women's basketball player Zheng Haixia.

Zheng, 51, is 2.03 metres (6 feet 7 inches) tall and represented her country from 1983 to 1996 through four Olympic Games.

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By Helen Gibson - 19 February 2015
Deputy Picture Editor

Oh the trials and tribulations of being a tall girl. Not only do we have to bend to fit in to rush hour tubes, whisper to friends and kiss boys, but also, nothing fits. Well, nothing that’s in fashion anyway. After years of constantly buying clothes two sizes too big just for the length, I began to accept that I would forever live in baggy clothes. That was until TTYA was born.

TTYA stands for Taller Than Your Average, because it’s a clothing range made for women that are, well, taller than your average.

At 5’11”, founder Irene Agbontaen was frustrated with never being able to find wardrobe essentials for tall women, and as a successful stylist, she knew just what was missing from the market.

“I grew bored of rolling up sleeves or wearing boots to hide the fact my jeans were swinging at my ankles," she told me. "I started TTYA to empower tall women to feel style conscience not self-conscience.” 

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As Liverpool prepares for the return of the Giant Spectacular this week, we met two of the city's real life Giants. Lawrence Hudson of Southport is surely one of the tallest men in Merseyside, if not the tallest. He stands at a whopping 7ft 1in. Meanwhile, Libby Corrigan from Maghull measures in at 6ft 4in...

Libby, 23, works with young carers. She said: "I like being able to help people get stuff off the top shelf. "I get lots of attention. And some men kind of see it as a competition." The pair say that being so tall does have its disadvantages. Firstly, there's the shoes. Libby wears a size 10, and says it is difficult to find women's shoes in that size. "I managed to find a pair of men's jelly shoes the other day, though," she said.

"My boyfriend is 5ft 8in, when I'm wearing heels I'm a full foot taller than him. People mistake him for my little brother!"

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Megan Thee Stallion designing Fashion Nova jeans for tall women

By Melissa Minton - September 28, 2020 | 11:57am

Megan Thee Stallion is living up to her name.

The Houston native, 25, is teaming up with fast fashion brand Fashion Nova to give all the hot girls above a certain height a very special line of denim.

"Oh yeah and remember when I said I was collaborating with @fashionnova to make jeans for tall women," Meg posted on Instagram Sunday.

"These are the first samples coming soon."

The 5'10" "WAP" rapper posed in a pair of boot-cut ripped jeans with a dip-dyed color, darker below the knees than the light acid wash above.

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Minnesota family confirmed as tallest in the world

A family in Esko, Minnesota, USA, has achieved a record that not many can measure up to - quite literally!

Meet the Trapp family of five; Scott, Krissy, Savanna, Molly, and Adam.

On 6 December 2020, the Trapps were confirmed as the tallest family in the world with an average height of 203.29 cm (6 ft 8.03 in). 

The family's combined height is equal to the length of half a tennis court!

The youngest (but certainly not the smallest) member of the family is 22-year-old Adam Trapp, who towers over his siblings and parents at an astounding 221.71 cm (7 ft 3 in) tall. 

Savanna Trapp-Blanchfield, 27, is next, measuring in at 203.6 cm (6 ft 8 in). Last is their sister Molly Steede, 24, standing at 197.26 cm (6 ft 6 in) tall. 

Unsurprisingly, all three Trapp kids played sports throughout their lives and were recruited by colleges for either basketball or volleyball.

"Coaches always said to us 'you can't teach height. You’re either tall or you’re not,'" said Molly.

Although they have many tall extended family members, it’s clear that the Trapp kids followed in their parents' (very large) footsteps.

Krissy, their mom, comes in as the shortest among the Trapp family at 191.2 cm (6 ft 3 in), while the father, Scott, is a towering 202.7 cm (6 ft 8 in).

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Miss Nebraska Megan Swanson comes from a family of musicians, so it's no surprise the 21-year-old already has written and produced two songs, "This Love" and "I Look to You," that can be found on iTunes. Megan is a Christian singer and plays cello, piano and guitar.

The Belmont University student made her first trip to Miss Nebraska on Saturday and when she won she felt "incredibly thankful and b...lessed." "It was something I prepared myself for. I had taken every step to prepare," she said. "I was in it to win it." She is readying for her first trip to Atlantic City in September with the help of her family. her brother is her interview coach and her parents are helping with her talent.

"They are so extremely proud of me and they're all coming along to Miss America," Megan said. Her platform is Total Body Wellness: Spirit, Soul, and Body. Megan visits local schools and spreads her message of complete wellness.

The goal is "teaching children who you are as a person is so vital to your entire total body wellness." She recalled gaining weight her freshman year of college and then deciding to make a change and that led to a love of health and fitness. Her long-term goals include finding a way to combine her roles as musician, motivational speaker and fitness fan. "I love the chance to be a role model and positive mentor," Megan said.

She also wants to spread the word about her home state. "Nebraska is the greatest place in the entire world," she said. "I hope everybody gets to visit." And she joked that at 6 feet tall, "everybody should be on the lookout for Miss Nebraska."

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Mosaic District Pop-Up 'Park Story' Looking for Permanent Home With Summer Closure Around the Corner

Vernon Miles March 7, 2019 at 2:15pm

As is the eventual fate of all pop-ups, locally owned boutique Park Story could be relocating from its Mosaic District home.

Owner Meghan Evans launched her own clothing line in August 2017 and opened the store in the Mosaic District in October 2018.

"I am hoping for a more permanent home that caters to local designers and independent caterers," said Evans. "Something permanent than a pop-up. I'm expecting to be here through July."

Evans said she's currently in discussions with the Mosaic District about trying to stay in that area, but either way, she hopes to remain somewhere in Northern Virginia.

Evans started her clothing line after being frustrated with the lack of selection for tall women. The Park Story boutique was designed to not only showcase her collection, but work from other local and independent creators. Evans said the store hosts everything from local lipstick to jewelry and art.

"People are surprised there's such quality on the local market," Evans said. "People don't expect to find us here. We're surrounded by bigger box stores, but we're local and independent."

Evans' clothing line is manufactured in D.C. She knows most of the other vendors at her store following years of building connections and seeking out brands that she believes are complementary to the shop aesthetic.

"We are clean and modern with a feminine touch," Evans said. "The shop has more of a minimalist feel: light, bright and airy."

Evans said she hopes to know by April whether or not the store will be moving so she can begin to let her customers know her plans.

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Posted: Friday, June 12, 2015 4:00 am Mother, daughter team up to outfit tall women
By HANNAH COMBS, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,  My Eastern Shore, Maryland

CENTREVILLE - Women come in all shapes and sizes, but statuesque is not often a size choice available off the rack in department stores. Growing up, Helen Pappas and her mother Diane Pappas, of Centreville, realized these frustrations far too often.

"How often would we venture to the mall for school clothes," said her mother, "and return only with an eyeshadow or bangle bracelets."

After graduating college, Helen Pappas, who stands 6'4", decided to do something that would make clothing for taller women more accessible.

Pappas' mother was quick to join her efforts, "as her mother, I suffered along with her," she said.

The two formed a partnership in 2012 that has grown from a basement shop to an internationally known boutique. The store's focus is on providing stylish and high-quality garments that are specially tailored to fit the frames of women 6'0" and over. Many of their garments are handmade in the USA.

The company's clients are mostly women between the ages of 16 and 35 and they currently offer the longest jeans sold in the United States at a 41 inch inseam. Their client list includes models, WNBA players and coaches. Satisfied clients are the heart of the Pappas' business.

"Thank you for the hard work and courage to market to a segment of the population that the 'big stores' seem to ignore pointedly," said Carrie Livingston of Florida, in a recent letter to Talltique. "You deserve the support of all 'big' girls in the U.S. and abroad, and the rewards of growing a much-needed business."

Helen Pappas is responsible for the design and personally fits all of the customers that comes into her store. Diane Pappas assists with fittings, alterations, public relations and most importantly is the her daughter's support system.

"We often see mothers and daughters come in together, said Pappas, "it can be a very emotional experience."

"It's important to let women know they have these options available to them," said Diane Pappas. "As women we struggle with body image anyway, without having to struggle to find clothing that fits properly." Talltique is an online boutique and can be found at www.talltique.com. Appointments can be made for fittings at their store in Bethesda or private in-home consultations up to two hours from Bethesda.

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BY EMILY ZAUZMER @emilyzauzmer 06/18/2015 AT 09:20 AM EDT

Even the simplest task can be a tall order when you tower over your peers.

In an exclusive preview of TLC's new five-part reality series My Giant Life, Lindsay, who stands 6'9", explains the social and physical discomfort of flying in an airplane for someone whose wingspan gives the airplane wings a run for their money.

"The airplane is very frustrating for me," Lindsay says. "I shouldn't have to feel self-conscious about walking onto an airplane, but I do because I know... that everybody on that plane is like, 'I hope I don't have to sit next to her.' "

Once she is seated, Lindsay still can't catch a break. She comments, "I get crammed on a plane, and, even if I'm in an aisle seat, my knees are, like, up to my chest." The clip shows that Lindsay is too tall to even use the table attached to the seat in front of her.

Keep up with your favorite celebs in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.

My Giant Life takes a peek into the lives of four women who all measure 6'6" and higher as they attempt to stand tall in a much shorter world.

Actress and former wrestler Lindsay (6'9") nabbed the Guinness World Record for Tallest Actress in a Leading Role and now wants to find the father who abandoned her at age 11. Colleen (6'6"), a former professional volleyball player, juggles her move to San Diego and her desire to find a boyfriend. Fellow professional volleyball star Haleigh (6'7") finds herself caught between her boyfriend Brian's hope to start a family and her father's disapproval. And 17-year-old Nancy rounds out the cast as a high school student and basketball hot shot.

My Giant Life premieres July 14 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.

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My Giant Life: Season Two Coming to TLC in June

by Cindy McLennan, May 11, 2016

The second season of the My Giant Life TV show on TLC premieres Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 10:00pm ET/PT. My Giant Life features six women who are 6'6" or taller, and are "seemingly too tall for the average-sized world."

Returning in My Giant Life season two are: Colleen ‘Coco’ Smith, Haleigh Hampton-Carvalho, Lindsay Kay Hayward, and Nancy Mulkey.

Get more on the second season, and new cast members Katja and Lexie, from TLC.

BIGGER IS BETTER IN THE SECOND SEASON OF TLC’S “MY GIANT LIFE”

New Season Premieres Tuesday, June 7th at 10/9c

New York, NY – TLC’s MY GIANT LIFE follows the stories of six women who stand at six feet six inches and above, and are seemingly too tall for the average-sized world. The second season, premiering Tuesday, June 7th at 10/9c, chronicles the challenges these women face, ranging from performing seemingly everyday tasks to being noticed for their extraordinary height. From dating difficulties to simply going out in public without stares, the stories in each episode get to the heart of what it means to live life a foot taller than the average female.

Meet the women of MY GIANT LIFE:

COLLEEN a.k.a COCO – Austin, Texas

At six feet six inches tall, Colleen is not the average single gal playing the field. The 36-year-old, former pro-volleyball player has struck out recently in the dating game. After her disastrous dating life in season one, she has moved to Austin for a fresh start. But when she meets Will, she has to decide if she’s willing to let him get past the friend zone.

HALEIGH – Huntington Beach, California

Standing at six feet seven inches tall, 24-year-old Haleigh has a world of possibilities at her fingertips. Last season, to her father’s dismay, she married her much shorter, 32-year-old boyfriend, Bryan. Now, they’re facing serious marital obstacles, and Haleigh is forced to choose between her husband and her family.

LINDSAY – Los Angeles, California

Statuesque and striving to make a name for herself, Lindsay stands out from the crowd at six feet nine inches tall. She is actively pursuing a career in film and television and is willing to do whatever necessary to succeed… including plastic surgery. But will her destructive habits and a tumultuous past keep her from fulfilling her dreams?

NANCY – Cypress, Texas

At a staggering six feet nine inches tall, Nancy is struggling through her senior year of high school. She has always relied on her tall family for support, but now that she is 18-years-old, she is ready to step out on her own. She knows that life will get better as soon as she gets to college to play basketball, but for now, her main focus is graduating and navigating life as a rising basketball superstar.

KATJA – New York, New York

Katja, standing at six feet eight inches tall, and her much shorter wife, Julie, five foot two, want to start a family. They have a lot of questions to answer: Who will carry the baby? Do they want the baby to be taller or shorter? And how will they decide on a sperm donor? When the stress of the decisions brings out the problems in their marriage they start to wonder if they are ready for this next chapter.

LEXIE – Phoenix, Arizona

Confident Lexie, who is six feet six inches tall, is getting married to a man stationed 2,500 miles away. Meanwhile everywhere she goes, men flirt with her. Will the distance be too much for them?

For updates, ‘Like’ MY GIANT LIFE on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MyGiantLife

MY GIANT LIFE is produced by Workaholic Productions for TLC.

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In My Giant Life, viewers step into the shoes of women who are seemingly too tall and lofty for the average-sized world, standing at six feet six inches and above. They are faced with challenges every day - some because their extreme height makes performing seemingly mundane tasks like loading the dishwasher and getting into a car extremely difficult and others because the eyes of society are not as friendly to women of their stature. As a young lady that is a foot taller than the average female, life is anything but easy! From dating difficulties to simply going to the grocery store without stares, the stories in each episode get right to the heart of what it means to live life blessed with an extra foot or more.

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By Helen Redding, Freelance writer
Thursday 5 Sep 2019 8:00 am

I have a distinct memory at junior school of being four foot eight inches tall. I remember this because I was the only one whose head reached beyond the top of the height chart. It’s highly unlikely that this moment was significant for anyone but me – I certainly don’t remember a collective gasp of amazement from my classmates. Nonetheless, I was, without doubt, the tall girl, the unwanted focus of the ‘my, isn’t your daughter tall’ comment when we met people in the street. It’s not acceptable to comment to someone that they’re short or wide or large-nosed. But when you’re tall, you’re fair game. Friends, family and strangers are all very quick to apply the ‘tall’ label. Because being tall must be amazing. You can reach the top shelf in supermarkets! You must be great at basketball! You can see over crowds at events! Being head and shoulders above everyone else must make you literally feel that you are. Or does it?

Imagine you’re very shy. You’ve not been blessed with beauty, have probably eaten too many Penguin bars and not got enough exercise. You’re slightly pigeon-toed, wear NHS glasses and were once summoned to the school nurse’s office because your bum stuck out too much. Imagine all those things. Do you want to stand out from the crowd or do you want to shrink back into the shadows? That was me aged eight-ish. It is also me now, as at six foot I’m still tall. Funny how the insecurities of childhood linger way into adulthood, especially when your defining feature doesn’t – can’t – go away. If you don’t like the shape of your nose you can change it; you can’t stop being tall no matter how much you slouch. I still carry with me that label of being the freakishly tall girl who has to stand at the back in group photos; a disembodied head floating above the ‘normal’ people.

I’m the person in front of you in the cinema who slips down into their seat, paranoid your family will have to rejig itself so that your child doesn’t have to struggle to see the screen through the ‘tall lady’s head’. There is no doubt that being tall has benefits but is it the same for men versus women? For men, being tall is positive and is (wrongly in my opinion) associated with masculinity. It’s that association that proves particularly difficult for a tall woman. A man once said to me: ‘You’re a big girl, aren’t you?’. I felt exceedingly unfeminine, large, an oaf, like Shrek’s Princess Fiona might feel next to Elsa. (And try having short hair too – oh, the number of times in my life I’ve been mistaken for a man.) They weren’t commenting on my weight as having just survived anorexia I was waifish. (Writing this now has made me think whether my eating disorder was partly a desire to literally shrink away …) There’s something about tall women that some men find intimidating. Not all, perhaps just those with their own insecurities.

In social situations, this has at times left me feeling deeply unattractive. Couple this with shyness and awkwardness and you start to curl up like a hedgehog. No longer just ‘tall’, you’re now labelled as ‘unapproachable’, ‘rude’ or ‘stand-offish’. To be fair, being tall can be a great way to bond with other tall women. First question: ‘Where do you buy your trousers from?’ As a six-footer (with a 36-inch inside leg in my case), your choice of shopping outlets is limited if you want the hemline to reach anywhere near your feet. Perhaps the solidarity comes from meeting someone who sees beyond the label and knows how it feels to always stand out, no matter how much you don’t want to.

As I get older, I’m less bothered about being tall but the long-held perception of myself and how I think others see me lingers. It takes a lot of confidence, self-esteem and a dash of bloody-mindedness to rise above a label, no matter how self-imposed it is. I still wish I was a couple of inches shorter, but that doesn’t stop me instilling in my daughter a pride in her inherited height. When she’s older and asks to borrow a pair of my (flat) shoes, I’ll refuse and instead give her the money to buy some kickass heels that shout ‘I’M TALL AND I’M PROUD! WATCH ME STRIDE!’

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By Claire Swinarski

This summer was the season of marriage for my group of friends. Practically every one of us tied the knot, and I had the honor of standing up in several weddings. But when I saw the photos from one of my best friend’s nuptials, I winced as I looked at our group shots. There, in the row of bridesmaids, is me—sticking out, standing above, screwing up the vibe.This is pretty typical, because I’m tall. Very tall. 6’2”, to be exact. My entire family is tall; when we walk into a room, you notice. I’ve been this way nearly my whole life—after an intense sixth-grade growth spurt, I became the tallest girl in every room. Needless to say, group pictures are not my favorite thing.

Pop culture perpetuates the myth that being tall is something everyone wants. Supermodels and athletes are tall—why wouldn’t you want to look like Kendall Jenner? But we’re not all waif-like fairies with long, elegant legs and modeling contracts. Some of us are just average klutzes who can’t walk and Instagram simultaneously. We’re never the cute, small girls that get hoisted onto guys’ shoulders at high school football games. We’re never the petite girls who look adorable on the dance floor rocking out to Kanye. As journalist Ann Friedman, a fellow 6’2” woman, wrote in New York Magazine, “Women are supposed to be dainty things who are, if not exactly tiny, at least smaller than men.” A tall woman shatters societal norms, whether she wants to or not. She’s often just desperate to find a jacket that extends to her wrists.

From my extremely high vantage point, I don’t believe most women actually want to be tall. Okay? There it is. When my (many) short acquaintances ask me to reach for something on a high shelf, or giggle about how they’re just so small, I don’t believe they are envious in the slightest. They’re simply reminding themselves that they are cute, petite, and feminine—and reminding me that I am an oaf.

Being tall comes with a host of annoyances. It isn’t easy, no matter how simple Taylor Swift makes it seem. There are, of course, not-a-big-deal annoyances. Buying jeans isn’t easy (but who does find buying jeans easy)? Airplanes are not pleasant places for me, but I don’t think many people think planes are very comfortable. I never wear high heels, but really, that’s more of a blessing than a curse. Being taller than all of the boys in high school wasn’t fun, but I’m now married to the world’s nicest (and a very tall) man, so those scars have pretty much healed.

But there are deeper annoyances, too. Sitting in front of someone in a crowded movie theater and hearing them sigh, frustrated, like you’re a jerk for not considering their poor short feelings. Having random strangers casually ask you your height (something Friedman noted in her New York Mag piece, too), as if statistics about your body are any of their business. It may not be acceptable in polite society to walk up to someone and ask them how much they weigh, but if I had a dollar for every time someone asked how tall I was, I could start my own clothing line of shirts with long enough sleeves for my arms. There are also those dreaded group pictures, where no less than three petite girls will turn to me, say “tall people in the back,” and laugh while sorority squatting.

I was already headed to the back, idiot, and I will step on the next person who says that to me.

Sometimes you just want to blend with the group. To not look awkward in the wedding party photo. Because ultimately, my experience as a tall women is about more than someone’s Facebook cover photo. It’s about feeling too big—and not just for pictures. It’s about taking up too much space. Our culture continually reinforces the message that women are supposed to be small, and while this message often gets translated to thin, I don’t think we collectively realize how much it also translates to height. In 2014, The Atlantic asked, “Must Every YA Action Heroine Be Petite?“ in a piece exploring how Divergent’s Tris Prior, The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen, and other heroes we offer teenage girls tend to be scrawny and diminutive. Anna Kendrick, America’s Sweetheart, describes herself as being “very very small” in her Twitter bio. You do you, Anna. I’m so glad you’re comfortable in your body and proud of your stature. But I’d like us, as a culture, to realize how often the tiny are elevated and idolized, at the expense of celebrating a diverse range of body types. For outliers like me, you begin to feel like you’re not just too big for wedding pictures—you’re too big for life.

When I was young, one of my favorite books was The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake. It’s about a seventh grader who struggles with the color of her skin and finding her identity while everyone around her seems to think there’s something wrong with her. I am a cis white woman, a cultural privilege I recognize—and obviously, skin color is a lot more complicated than height and carries an ugly history of discrimination. But in the protagonist’s struggle for self acceptance, I recognized a sliver of my own marginalized experience. The book gave me strength to withstand the alienation I faced, and became a sort of talisman I’d come back to through the years.

I have broad shoulders and no biceps. I have pretty eyes. My hair doesn’t hold a curl, but it doesn’t get super frizzy, either. And I’m tall, probably taller than you, taller than average, long-legged, and long-armed—and that is the skin I’m in.

After many years of struggling to blend in, I’m slowly beginning to accept, if not celebrate, my height. To recognize that I am allowed to take up space and sit wherever the hell I want in a movie theater. To answer strangers’ probing questions with a look that makes it clear they’re the weirdos. I can be tall and fun, tall and pretty, tall and a part of whatever group I’m with. It took me years to realize that being tall didn’t mean I wasn’t beautiful or feminine—it just meant I would always be asked to grab things off the top shelf.

We’re all born with physical attributes that will never change, no matter how hard we pray they will. One strange-looking photo, which isn’t even my wedding photo—shouldn’t make me cringe. It isn’t going on my mantle, and if my friend didn’t love me and want me in her photos, she wouldn’t have asked me to stand by her side. I’m beginning to recognize that spending even five seconds harping on the ways I don’t fit in is a complete waste of brainpower.

I don’t have a radical solution to how to fix height stereotypes. I haven’t even perfected a way of getting strangers to stop asking me about my own stature. Maybe we should all just comment less on each other’s bodies in general. Or instead of faux-complimenting my height, people could ask me about my thoughts on the Syrian Civil War or the latest terrible movie remake or what I’m having for lunch. But I do know that, going forward, instead of slouching to fit into photos, I will throw back my shoulders and stand up straight. I will celebrate the skin I’m in.

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