Single women ask: "Am I too tall to date?"

By Elizabeth Roehrig

There I was, sitting with a friend on a Friday night, when we noticed a couple of hip and handsome guys sitting next to us. Witty banter ensued between me and the Casey Affleck-alike and things were looking promising... that is, until we both stood up to pick a few songs from the jukebox. It was the moment of truth, and yep, at almost 5'10", I was a couple of inches taller than him. I could feel him sizing me up, and our sizzle from a moment ago beginning to fizzle.

If you're in the "tall woman" club like me, you've probably experienced a similar scenario. And while dating for women like us may have its own inherent set of challenges, they're hardly the type that we can't overcome. Let the pros, cons and advice listed below serve as a little inspiration for all you vertically blessed beauties out there... it's not nearly as bad as you might think!

Fewer men tend to approach tall women for dates

Many of my tall friends (myself included) are very open to dating shorter men — the problem is often that they steer clear of us, thinking that we're "too tall" given the expectation that guys must loom over their dates. Patricia Barba, 34, of Greenwich, CT, who's just shy of six feet, had a male coworker spell out to her why she's so often left on the sidelines. "We were at our holiday party, and a coworker who's around my height asked if I'd like to dance. I said yes and mentioned that not many men ask me to dance, and he said it's because men must find my height imposing. That was hard to hear!" Other times, men aren't so straightforward and their preferences come across in the form of a subtler snub. "When I'm out on weekends, I'm the one who talks to all the guys and gets the conversation going," says Richelle, 27, who's six feet tall and from Boston. "But usually at the end of the evening, the guy I've been talking to will say, 'Who's your friend?' And inevitably the girl he's interested in is one of my shorter pals."

The men who do hit on us tend to be great catches

While being overlooked as dating material due to our height can be frustrating, there is a benefit to this situation as well. Because, you see, the shorter men who do hit on us are definitely worth their salt. "I recently dated a guy who is an inch shorter than me, but his personality and confidence made him seem taller," says Patricia. "He seemed really self-assured, which put me at ease and made our height difference seem like a non-issue. I think generally that guys who go for taller women are pretty dynamic individuals." In other words, look at your height as a gatekeeper that only allows the truly worthy shorter men into your inner circle. Mary, 27, from Woodbridge, NJ, is 5'8" and has dated a handful of shorter men, including her current boyfriend. "Since they don't have the height that a lot of girls look for, these guys develop other, more meaningful qualities, such as kindness, humor, and consideration," she says... which ultimately makes for a better boyfriend. "While a shorter man might not be my first choice, if he's much more interested in me and attentive to my needs, who can say no to that?" Mary asks.

Few men meet our own preferred height requirements

While many tall women are perfectly happy to date shorter guys, some of us, I admit, aren't always so thrilled about it. And as a result, we often limit our own prospects and have no one to blame but ourselves for long dry spells between dates. "I would go out all the time and find only one or two guys that I considered to be good prospects because of my 'height restriction,'" says Sarah, 5'10", of Reading, MA. "I was only looking for guys 6'1" and over, because it just seems more natural for the man to be taller than the woman." Of course, we know we should give shorter guys a chance, but it's tough to change your own perception (let alone society's) that the guy should tower over his gal. "You grow up with this notion that the man should be bigger than the woman so he can protect her," explains Erin, 26, 6'2", of Richmond, VA.

Tall women eventually learn to recognize what really makes a relationship work

While tastes and attraction are hard to change, sooner or later, many tall women are forced to accept a valuable truth that often eludes other daters: that they should jettison the more superficial traits on their "wish list" for a partner — whether that's being 6'2", having a full head of hair or possessing six-pack abs. "While I used to believe that a man needed to be taller than me for me to feel safe, I know now that isn't true," says Erin, who ultimately fell for a man three inches shorter. "When I first met my now-husband, I thought he was cute, but I never thought we'd end up together due to the height difference. But we had a real connection and I know now that's what counts."

Once you're dating a partner who is shorter than you are, there's a whole new host of problems to deal with

OK, so you've gotten over your own "He's got to be taller than me" hangups and have hit it off with a guy who's largely fine with the fact that you've got some inches over him. But even then, you're not in the clear. For starters, try walking into a room together; you're bound to get some odd looks. "I once dated someone shorter. He said it didn't matter to him, but people couldn't help but comment on it and make some pretty embarrassing jokes," says Richelle. "Once we were asked if he stood on the curb to kiss me!" To keep the wisecracks to a minimum, many women abandon their heels in favor of flats. But even then, the undue attention can sometimes be unbearable.

Eventually, you learn to stop caring what other people think

Know that phrase, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" That also applies in this scenario: sooner or later, most tall women who date shorter men develop a Teflon coating. They stop caring if people point at them walking down the street together or if friends and family members make height jokes. They learn that all that really matters is whether you like the guy and whether he likes you. Six-foot-tall Ciana Clarke, 40, of Tallahassee, FL, may have felt awkward when she first began dating her shorter husband, but that soon changed. "His family and friends would tease him about his height rather than mine and say that he was lucky to land me, but he never let their cracks bother him," she recalls. "He made me feel like a treasure and celebrated my difference more than anything else. I was proud of my height before we met, but his love and acceptance have made me feel more comfortable with our four-inch height difference." And there's no reason to relegate your high heels to the back of the closet when you have a self-confident guy in your corner. "My husband is really the one that made me start to embrace my height," says Erin. "Before I met him, I don't think I owned one pair of heels — now I can't get enough of them. My man loves me for all that I am, height included!"

Elizabeth Roehrig has written for Redbook and other publications.

Six-foot tall woman tired of people 'pointing and staring' at her hit with death threats

Jade Egemonye, 23, started the "Tall Girl Brunch Club" in London which attracts hundreds of women who attend to share the united struggle of clothes not fitting and being gawked at in public

A six-foot tall woman who started a "Tall Girl Brunch Club" says she received death threats from height-conscious men.

Jade Egemonye, 23, started the group in London where taller women could bond over their united struggle of poorly fitting clothes and being stared at in public.

The boozy banquets usually see 10-18 taller women attending - and Jade says she's been inundated with messages from women looking to join.

But the 23-year-old has to hide the location after getting threatening messages which tell her they will "die" or that someone's "coming to get them".

Jade says these hateful messages are blokes projecting their own height issues onto her gang of larger ladies.

However, it's not the aggressive men that irk Jade most - but short girls repeatedly asking to come along.

So Jade set a firm rule that attendees at the Tall Girl Brunch Club have to be at least 5ft9in tall.

Jade, from Greenwich, Greater London, said it all kicked off in November last year after she received a deluge of responses after tweeting that she didn't have any tall female friends.

The responses flooded in and Jade decided to a create a space for them to talk about "shared experiences" - which include being unable to fit into clothing and being stared at on the tube or at the gym.

She admits that she never expected the brunches to be such a big hit but the events soon snowballed and were selling out within 'hours'.

Despite her good intentions, Jade has faced some online backlash from trolls.

Jade said: "We have some men project their issues with their height onto us. It's ironic because comments about men's heights almost never come from tall women - they come from other men.

"That's why I don't put restaurants down on the events page. We've had some hate messages, horrible stuff like 'You shall die', 'I'm gonna come get you', etc.

"From that point on, I made sure that only the girls who have booked a ticket know where we're meeting. I want to try and protect women as much as possible.

"I would categorise a tall girl as somebody who is 5ft 9in and higher - 5ft 9in is the average height for a man in the UK. This was a big cause of contention, as I'd have people in the comments saying 'I'm 5ft 6in and I feel like I'm tall.'

"There's always a girl who will comment 'Imagine if I came along, I'm 5ft 3in'. On every damn TikTok.

"I can bet my life that there will be some girls saying 'What about the short girls?' or 'I'm five foot'. I want to say 'You're not as original as you think'.

"It ticks me off. Girls will also ask me if they can come and they'll be 5ft 4in. What am I meant to say? Those are the comments that annoy me the most.

"I've not had anybody lie about their height and show up yet. I'm banking on the power of shame. I've been lucky so far."

One TikTok user said: "I need some tall friends, I'm tired of being the tallest," whilst another commented: "As a fellow 5ft 11er..I would love to be about my tall kin."

Other commenters lamented that their lack of stature would prevent them from attending.

One commenter said: "What about us short girls?", whilst another asked: "Is it okay if I come? I'm not exactly tall but I don't mind wearing heels that are really high so I can be included."

Another user asked: "Are 5ft 8in babes allowed?"

One TikTok commenter said: "You're gonna find a 5ft 3in babe hiding under the table."

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Tall or small, it's all about the basketball!

When it comes to one of the nations' favorite games, it takes playersof all heights help to make the game what it is.

In this quirky photograph of the Kentucky Wildcats Ladies basketball team, it's easy to work out which the players are and who are the teams' cheerleaders.

The girls are all college students. Alyssa Rice on the left is a 6'3" freshman, while the tall female on the right is 6'6" junior Ivana Jakubcova.

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Struggles Tall Women Deal With

Olayinka May 30, 2017

As a tall woman from a family of tall women (all 6’0″ or taller), I won’t lie, being tall is pretty great. You can see over other people in a crowded room, you can reach items on high shelves, and when you’re a teenager, people always assume you’re older than you are, so it’s easy to sneak into R-rated movies. But being tall isn’t all catwalks and game-winning volleyball spikes – there are some unique challenges that come with a few extra inches. While I would like to suggest that you walk a mile in a tall woman’s shoes, chances are her shoes wouldn’t fit. Instead, just read on and commiserate with the struggles common to tall women everywhere.

Pants and sleeves are never long enough

Shopping is the worst. When the average American woman is roughly 5’3″, that means the average-sized clothing at your local mall is designed to fit a woman who is at least six inches shorter than the shortest woman I talked to for this article. Or, on the high end, a full foot shorter than my sister, who’s a gorgeous 6’3″ tall. Even ‘long’ lengths of pants often come with inseams just 34-inches long. Which sounds like a lot... unless you’re over 5’10”, in which case those ‘long’ pants just amount to slightly longer high-waters.

Granted, things have gotten better in the last 10 years, with some brands offering clothing specifically for tall women (GAP and its affiliated stores, for example), and other specialty stores opening that carry nothing but clothing for tall women (for instance, Long Tall Sally), but most tall clothing is still limited and has to be ordered online. This makes shopping a challenge that all too often results in frustration and poorly-fitting purchases. If you’re an especially tall lady, check out Nordstrom Rack for cute, reasonably-priced, larger-size shoes (they carry up to size 14) and The Buckle for jeans with long inseams – they often have brands with inseams up to 37-inches long.

Skirts, shorts, and dresses are always too short

The flip side to pants and sleeves that are never long enough is that shorts, skirts, and dresses are often obscenely short. Or, as Chauniqua Major, a 5’9″ tall PR rep based in Florida says, “They fit like underwear!” Of course, you can always opt to purchase “knee length” apparel that ends up hitting you mid-thigh, but that cute mini dress you thought would look great for your office holiday party? Probably not the best bet if you want to keep things even remotely professional.

One-pieces are a wedgie nightmare

When you stand in a shower and the showerhead is staring you straight in the face, you know you’re about to have a lame bathing experience. Instead of stretching comfortably under a stream of hot water, sudsing up your hair like you see in commercials, you end up bending, squatting, and contorting to fit your head under the stream. It’s uncomfortable at best and painful at worst, with Amanda Medau, a 6’1″ mother of four from Houston adding, “I’m always squatting in the shower and even hitting the shower ceiling sometimes.” Yeah, that’s never fun.

Desks and counters are too low

Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you’re tall, you’re basically a giant living in a world of miniatures. The reality is, the average American man is still just 5’10”, so anyone taller than that is kinda screwed when it comes to the proportions of standard furniture and construction. Desks, chairs, counters, tables — most of them are designed to be ergonomically-appropriate for the average person. When you’re above average, your body has to adapt to fit the average, which is usually pretty uncomfortable. “My desk at work is terribly uncomfortable. I’m always cracking my knees on it whenever I try to cross my legs. Adjusting the chair height doesn’t help because lowering the chair to accommodate my legs puts crazy strain on my arms and neck to type,” says Medau.

Brie Pierquet, a 5’10” social worker married to a 6’5″ man concurs, “At restaurants sometimes I look like I”m sitting at a child’s table. Just the other day I commented to my husband that the table we were at was not intended for tall people.” The struggle is real, folks.

The inevitable sports-related questions

I’m almost 35 years old. Even assuming I played sports in college (which I didn’t), it would have been well over a decade since I last played sports in a competitive league. And yet, two weeks ago I was stopped in the grocery store by a random dude who asked, “Do you play volleyball?” Uh, no.

The question isn’t mean or harmful. It’s fine, even. But if you answer, “No,” or even, “Not in a long time,” it’s always met with a confused disappointment, or even a follow-up question like, “Oh, not volleyball... but basketball, right? In college?” with such a weird hopefulness that almost necessitates some variety of “yes,” to help confirm whatever stereotypes the person has about who or what a tall woman should be. I certainly don’t go around asking short men if they’re gymnasts or jockeys, so it’s bizarre that the opposite takes place so frequently.

Navigating a world of shorter men

Across the board, the women I talked to for this article all love their height. They’re confident and self-assured. They sincerely enjoy being the tallest person in most rooms (especially when wearing heels), but that doesn’t mean the dynamic of being a tall woman in a world of shorter men isn’t sometimes awkward. Take, for instance, Alaina Johnson, a 6’0″ business owner from Dallas, who shared, “I was once at a business meeting where this guy stood on a chair — stood on a chair — to give me a hug. Granted, he was a shorter man and he was poking fun at himself, too, but we were at a business meeting.” And at a business meeting, there’s no good response to such a strange action.

Then there’s my sister, Mary McCoy, a PhD student and social worker who recounts many semi-combative conversations with men who think they’re taller than they actually are, “Inevitably, a guy who’s is maybe 5’11” will round up his height to 6’2″, then find it necessary to spar with me when I insist that no, I really am 6’3″, and he’s the one with the measuring problems.”

And finally, there are some cultural expectations that can actually interfere with a chosen career. As a professional dancer, LaBonde says, “It’s difficult for me to partner in dance. In heels I’m six feet tall, and most guys who dance, for whatever reason, are under six foot. Being partnered with someone shorter is difficult and aesthetically, not pleasing.” But it’s not just partnering that can be a challenge, “Today a director told me I was too tall for a role. It’s not the first time I’ve heard that, either.”

Lack of leg room on flights

If you think the leg room on flights is bad when you’re an averaged-sized person, just think how much worse it is when you’ve got the long legs of a gazelle. Johnson took a flight to Europe a few years ago and said, “I rode coach. I swear the airline had us in there like sardines. I basically had to keep my legs in the aisle the whole time, and gave the death stare to the person in front of me. That ish was about to get real if she leaned her seat back.” So yeah, be kind to tall people on flights. Think about offering your aisle seat to a long-legged passenger stuck at the window, or simply don’t lean your seat back. We really do need those extra two or three inches of space.

Messy bun problems

Aside from the fact that messy buns easily tack a couple extra inches onto a tall woman’s height (not a bad thing, of course), those extra inches can actually cause some problems. Megan Semanski, a 5’10” educator in Jefferson, Oregon says, “I can’t wear a messy bun on the top of my head and drive in my car. My hair smooshes on the roof of my car and has actually gotten closed in the moonroof a time or two.” Whoops.

Awkward group photo poses

When you’re a full head taller than some of your friends, group photos becomes a weird experience. Do you crouch? Half squat? Bend over or lean in? Kneel? The best solution is never clear, and it always looks awkward. Take this photo of me and two of my friends, for instance. It’s like the Sesame Street jingle, “Which one of these is not like the others?” Even crouching and leaning in still has me towering over my friends.

Back pain

In polling and research conducted by tall women’s clothing brand, Long Tall Sally, a full 76-percent of tall women experience back pain. In my somewhat less-scientific research and polling, I’d say that number is closer to 100 percent. I’ve literally never met a tall woman who hasn’t had back pain. Whether that’s because long limbs and levers lead to more opportunities for muscular imbalances and injuries, or that tall women are more likely to slouch, sit at non-ergonomic desks, or fail to exercise their cores sufficiently to help prevent pain, the result is the same: sometimes debilitating bouts of complete misery. I feel for you, girl, I’ve been there. And as an exercise physiologist I can also attest that regular exercise, particularly exercise that targets the core, back, and shoulders, is particularly important.

Being unable to escape “the conversation”

It’s not just questions about sports that arise when you’re tall, it’s questions or comments about height, in general. Whenever you meet someone new, or you just make small talk with someone at the store, the subject of height inevitably arises. My sister-in-law, a 6’2″ psychologist and mother of two relays the challenge, “I’m very glad I’m tall, and I find myself hoping that my daughters will be, too. I cannot imagine having had that hope back in middle school. The primary lingering issue is that my height is such a regular part of conversations with folks. Most of these conversations aren’t negative. They just happen so frequently and people seem oblivious to how often I hear questions, observations, or compliments about my height. Height guessing is the most annoying, and compliments are the easiest to manage, of course.”

She clarifies that these conversations have become less challenging over the years, “The license people give themselves to comment on a child’s body is ridiculous! People seem to police themselves better when talking to an adult, in general. It’s been decades since someone has idiotically tried to touch the top of my head. That was the worst.”

At the end of the day, conversations are bound to take place. Any woman who stands taller than the average man is unusual, of course, and height is a part of our identity. That said, don’t be a moron. Tall women hear about their height from everyone they meet. Try striking up a conversation about anything else – it’ll set you apart from all the other people who think our height is the obvious icebreaker.

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Shirley Won
Special to The Globe and Mail

University of Ottawa student Leila Moumouni-Tchouassi has struggled to finance and finish her degree over the past six years. But she aims to finally get her BA in international development and globalization in 2019 and then find a job as a community services worker. After juggling full- and part-time jobs and helping her parents financially on occasion, she is feeling the strain of owing $30,000 on her government student loan and $6,000 on her credit card.

"Most of my stress comes from all this debt," says the 23-year-old undergrad who works for her university's student union as well as part-time at a clothing store for tall women. "I am 6 foot 5 and my clothes are very expensive. I started working at the store so that I could get a discount on clothes." Many students are relying on financial aid and part-time work to fund their education as tuition fees climb. For the 2018-2019 academic year, average undergrad post-secondary tuition in Canada rose to $6,838, up 3.3 per cent from the previous year. Loans may be the only way for some to afford higher education, but students need to be mindful of the pitfalls when borrowing and repaying them.

LOANS

"There is good debt and bad debt, but definitely getting a student loan to improve your education and employability is good debt," says Laurie Campbell, chief executive officer of Credit Canada, a credit-counselling agency.

"But one of the things that we see with students is that they don't judiciously use that money over the year. They sometimes blow it in the first couple of months."

To avoid a cash crunch after paying for tuition and books, students should consider a part-time job and figure out a monthly budget to cover rent, food and sundry costs such as transportation, Ms. Campbell advises. "What we see often is many young people coming out of school with large credit-card debt."

Students often don't worry about racking up loans because they figure they can pay it off once they get their "plum career position, but the reality is that they have to start at the bottom," she says. "Often, the income does not allow for a reasonable repayment for all this debt. They can find themselves in default, and not knowing how to manage it."

But applying for a government loan is worthwhile, even if a student qualifies for only a small one, because it opens the door to potential scholarships, bursaries and grants, says financial blogger Kyle Prevost, co-author of More Money for Beer and Textbooks, a financial guide for Canadian students.

In addition to federal and provincial loans, students may be eligible for free money.

Ottawa offers grants of up to $3,000 a year for full-time students from lower-income families. Ontario and New Brunswick provide free tuition for students meeting income criteria. And Newfoundland and Labrador give students grants if they study in-province or outside for certain programs.

LINE OF CREDIT

A student line of credit is also an option for funding, he says. "If parents co-sign with the student, that should drop the interest rate substantially." Interest on a credit line must be paid once money is withdrawn, while interest on a government loan need not be repaid until after graduation and will generate an income-tax credit, too, he adds.

Some provinces, such as Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, don't charge any interest on their loans.

REPAYMENT

Repayment rules on government loans also vary. Most graduates don't need to pay back the federal portion until they earn $25,000 a year. For Ontario loans, graduates can wait until they make $35,000 a year. And British Columbia will forgive loans to students who work in publicly funded health-care facilities in underserved communities or with children in certain occupations.

Graduates need to "make an achievable plan to pay a loan back as soon as they are working," says Steve Bridge, a financial planner with Money Coaches Canada. "It's making sure you have enough money for everything else in your life, such as a cellphone, car insurance, rent, groceries and clothing. Sometimes people attack their loan too aggressively and they end up running up their credit cards."

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Models are known for their lanky physiques, but one former catwalk pro is attempting to trump the Guinness World Record holder for the world’s longest legs.

“I believe that they are definitely the longest in Australia and, as far as I know, in America too,” Caroline Arthur, a former model based in Melbourne, told Barcroft Media.

The 39-year-old mother of two has legs that extend 51.5 inches from hip to heel. Barcroft reported that the current record holder, Svetlana Pakratova, a Russian woman, has legs that measure 51.9 inches long.

“Because it’s so close, I think it is worth contacting them and finding out exactly where they measure from and getting an official, accurate measurement done,” Arthur, who is a dermotherapist, told the website.

Arthur stands at 6 feet 2 inches tall, and her legs account for 69 percent of her body.

When she began modeling around age 15, her legs helped her nab gigs but also get rejected from them, she told Barcroft.

“I was told that I’m too tall for Australian beauty standards and couldn’t model clothes because they just wouldn’t fit me,” Arthur told Barcroft. “So as much as I did get work because of my long legs, I also got knocked back for the same reason.”

Her husband, named only as Cameron, is about the same height as her.

“Being married to her is definitely good for my posture because I have to stand up straight,” Cameron joked to Barcroft.

Cameron reportedly built the family’s house with 10-foot-tall ceilings and extra-high kitchen countertops for their tall family.

After struggling with self-image issues as a teenager, Arthur said she has learned to embrace her height yet still struggles to find close that fit her lengthy frame.

“I can honestly say now, as a 39-year-old woman, I’m the most secure in my own skin that I have ever been,” she told Barcroft. “I feel more beautiful than I ever have in my life. It takes time, and you go through stages, but now I definitely see my legs as a positive thing.”

The couple’s children, 13-year-old Cooper, who stands at 6 feet 2 inches tall, and 15-year-old Zoe, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall, agree.

“I think that Mom looks really beautiful, and I really aspire to look like her,” Zoe told Barcroft.

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Growing up, my dad and other respective members of the Johnson clan had a tried-and-true warning:

Straighten up and behave, or else face the wrath of Tall Betsy and Bloody Bones.

For the uninitiated, Tall Betsy and her accomplice  /lover? / prisoner Bloody Bones snatch naughty children away from their parents and - among other terrible acts that were usually left to the collective imagination of my brother and me - grind their bones to dust.

I was maybe 8 and my brother 6 when we first heard the scraping sound of fingernails along our playroom window. We'd run out of the room, hoping to find someone, only to be stopped at the front door. Instead of being greeted by our parents, we'd see a figure, tall, and scratching at the door, just out of view. We'd scream, run into the bedroom, and wait to be comforted by our parents, occasionally promising to be better and not bicker with each other.

Tall Betsy, an abnormally tall woman with white, stringy hair, dark eyes and blood-stained lips, used to haunt my dad, his siblings and cousins while they stayed at their Grandma's house. In the mid-1960s there'd be about half a dozen children playing at any given time and causing some sort of stir. My dad recalls the single light bulbs that would hang in the center of each room, carelessly tossing shadows along the high ceilings and wooden floor with gaps between the planks.

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"Don's Wife", director Vinod Pande's first novel, is all about human relationships

The novel is the saga of revenge, hope, aspirations, betrayals, tragedies, triumphs and is the story of tall men and even taller women.

Vinod Pande, the award winning director, who has made several films like Ek Baar Phir, Yeh Nazdikeeyan and Sins among others, has written his first novel "Don's Wife" (Mahaveer Publishers). Well first for all intents and purposes since he has no idea about what happened to his first short novel "Ek Baar Phir" - brought out in the market after the release of the film.

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Tall Clubs International

The main Tall Organization

By Zoe Beaty - 23 September 2015
Junior Commissioning Editor/ Senior Features Writer

‘Oh my goodness!’ says the photographer, as he crouches by my feet. I’m sat in probably one of the most compromising positions of my career so far: squeezing (with ungraceful difficulty) both bum cheeks on to a chair more or less the size of one of my size eight – OK, sometimes size nine – shoes. It’s a child’s chair and I, quite obviously, am a rather large adult. Or, as the photographer puts it between bellowing ‘Ha!’ every couple of seconds, ‘You’re enormous!’

He was, of course, joking. And I didn’t mind – besides, it’s not like I haven’t heard it before. I’m six feet tall with a 35-inch leg – which makes me far from small, despite being a size 12. I’m the girl who blocks your view at gigs, who hugs you awkwardly and walks with a subtly bowed head and a slightly self-conscious stoop.

Being a tall woman naturally attracts a lot of attention. As many other ‘outsized’ women will know, people (usually strangers) like to point out height as a ‘surprising’ fact that may have formerly gone unnoticed. To get you up to speed, if you’re of average height or smaller,imagine being told every day – or most days – that you have ears. ‘Oh, yes, I do,’ you’d reply, acting politely enlightened. Then,if you’re like me, you’ll turn around to obscure your face while violently rolling your eyes. Of course, despite annoyances (being asked, ‘How’s the weather up there?’ is rage-inducing), being tall has its perks– even the term ‘above average’ height connotes positivity and being ‘statuesque’ has long been viewed as an attribute of superiority. It’s the reason most women torture their toes in sky-high heels and why men on Tinder blatantly lie about their height. But, despite so many women coveting loftiness, its association with masculinity often means that, practically, it’s not always what it’s cracked up to be.

It might sound like a humblebrag, but having legs too long to fit under a desk –or, on a more uncomfortable level, within the confines of a standard plane seat – is genuinely pretty irritating. In women’s toilets I can rarely look in the mirrorwithout doing an awkward knee bend– something I often whip out in group photos, lest my head gets completely cutoff. Hugging short people means my chest is in perfect alignment with their face and I’ve only ever found one bath that was long enough for me to lie down in. At school I was the ‘lanky’ one, sometimes called names for standing out a little too much and put in detention for my standard-size uniform skirtwhich, simply because I had more to show, revealed more leg than the other girls’ skirts did. And as a young teenager I was disliked by boys who I unwittingly emasculated. It’s hard to put your arm around someone almost a foot taller than you – they tended to prefer the ‘cuter’ girls who could sit daintily on their lap. Later, my height became a more prominent part of my identity – while my friends were defined as ‘the funny one’ or ‘the pretty one’, I was branded ‘the tall one’.

Slowly, as I went out more to pubs and clubs, my body became a kind of public property. Guys would think nothing of walking up to me and prodding my legs as if to prove they were real, and sweaty men pressed their clammy bodies against mine in a ‘height comparison’ game. If they ‘won’, their chests would swell with pride at their newly validated masculinity– if they lost, I’d be not only tall but ‘freakishly’ so, to soothe their bruised egos. Compliments always come off as slightly back-handed: ‘Don’t worry,’ I’m often told, ‘I like tall women!’ as though I should be grateful that someone is finally interested in me, despite my being a small giantess.

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Tall Girls auf DVD

Wer TALL GIRLS bei ARTE verpasst hat, kann sich immer noch hier im Store die Kinofassung auf DVD bestellen!

Und so funktioniert es: wenn Ihr in Deutschland, Österreich oder der Schweiz wohnt und eine deutsche Fassung kaufen möchtet, drückt Ihr einfach auf “store” und wählt aus, in welches Land der Film geschickt werden soll, bevor Ihr bezahlt. Ihr könnt über PayPal direkt bezahlen, auch wenn Ihr keine Kreditkarte habt, sondern nur eine EC-Karte. Wer nicht gern online einkauft oder keine EC-Karte hat, kann sich gern mit uns in Verbindung setzen. Ihr könnt uns das Geld dann direkt überweisen. Wer eine internationale Fassung bestellen möchte oder großen Freundinnen oder Verwandten im Ausland eine Freude machen möchte: bitte drückt auf den englischen Button und dann auf “store.” Dort habt Ihr die Auswahl zwischen zwei internationalen Fassungen. Wir bearbeiten jeden Eingang sofort und verschicken die Filme so schnell wie möglich! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Tall Girls

Eins davon bin ich. Ich bin Filmemacherin und 1,86m groß. Fünf Jahre habe ich gebraucht, um diesen Film wirklich zu machen. Warum? Weil ich – wie alle großen Frauen bisher nicht gern darüber geredet habe, wie es sich wirklich anfühlt, so groß zu sein. Mit diesem Film gehen wir an die Öffentlichkeit. Das Leben ab 1,85 ist anders. Egal, ob Du Model bist, Basketballerin oder ein völlig normales Leben führst. Hier oben gelten andere Regeln.

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Tall Girls DVD is available!

The Tall Girls DVD is available right here at our "store". This it how it works: there are two international versions available, one is PAL, the other NTSC, both with English subtitles. If you are not sure what you need, contact us, we'll look it up for you. Rule of thumb: you'll need NTSC in Canada, the US, Japan and much of South America and PAL in most of Europe and Australia. If you are from a SECAM country in Eastern European countries or from France please make sure that your DVD player will play a PAL DVD. Also, I would like to draw your attention to the less digitally inclined. If you have tall mothers or grandmothers or even great-grandmothers who grew up tall in the 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s, please make them aware of this film or – even better – give it to them as a gift. During my screening tour with Tall Girls I met tall women well over 70 years old who had had a very annnoying and difficult time growing up. Some of their stories moved us to tears. They told us that for them TALL GIRLS was a belated recognition that they had not been alone in their experiences. It's so much easier for us to connect with each other now so let's applaud those who had to figure it out all by themselves and paved the way for us. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tall Girls

I'm one of them. I'm a filmmaker and 6'1" (1.86m) tall. It took me five years to make this film. Why? Because like most tall women, I don't like talking about what it really feels like to be so tall. But now we're going public. It doesn't matter if you're a model or basketball player or if you lead a very normal existence, life above 1.85m (6') is different. Other rules apply up here. "Tall Girls – A Story Of Giants" chronicles my journey into the heart of tall.

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Tall Girls - eins davon bin ich. Ich bin Filmemacherin und 1,86m groß. Fünf Jahre habe ich gebraucht, um diesen Film wirklich zu machen. Warum? Weil ich - wie alle großen Frauen bisher nicht gern darüber geredet habe, wie es sich wirklich anfühlt, so groß zu sein.

Mit diesem Film gehen wir an die Öffentlichkeit. Das Leben ab 1,85 ist anders. Egal, ob Du Model bist, Basketballerin oder ein völlig normales Leben führst. Hier oben gelten andere Regeln. Tiiu und Michelle sind Top-Models und zu groß für ihren Job. Arianne hat eine Mutter, die ihre Größe nicht mag. Sarah lässt sich operieren, um nicht 1,90m zu werden, Lea nimmt Hormone, die für Kinder nicht zugelassen sind. Lisa ist zwei Meter groß und könnte ein Basketball-Star werden, wenn sie sich sehr anstrengt. Aber sie möchte lieber ein richtiges Mädchen sein.

Das Internet ist voll von Mädchen, die an ihrem Wachstum verzweifeln und bereit sind, alles zu tun, damit es endlich aufhört. Jeder Kinderarzt hat heutzutage eine Größentabelle an der Wand hängen, an der man von klein auf erkennen kann, ob man normal ist oder nicht.

Aber was ist eigentlich normal? Jede Norm ist ein Durchschnittswert aus vielen Menschen. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass man dieser Norm exakt entspricht, ist sehr gering. Trotzdem wachsen wir in einer Gesellschaft auf, in der uns vielfach über unsere Familie und unser Umfeld sehr deutlich vermittelt wird, ob wir reinpassen oder nicht. Besonders als Mädchen. Groß, laut und selbstbewusst - besser nicht.

Dabei werden wir oft das, was andere in unseren Körpern sehen. Tiiu, Michelle, Arianne, Sarah, Lea und Lisa zeigen in diesem Film, wie sie leben, was sie fühlen und wie sie mit ihrer Größe umgehen. Und was ihre Größe aus ihnen gemacht hat.

Manchmal ist es zum Weinen, oft zum Lachen, vor allen Dingen aber verliebt man sich in diese Tall Girls, die ganz offen zeigen, wie schwer und gleichzeitig befreiend es sein kann, neben der Norm zu leben.

Tall girls unite! Women are sharing their pictures in #TallGirlTwitter

By Rebecca Keane

We've all been there - suffering dumb comments from strangers or friends alike because of our height. Big Bird, Gigantor, BFG are just a few mean names that spring to mind.

Finally, tall girls are getting the appreciation they deserve in a form of a hashtag online.

#TallGirlsTwitter is a hashtag tweeters began using to support the acceptance of beauty at all heights.

In a society where petite women are prized, taller women can struggle to feel beautiful and can even sometimes be mocked when buying high heels or trying to find a partner. RUDE.

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Tall Is about More Than Height, Says Local Clothing Company

Two sisters set out to create a fashion line, Amalli Talli, that caters to tall women, building a community of body positivity locally and online

By Anne Kopas, Published: November 2017

Local clothing company Amalli Talli describes its mission with a provocative tagline: “We strongly believe that tall isn’t solely defined by height and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.”

Wait, tall isn’t defined by height?

It’s a piece of the larger fashion trend of body positivity, of accepting that we’re not all built like supermodels and that every body is different. Amy Rosenthal and Alli Black, two sisters who stand 6’ 3.5” and 5’10.5” respectively, understand this on a personal level. Despite both being tall, each sister found different challenges in shopping the “tall” sections of women’s clothing. Some women carry their height in long torsos; others with long legs. Because of this, one tall size doesn’t always fit all.

The sisters opened Amalli Talli in an Eden Prairie mall in 2014 to provide clothing that met both their own needs and those of other tall women. “We needed a solution that represented the full spectrum of women,” Rosenthal says. They borrowed concepts from men’s clothing sizing, labeling their selection by inseam length and other measures of proportion instead of the ambiguous numbers that plague most women’s clothing. The sisters describe the store’s style as “approachable,” offering both staple pieces (jeans, black dresses, activewear) and trendier clothing (the type of thing you’d see on Pinterest, Rosenthal says).

During their time as a brick-and-mortar shop before going exclusively online last year, Rosenthal and Black say the emotional response to their clothing was unexpected. Women would laugh or cry with relief at finding clothing that made them feel at home in their own body after feeling self-conscious about their height for so long. They describe a long-legged woman who was still too short to shop most “tall” shops, and her excitement over finally finding jeans that fit. “We want to create a community where women feel comfortable,” Black says.

In order to expand this community, Amalli Talli closed their physical store and went online-only. It's a sign of the times, not a sign of defeat: it's simply easier to reach a wider audience if your customers can shop from their homes. So far, the sisters say they’ve received messages of thanks from women as far away as Australia. “It speaks to the time that we’re in,” Black says. It also allows them to grow their private label, in addition to their curated selection of clothing from other designers.

As the business grows, the sisters hope to make a positive contribution to the self-esteem of tall women everywhere. As Black writes on Amalli Talli’s website, “Nothing is more rewarding than giving people the opportunity to feel good about themselves.” 

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Tall Life is now available in both eBook format and paperback on Amazon (.com, .co.uk, .ca etc.). There is also a website that parallels and extends the book: http://www.Tall.Life. The following is a description of the book and then the author.

Being tall coincides with considerable professional, athletic, and social benefits. Yet there are also some problems for tall people, and these raise some questions. For instance, if longer levers and more cells really are behind increased risk of injuries and cancer, then how is it that giraffes get by? And why is it that society reveres tall stature, but then compromises our safety with cramped cars and other things? And, as tall women might be pondering, where have all the tall, dark, and handsome men gone? Lastly, what can be done about all this? These questions and more will all be answered by a tall protagonist over eight chapters: Evolution, Scaling, Spine, Manufactured, Ergonomics, Growth, Longevity, and Society.

About the Author: Sam Lochner received his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2013. His work and research relates to mass customization and biomechanics. At 6'7", he has experienced both the pros and cons of being tall. In particular, it was central in both reaching the provincial volleyball level, but then becoming a chronic back pain sufferer. Yet by drawing on his engineering aptitude, he was able to recover. This, and other experiences related to his height, inspired him to write Tall Life.

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Here's some important advice to women who are interesting in becoming a model: A 6'3" friend of mine who is actually a catwalk model has compiled her thoughts and sent me her "notes on modelling". Plus: "What if someone wants me to model for them?".

Are you looking for women 5'10" or over to present your product, appear on Television or in a movie? Our tallest models are 6'9" and 6'7" respectively and really outstanding. Feel free to browse all models...

Not all of these ladies are, of course, the typical model type (like Twiggy, Moss, Schiffer etc.). In fact they come in different shapes and sizes. That is why we also have a "Physique" column in the list below.

Tall N Curly is a 5'11 1/2" lady who is a graphic designer and illustrator with a great sense of humour (and a lot of talent). You are going to LOVE her comics.

She writes about herself "Lastly, the fact of being tall AND curly, let me tell yall, that's something you better accept and love because otherwise, your life can be a hell of a nightmare. You simply CANNOT HIDE no matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter how hard you try. You are THERE. So yeah, some days you just feel like you could have used a little bit of invisibility but in the end, all that matters is to feel great about yourself at least 99% of the time. That's where I'm at, so I'm able to laugh about everything that makes a curly and/or tall girl life's sometimes irritating, and so that's how and why I draw my lil comics."

Visit her website