6ft 2in Sophie, 12, towers over pals and her parents as she sets new record

Sophie can touch ceilings at home and is 18 inches taller than most classmates

Exclusive By Lynsey Clarke and Jennifer Wiley
30th May 2018, 11:05 pm Updated: 30th May 2018, 11:05 pm

RECORD-breaking 12-year-old Sophie Hollins stands proud at 6ft 2in, as she towers over her pals and even her mum and dad.

The schoolgirl can touch ceilings at home, and is 18 inches taller than most classmates.

Sophie, who Guinness World Records believe is the world’s tallest pre-teen, said: “I’ve always known I was different. I’ve been tallest in my class from day one.”

But while she says it is “cool” to be so tall, she adds that she will be delighted if a recent procedure to stunt her growth is successful. 

Sophie - who looks down on 5ft 10in dad Ian, 5ft 4in mum Lorraine, both 44, and 4ft 7in brother Aaron, ten - was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome at eight months.

The life-threatening genetic disorder affects the body’s connective tissues.

It can cause organ problems, or lead to extreme height.

Sophie was 4ft 10in at age six. Aged ten and 5ft 11in, doctors curbed her surge by destroying growth tissue in her knees and giving her hormones to speed up puberty. 

Sophie, from Southampton, said: “Mum told me about Marfan syndrome when I was little. It’s who I am. I’m proud of that.

“But I’m happy I might have finished growing. It’s cool to be 6ft 2in but I don’t want to be much taller.

“Now my friends are starting to catch up. The last few years have been tough with everything my body has been through. But I’m happy it’s over and am excited about becoming a teenager.”

Dental receptionist Lorraine added: “I always told Sophie people are going to stare. Boys at school called her a giraffe. There was a time she was so skinny I feared her legs would snap in half.”

Guinness says the world tallest man is Turkish farmer Sultan Kösen, 35, at 8ft 2.8in. The tallest woman is China’s 7ft 3in Sun Fang, 30.

DO you know a taller girl? Call our newsdesk on 020 7782 4104 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Read the original article (has pictures)

Thailand’s tallest woman Malee Duangdee who was once recorded by Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest woman with a height of 214 cm has died of high blood pressure at the age of 24.A sketchy report said that she was rushed to Borai district hospital in Trat province with high blood pressure and she was later pronounced dead.

Her body was later taken to Wat Chang Klua in Tambon Huey Raeng, Muang district by her parents, Mr Man and Mrs Jee Kohsod.

However, it was discovered that her body could not be put into the coffin as it is too small and a new coffin has to be made.

Here is a more detailed article

The girl who is too tall to walk: Teenager who stands at SEVEN FOOT relies on a wheelchair as her bones can't support her body 

• Rumeysa Gelgi, 19, from Turkey is world's tallest female teenager
• Has Weaver Syndrome, which causes accelerated bone growth 
• Says her parents help her cope as they always made her feel special
• Features in new TLC series of Body Bizarre

By Siofra Brennan For Mailonline
Published: 10:25 GMT, 28 September 2016 | Updated: 12:40 GMT, 28 September 2016

Towering at a staggering seven foot tall, Rumeysa Gelgi is the world's tallest teenage girl. Hailing from Safranbolu, a small town in the north of Turkey, the 19-year-old always stood out from her friends growing up. Rumeysa said: 'I received long stares from people because I looked different and they were naturally curious about me.

The teenager suffers from a rare condition called Weaver Syndrome - at the time of her birth in 1997 there had only been 20 reported cases. People with the condition experience rapid growth from birth, as well as other health issues such as a lack of knee and elbow extension, making activities like walking or running very difficult.

She added: 'I became aware of my health condition when I was about five or six years old. I started to wonder why I looked different from other kids of my age.' As well as Weaver Syndrome, Rumeysa also suffers from scoliosis, a condition which has given her a curvature of the spine.

Due to her rapid growth, Rumeysa has issues getting around as her bones struggle to support her body and she relies on her parents' help. Her mother, Safiye Gelgi, gave birth to her six weeks prematurely as doctors noticed she was above average size even as a baby due to her condition. Safiye said: 'Rumeysa was a big baby at the very early stages of my pregnancy.

'My doctor told me that she was not a normal baby. Because of that she was born early at seven and a half months.'

Growing up Rumeysa's condition became more apparent as she rapidly grew and had more distinct features. 'She was taller than normal. She had deep, raspy voice. Her hands and feet were big. She looked very unusual not like other babies.' Safiye added.

Despite her rare condition the tall teen remains upbeat, thanks in part to her loving parents. She said: 'As a child I questioned myself but I never felt unhappy. I overcome this with my parents' help. 'They told me that this syndrome is was rare. Because of them I felt the most important person in the world.' Rumeysa was certified the tallest female teenager in the world by Guinness World Records in 2014. Rumeysa said: 'It's one of my biggest dreams to be awarded with this record. 'Being a record-holder is a very amazing thing. I know that only the special people can make it and I know I'm one of them now.'

Read the original article

This piece is several years old but still makes for a good read:

Towering over her teacher and friends this teenager stands an astonishing 6ft 11in tall and is the world's tallest teenage girl. The 16-year-old Jamaican Marvadene Anderson is, perhaps not surpisingly, a basketball ace and terrorises opposing school teams. Marvadene, who is studying under scholarship in the U.S. is five inches taller than Michael Jordan , her idol in the sport.

Read the full article

A mundane coincidence turns into a mild obsession with the uniquely tragic life of a 7'7" Indiana woman who died a folk hero.

In 1976, in Shelbyville, Ind., a city of about 20,000 southeast of Indianapolis, a film premiere was held. The picture was Fellini's Casanova. A highly conceptual Italian art house flick about sexual deviance was not what this audience was used to; the house, nonetheless, was packed. A local was in it, a 21-year-old everyone knew about but whom few knew well. She now sat nervously waiting for it to start, concerned about what her neighbors were going to think of it, of her.

"For his giant work, he even imported a giantess from America," one news article about the picture had read, a find that had ended director Federico Fellini's, "worldwide search for an amazon."

She was credited: "Sandra E. Allen – Giantess."

Read the full article

About this section

Firstly let me say that I am not going to update "The Tallest Known Women" section even though it was a part of this website for many years. 

I have found that it doesn't serve a real purpose (at least not as far as my tall lady visitors are concerned). On the other hand its effects could be seen as negative since I have heard that some stalkers used the listings in order to stalk tall women on the list. Obviously I never wanted that to happen.

Please note there's a Wikipedia listing that does the trick: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_people

Who is the tallest woman in the world now???

To be honest I haven't got a clue.

According to this Indian article her name is Siddiqa Parvin and she is supposedly 8ft tall. I am not sure I am inclined to believe this. But maybe we will find out soon. Here is a YouTube video:

There are a few really tall ladies who have died not too long ago. Since I promised my visitors to always remember De-Fen Yao, Sandy Allen and Malgorzata Dydek I will do exactly that:

Elisany suffers from gigantism from a tumour on her pituitary gland. Couple have been together three years and have lived together for a year. Elisany still draws stares but Francinaldo says he is proud to show her off. The pair want a long engagement but are already planning the wedding. Although only 18, she hopes to conceive soon due to fears over her fertility

Read the full article

Jul 16, 2015 4:00 PM
Liza Darwin

Thanks to the recent uptick in cool-girl brands with petite lines - like Reformation's "Don't Call Me Cute" collection and 7 For All Mankind's "Tailorless" denim - the short woman's shopping options have never been better. But what about those on the other side of the height spectrum? Taller ladies are still stuck with their own sartorial problems, such unintentional ankle-baring pants or too-short shirts that become de-facto crop tops. Sure, labels like ASOS Tall have provided a welcome selection of casual pieces, but when it comes to dressing up, we've just found a new savior: Marge. As one of the first luxury clothing lines designed specifically for tall women, each piece is tailored for those who stand at 5 foot 9 and taller (which, incredibly, is about 36% of the population).

In 2014, after she had trouble finding clothing that suited her 6 foot 1 frame, Marge founder Kaersten Cooper decided to design her wardrobe herself. The label's debut fall/winter collection, which is aptly titled "Life Up Here," includes elegant and timeless items like tailored trousers, pencil skirts, and overcoats. The clothes themselves might be classic, but the difference lies in the details: the dresses are elongated, the straight-leg pants are cut a bit higher, and the silk tees delicately define with waist without showing any stomach. And, not to mention, the brand boasts one of the most exhaustive fit guides we've ever seen - so women ranging from 5 foot 9 all the way up to 6 foot 5 and beyond can find their best sizes and fits. Marge's debut collection ranges from $300 to $1,200 and launches online today. Shop it here, click through to read our interview with Cooper, and prepare to stand tall.

Read the full article

I know a lot of people still would like to know who the tallest known living women are (taller than 6'6 1/2 or 2 metres)

Please note: I'm not updating the list anymore. There are no links either. If you would like to know more about the ladies listed here you need to do your own research. Sorry about that.

7'4 1/2" (224 cm)

Maria Feliciana Santos (Brazil)

7'0 1/4" (214 cm)

Esther Fosuaah, Brong-Ahafo (Ghana)

7'0" (213 cm)

Zainab Bibi (United Kingdom, originally from Pakistan)

Rumeysa Gelgi (Turkey)

Uljana Semjonova (Latvia)

Lyuba Shilo, Chernihiv (Ukraine)

6'11" (211 cm)

Marvadene Anderson (USA, originally from Jamaica)

Gwen Bachman, Englewood CO (USA)

Linda Bruno, Detroit MI (USA)

Gitika Srivastava (USA - originally from India)

6'10 1/2" (209 cm)

Zorana Todorovic, Vrsac (Serbia and Montenegro)

6'10" (208 cm)

Ellen Bayer, Dallas TX (USA)

Malee Duangdee - formerly listed as Mari Doartes, 6'9 1/2" (Thailand)

Jaana Kotova, West Virginia (USA, originally from Estonia)

Silvia Mesa, Florida International University FL (USA, originally from Spain)

Dharshani Sivalingam, Batticaloa (Sri Lanka)

Alana Renaud, AL (USA)

6'9 1/2" (207 cm)

Liu Li (China)
Note: It looks like Liu Li is (or was) in hospital to be treated (I guess they want to stop her growth by removing the tumor). I wish I knew how to contact her or her parents... I guess it's time for another appeal as soon as I find out how we can get the money to her.

Darina Yegerova, Novosibirsk (Russia)

6'9" (206 cm)

Marina Burmistrova (Russia)

Allyssa DeHaan, Grandville MI (USA)

Antje Dethloff, Kiel (Germany)

Nelly Fonova (Russia)

Ekaterina Gamova (Russia)

Suzy Gyarfash, University of California CA (USA, originally from Israel)

Lindsay Hayward, CA (USA)

Alena Krauchanka aka Elena Kravchenko (Belarus)

An Li (China)

Kathleen McIntyre, Arizona (USA)

Liubovi Pascalenco, Chisinau (Moldova)

Oleksandra Prystupa (Ukraine)

Aly Stosz, MA (USA)

Connie Waikle, Los Angeles CA (USA)

Wei Wei (China)

Caroline Welz (Germany)

Ugyur Yushaguli (China)

6'8 3/4" (205 cm)

Ekaterina Lisina (Russia)

Irina Roth (Germany)

6'8" (203 cm)

Kylee Ballensky, Eastern Michigan University (USA)

Rita Miniva Besa, Chicago IL (USA, originally from Zambia)

Vasso Beskaki (Greece)

Razija Brcaninovic (USA, originally from Bosnia)

Elizabeth Cambage (Australia)

Kristina Cesnaviciute, FL (USA, originally from Kaunas, Lithuania)

Kelly Ditto, Fremont CA (USA)

Anne Donovan, New Jersey (USA)

Ronda Falkena, Ellicottville NY (USA)

Katie Feenstra, Grand Rapids MI (USA)

Olga Firsova, New York NY (USA)

Heidi Gillingham, TX (USA)

Marla Jean Greves, CA (USA)

Barbara Hartman Lynn, IN (USA)

Anke Hillebrand, Duesseldorf (Germany)

Caroline Huttula, Hudiksvall (Sweden)

Julia Kiseleva (Uzbekistan)

Dominique Luijckx (The Netherlands)

Charlotte Lusschen, CA (USA)

Joyce Maddox, OH (USA)

Elena Matveeva (Ukraine)

Christa Morriss (USA)

Agnes Nemeth (Hungary)

Katie Payton, Greenville SC (USA)

Lindsey Prewitt, Lafayette LA (USA)

Sarah Roberts (England)

Rose-Marie Scheffler (France)

Rhonda Smith, Long Beach State University (USA)

Maria Stepanova (Russia)

Amanda Stringer (USA)

Lindsay Taylor, Santa Barbara CA (USA)

Giuseppina Tufano (Italy)

Geraldine Walton, Doncaster (UK)

Krikit Ward, Utah (USA)

Haixia Zheng (China)

Olga Zhuzhgova (Russia)

6'7 1/2" (202 cm)

Katja Bavendam, New York (USA, originally from Germany)

Tracey Beatty, Canberra (Australia)

Eun-Ju Ha (Japan, originally from South Korea)

Bára Konecna (Czech Republic)

Yulia Merkoulova, Zarechie (Russia)

Olga Potashova (Russia)

Svetlana Rodionova (Spain, originally from the Ukraine)

Isis de Melo Nascimento (Brazil)

Pascale van Roy (Belgium)

6'7" (201 cm)

Mary Augenblick, NJ (USA)

Erica Anderson, North Easton MA (USA)

Suzy Bendegue, Georgetown (USA, originally from Cameroon)

Claudia Barrett, FL (USA, originally from Jamaica)

Kim Bell, MS (USA)

Chandra Benton, CA (USA)

Beatrice Bofia, AZ (USA)

Barbara Bootz, New Jersey (USA)

Delores Bootz, New Jersey (USA)

Sara Broome, Shallowater TX (USA)

Elke Bruns (Germany)

Jessica Bruyere, Cape Elizabeth ME (USA)

Keshonda Carrier, Lake Charles LA (USA)

Lara Chaney, University of Idaho (USA)

Yngrid de Brito (Portugal, originally from Brazil)

Margaret de Ciman, KS (USA, originally from Canada)

Jasmine Duffy, Jonesboro GA (USA)

Cori Enghusen, Bothell WA (USA)

Kim Estes, TX (USA)

Erika Fall, Indianapolis IN (USA)

Maribeth Feenstra-Anderson, Grand Rapids MI (USA)

Diane Foley, MA (USA)

Gwendolyn Gillingham-McIlvaine, WI (USA)

Gillian Goring, Ft. Washington PA (USA, originally from Trinidad)

Angela Gorsica, Vanderbilt (USA)

Laurie Hockridge, Sparwood BC (Canada)

Cassie Hager, Perry IA (USA)

Tayyiba Haneef-Park, Laguna Hills CA (USA)

Anna Kajalinat (Estonia)

Stefanie Kasperski, New York NY (USA)

Kinga Kiss, Hillsboro MO (USA, originally from Romania)

Michelle Lynn Krough, Iowa (USA)

Vanessa Lilingston-Price (England)

Debra Luciano, Staten Island NY (USA)

EdMarie Lumbsly, Miami FL (USA, originally from Jamaica)

Aleshkina Lyubov (Ukraine)

Sarah McKay, Vancouver Island (Canada)

Capri Mlekush, Teaneck NJ (USA)

Nickeia Morris, Cincinnati OH (USA)

Jamie Nagle, Carthage TX (USA)

Jennifer Nichol, Knoxville IA (USA)

Paula Louise Pickett, Martin LA (USA)

Ann Recht, Canby OR (USA)

Claire Recht, Canby OR (USA)

Reicina Russell, Indianapolis IN (USA)

Colleen Smith, Texas Tech University TX (USA)

Tresa Spaulding, ID (USA)

Courtney Todaro, Haughton LA (USA)

Tiffany Tomlinson, Mt. Vermont NY (USA)

Emillie Toone,UT (USA)

Katie Ward, IL (USA, originally from Canada)

Kathy Weber-Southey (Canada)

Georgeann Wells-Blackwell, Columbus OH (USA)

Amie Williams, Cleveland MS (USA)

Kara Wolters, Connecticut (USA)

6'6 1/2" (200 cm)

Brigitte Balzer (Germany)

Kelly Berg nee Hunter, OR (USA)

Anna Beskova, Uralochka (Russia)

Manuela Cakmak nee Grau, Bavaria (Germany)

Dubravka Dacic (Italy, originally from Croatia)

Marina Dethloff, Luebeck (Germany)

Tara Eackles, Baylor University (USA)

Francesca Galasso (Italy)

Ivona Jerkovic, Belgrade (Serbia)

Monika Kessler (Germany)

Inga Kvasnika, Riga (Latvia)

Anna Pernice (Italy)

Elena Polenova (Russia)

Tatiana Smyrnidou (Greece)

Natalia Vieru (Moldova)

Alice Winslow, Mississippi (USA)

Oksana Zaretskaia, (Russia)

Xilian Zhang (China)

By Andrea Morabito - June 5, 2016 | 5:43am 

Blond and athletic, Katja Bavendam is used to turning heads.

As she walks down Chambers Street in Tribeca, a woman stops the 31-year-old to snap a photo. Another woman leans out of her car window in traffic to yell, “You’re beautiful!” Several other people do double-takes as they pass her on the sidewalk.

Such is life as a 6-foot-8-inch woman in New York City.

Bavendam is starring in Season 2 of TLC’s “My Giant Life” (premiering Tuesday at 10 p.m.), which follows the lives of six women over 6-foot-6-inches. They’re from all over the country, though being extremely tall in a crowded city like New York brings a unique set of trials and tribulations.

“Cabs are tight, the regular [ones]. I hail whatever stops by, but that’s definitely uncomfortable,” Bavendam tells The Post. “The subway, I usually get in at the middle door because at the end of the car there’s the AC units, so there’s less headroom. When it’s really crowded . . . if I turn around and make a wrong move, I literally elbow people in the face, and I don’t want to do that.”

Though her height didn’t stop her from marrying a shorter person (her wife, Julie, is 5-foot-2) or adopting two lap dogs (a beagle-Chihuahua mix and a terrier mix), there are certain “rules of life” when you’re 6-foot-8: Always pay for the extra-legroom seats on a flight.

Never take long bus trips. And avoid attending a show or play if it’s not worth sitting knees-to-chest for three hours.

Though there are pitfalls - Bavendam’s Tribeca studio apartment only fits a full-size bed — such height also comes with benefits, like always having an unobstructed view at a concert and never finding your face in someone else’s sweaty armpit on a rush-hour subway.

“It’s nice, you always have your own bubble and breathing room,” says Bavendam, who works as a traffic engineer at an urban planning firm near Madison Square Park.

She comes from a tall family: Bavendam’s mother is exactly 6 feet and her father and sister are both 6-foot-3-inches. So for the new TV star - who grew up in Germany and moved to Manhattan in 2011 - participating in “My Giant Life” was just a way to harness the attention she’s drawn her whole life.

“I get approached so much and my picture is floating around on fetish Web sites; I already feel like a public person,” she says. “I might as well have some fun with it... because my life already feels like I’m part of a show. People [on the street] feel entitled to talk to me and ask for my life story.” Graciously, Bavendam views the spotlight as more amusing than annoying.

“I find it fascinating that people are fascinated with my height.”

Read the original article

On August 18 TLC aired the final episode of “My Giant Life,” a reality show that followed four exceptionally tall women over a period of a several months. Episode 5 was a conversation between the 6’6” or taller women who agreed to be vulnerable enough to share their feelings, very personal moments, and the trials and tribulations of a life heads about most. Besides updating the audience about their lives, Lindsey, Haleigh, Coco, and Nancy discussed how the taping of the show impacted them and answered questions from the moderator.

As interesting as the show was, so were the many comments on its Facebook page and how they have changed over the past five weeks. The show has brought out haters, rubbed salt into open wounds among tall women and bridged a gap among people of all heights. It also created a heated conversation among the tall community on the Tall Clubs International Facebook page.

The first controversy focused on using the word “Giant” in the title of the program. Tall people hate being considered giants or giraffes. Even the ladies on the show weren’t keen on the title. As Coco said to her friend while taking a yoga class, “I’m not big, I’m tall.”

The next problem was the angle of the camera when the women spoke directly to the camera. As they talked about their specific lives, it appeared that they were sitting on small chairs and the camera was on the floor, angled upward. Viewers were quick to voice complaints about how the shots made the ladies look like giants among the Lilliputians.

As the weeks passed the storylines uncovered the raw emotion that ran just below the surface for each of the women. Buying long enough pants, “trying on” furniture to find sofas high enough and deep enough to be comfortable, and knee-bruising airplane seating were just a few of the trials that viewers experienced along with the ladies. Both Nancy and Haleigh let us tag along as they tried to find a prom dress and a wedding dress that covered their ankles and high heeled shoes without expensive alterations. Coco went on a blind date only to have the man turn and run after seeing how tall she was.

Read the full article

Rumeysa Gelgi stands at 7 feet and 0.09 inches tall. The 17-year-old likely has Weaver Syndrome, according to Guinness World Records, but that doesn't stop her from enjoying her unique height: 'I like being different from everyone else.'

A Turkish teenager has dreamed of breaking a record and she has. She's one of the tallest people in the world. Rumeysa Gelgi, 17, a native of Safranbolu, a town roughly 120 miles north of Ankara, holds the title for the tallest female teenager, according to a Guinness World Records news release. Doctors believe Gelgi has Weaver Syndrome, which explains her tall stature.

The high school student towers over her siblings and even parents. She stands at 7 feet tall and 0.09 of an inch and just to be sure, a doctor measured Gelgi three times in one day.

Read the full article

A Turkish woman from the Black Sea province of Karabük, who is 215.16 centimeters (7 feet, 0.7 inches) tall, has been named the tallest woman alive by Guinness World Records.

Rümeysa Gelgi, who was previously named the tallest (female) teenager alive at the age of 18 in 2014, claimed a second title when she was officially remeasured by Guinness this year.

The previous record-holder was China’s Yao Defen, who stood at 7 feet and 7 inches before she died in 2012 at the age of 40.

Born with Weaver syndrome, a rare condition that causes accelerated growth, Gelgi uses a wheelchair for most of her mobility. But she can use a walker for short periods of time.

“I am, of course, proud. Being the tallest woman made me feel special,” she told the Demirören News Agency on Oct. 14.

“Every disadvantage can be turned into an advantage for yourself, so accept yourself for who you are, be aware of your potential and do your best,” she said.

She also said that her height makes people intrigued when they pass her on the street, but most people are kind and supportive when they meet her for the first time.

One of Gelgi’s hobbies is swimming, and she enjoys meals with her family. Gelgi’s family said they are very proud of the world title she received and even more proud of the awareness she spreads.

It’s fascinating to see that the tallest male, Sultan Kösen, at 251 centimeters, is also from Turkey -- a rare occurrence in Guinness World Records history.

The last time the two holders shared the same nationality was in 2009, when China’s Bao Xi Shun (236.1 cm; 7 ft 8.95 in) and Yao Defen (233.3 cm; 7 ft 7 in) held the tallest male and female records, respectively.

Craig Glenday, the editor in chief of the Guinness World Records, also congratulated Gelgi.

“It’s an honor to welcome Rumeysa back into the record books. Her indomitable spirit and pride at standing out from the crowd is an inspiration,” he said.

“The category of tallest living woman is not one that changes hands very often, so I’m excited to share this news with the world,” he added.

Waitress bullied at school for being 6ft 7in snapped up by London modelling agency

Stephen Moyes
9 Jun 2020, 23:39 | Updated: 9 Jun 2020, 23:39

A WOMAN bullied for being 6ft 7ins tall is riding high after being scouted as a model.

Naomi Lovell, 22, gets unwanted sexual attention due to her striking stature, but is now celebrating towering over her peers.

At 6ft 2in aged just 13, she has grown up being jeered - with strangers even tapping her legs to 'check if she is on stilts'.

Her beanpole stature meant her love life hit the buffers, and Naomi has never had a boyfriend.

But the red-head cafe-worker, of Doncaster, Yorks., is now head and shoulders the happiest woman around after landing modelling gigs.

Naomi told how she has finally had the last laugh: "I was bullied in school for my height. Even teachers would comment on it.

"I was always picked for netball - even though I was rubbish at it - just because I'm tall.

"I do remember feeling like I was being used for my height.

"It affected my self-esteem and in some ways robbed me of my childhood as everyone always assumed I was much older and would treat me like an adult or expect me to be really mature.

"I've even had perverted men messaging me on Instagram, it makes me sick to my stomach. They have fetishes about tall women and always ask if I'm married.

"But I feel like I've really gained confidence since joining the modelling agency, they specialise in taller or unique looking girls.

"They asked me onto their books almost as soon as they met me, it was a real compliment, I finally felt beautiful."

Naomi's family look up to her, with mum, Karen, 58, a retired midwife, 5ft 7in, dad, Nigel, 51, a railway engineer, 6ft 2in, and sisters Bethan, 25, a student, and Amanda, 28, a warehouse worker, both 5ft 9in.

Naomi has been snapped up by London modelling agency Uglys, with photoshoot sessions boosting her confidence.

She said: "I had always been told that I should be a model with my long legs and height, but because I always felt like the odd one out I never really believed it.

"My mum organised a makeover session for me. And the photo agency in charge took one look at me and offered me a place on their books right away.

"It was such a good feeling. Although I was so nervous doing a photoshoot it was one of the first times I remember feeling really beautiful."

Read the original article (it has photos)

Wessels Schuhe

Damenschuhe in Übergrößen (fast ohne Begrenzung durch Maßanfertigung)

Zitat: "Wir meinen also: große Schuhe muß man anschauen und anfassen. Man muß sie anprobieren, um zu fühlen, ob sie passen und sitzen. Man muß sie angezogen sehen, um zu prüfen, ob sie typ- und stilgerecht sind, dem beabsichtigten Verwendungszweck entsprechen. Man muß dabei von einem Schuh zum anderen wechseln, den Vorgang nach Belieben wiederholen können, um zu einer gereiften Entscheidung zu gelangen. Unabdingbare Voraussetzung für einen gelungenen Schuhkauf ist unseres Erachtens nicht zuletzt die Möglichkeit, auch bei Übergrößen aus einer Fülle an Modellen erst einmal auszusuchen, was überhaupt in die engere Wahl kommen könnte. Das alles geht so nur an Ort und Stelle. Und deswegen gilt für uns: Keine Prospekte, kein Versand."

Über Wessels Schuhe

Als Europas Übergrößen Spezialist Nr. 1 sind wir ein Schuhhaus, das Schuhe nur in Übergrößen führt: Herrenschuhe bekommen Sie bei uns ab Größe 47, Damenschuhe ab Größe 42,5.

Auf einer Verkaufsfläche von 350 Quadratmetern zeigen wir Ihnen Damenschuhe in Übergrößen, sowohl Bequemschuhe in verschiedenen Weiten, als auch modische Damenpumps, Ballerinas, Sneaker, Stiefeletten, Stiefel, Snowboots, Pantoffeln, Pantoletten oder Sandaletten, je nach Jahreszeit.

In unserer Herrenabteilung finden Sie nur Herrenschuhe in Übergröße, elegant, klassisch, aber auch Bequemschuhe in unterschiedlichen Weiten, Wanderschuhe, Pantoffeln, Gummistiefel in Übergrößen, Arbeitsschuhe und Sicherheitsschuhe in Übergrößen.

Übergrößen-Sportschuhe führen wir in den Größen 48 bis Größe 56.

Unser Team spricht auch Niederländisch und Englisch. Wir bemühen uns, Sie stets freundlich und fachmännisch zu beraten.

Die größten Menschen der Welt tragen natürlich in extremer Übergröße Wessels-Schuhe.

So liefen die 2012 verstorbene Yao Defen aus China, die damals größte Frau der Welt (2,34 m) in Übergröße 57 und Sultan Kösen aus der Türkei, der größte Mann der Welt (2,51 m) in Übergröße 60, auf von uns gefertigten Schuhen. Denn wo konfektioniertes Schuhwerk in Übergrößen nicht zu bekommen ist, machen wir's in eigener Werkstatt.

Die größten von uns gefertigten Schuhe hatten die Schuhübergröße 69. Diese Riesen-Schuhe haben wir für den im Jahre 2006 verstorbenen Matthew Mc Grory hergestellt.

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Who is Buried in Famous Tall Betsy's Tomb?

"To Fort Hill Cemetery she will go, to her mausoleum, with YOU in tow!"

CLEVELAND, Tenn. - October 29, 2018 - (Newswire.com) 

Tall Betsy, the 7-foot 6.5-inch official goblin of Bradley County, Tennessee, is known worldwide for her legendary Halloween appearances at 150 Centenary Avenue in Cleveland, Tennessee. However, she wasn't always the "Official Spook of Cleveland."

In the early 1900's, Tall Betsy was a real person who happened to be very tall and walked the Cleveland streets at night. Speculation about the resident's identity varied. Some suspected she was a police officer who dressed in black to scare people off the streets. Others believed she was a tall woman garbed in black who roamed the streets only at night to avoid being gawked at because of her odd appearance.

Whatever her true identity, she was the perfect fodder for legend. Cleveland parents in the 1920's and 1930's told their children that if they failed to come home before dark, they would likely encounter Tall Betsy, sometimes called Black Betsy or simply The Lady in Black. 

Hearing this story from his mother and grandmother as a child, businessman Allan Jones became enamored with the tale. He dreamed of dressing up as the legendary lady, and made his first attempt in 1970 as a high school sophomore. In preparation, he dyed one of his mother's white sheets black with Ritz dye. He mixed the dye in a horse bucket out by their barn and started a fire under the bucket. He also cut down two saplings to use as stilts. Unfortunately, the stilts bowed while drying, causing Jones to appear less gruesome girlie and more bowlegged cowboy.

Though his initial attempt failed, Jones clung to his goal of donning Betsy's clothes and keeping her legend alive. Ten years later, his dream came to fruition.

"Cleveland's Central City Action Association, which later became MainStreet-Cleveland, wanted to establish an official downtown spook," Jones said. "I fought to make Tall Betsy the official spook, and I promised to make her costume and dress up like her if she won the title."

Thanks to Jones' insistence, Tall Betsy won out as the official spook of Cleveland. With Tall Betsy poised for local — and later, national — celebrity, Jones suddenly had to flesh out her backstory and he made it up off the cuff during an interview with the Cleveland Daily Banner.

Like the rest of the legend, the location of Betsy's permanent quarters came from this interview. The reporter asked where Tall Betsy resided, and Jones gave the first answer that popped into his head. He said the Lady in Black lives in a mausoleum at the highest point of Fort Hill Cemetery, where Jones became a legend in his own right.

"Around 1969 my friends and I, who were all around 16 at the time, heard about a mausoleum in Fort Hill that had been vandalized," said Jones. "The result of the vandalism was that curious kids could look in and see the exposed casket." 

Jones and his friends visited the cemetery that summer and noticed that the back window bars of the mausoleum had been removed, and the inside had been vandalized.

"About 25 percent of the marble was lying in the floor, allowing me to look in at an old casket on the shelf," Jones revealed. "There were nearly 18-inches between the side and the casket, and a friend dared me to crawl in and lay next to the casket. Then he double-dog dared me. So I crawled in quickly. We all ran back to the car, but my bravery became legendary."

When Jones glanced back, he saw it was the tomb of Flora Shields (also listed on census records as Emma F. Shields). The name became etched in his mind forever.

Eleven years after reading Flora Shields' name, Jones donned the Tall Betsy outfit for her first Halloween outing at Johnston Park from 3 to 5 p.m. Afterward, she laid in the back of a pick-up truck driven by Jones' childhood friend, Lou Patton. Tall Betsy then made an encore appearance at Jones' Centenary home. There, Jones' mother and then-girlfriend Janie Pangle were throwing a Halloween party for Jones' daughter, Courtney, of whom Jones was a single parent.

The children were enraptured with Tall Betsy, as were a handful of trick-or-treaters who came to Jones' house that night. Exhausted, Jones relaxed that evening, counting it a one-time success. He'd succeeded in dressing up as his beloved childhood spook and made sure everyone in Cleveland knew of her legend.

Jones figured his Tall Betsy costume would hang in his closet untouched for years to come, but other people had different plans.

"Lou Patton's sister, Janie, called me before Halloween of 1981 and asked if I would dress up as Tally Betsy again," Jones said. "If it weren't for that call, I may have never donned Betsy's outfit a second time."

According to Jones, 1981, his second outing as Tall Betsy, is when the legend really took hold of Cleveland's imagination. From popular demand, Jones went on to make appearances as Tall Betsy year after year in front of his then-house at 150 Centenary Avenue NW, the gruesome girlie gaining more notoriety each time. Eventually, Tall Betsy became so popular that people flocked to Cleveland on Halloween just to sneak a peak. In 1998, the Jones family official count was that 11,201 trick-or-treaters came to their Centenary door, each receiving a single piece of bubblegum.

As Tall Betsy's popularity soared, Jones reflected on the legend he created. He spent a lot of time through the years wondering about Flora Shields, the lady who was buried where Jones claimed Tall Betsy lived.

"After the legend of Tall Betsy grew to the point where people were traveling from across the South to see her on Halloween, I started trying to figure out who Flora Shields was and why no one knew anything about her," Jones said.

Eventually, Jones hired Michael Slaughter — one of the nation's most respected genealogical researchers — to uncover who built the mausoleum and when. Jones also tasked Slaughter with finding out who's interred there, and when and where they lived. He wanted to know who Flora Shields was, and why none of her family members complained that her grave had been transformed into Tall Betsy's home.

Slaughter's research revealed that Ms. Shields was born in August 1866 and died in 1951. She never married, never worked and never crunched any child's bones. And though interred here, she spent only a handful of years in Cleveland.

Nearly 70 years after her death, Ms. Shields has no surviving family members. Hence why no one complains about Tall Betsy taking up residence in her tomb.

"Flora was 85 years old when she died in Miami," said Slaughter. "She was essentially an old maid who never worked nor married, whose source of income was her wealthy grandfather, William Shields, who reported a significant net worth of $20,000 in 1860."

For comparison, the richest person listed in Cleveland's 1850 census was Thomas Callaway, whose net worth was $27,000. So Flora's grandfather, the first of the Shields family to move to Bradley County, was one of the wealthiest people in Polk County at the time.

Slaughter noted that although Flora's name will be forever linked to the famous Tall Betsy of Centenary Avenue, she only lived in Cleveland between 1866 and 1870. It was during this time that Ms. Shields' father, John Caswell Shields, owned a grocery store across the courthouse on Ocoee Street. Mr. Shields went on to practice medicine for decades prior to his early 20th-century return to Bradley County, Tennessee.

Born in Murray County, Georgia, Ms. Shields was in Smith County, Texas, with her family for the 1870 census. A decade later, she, her four siblings and her mother, Emily Howell Shields, were in Murray County, Georgia, while her father, John Caswell Shields, was in Eugene, Oregon. The family later reunited in Umatilla County, Oregon, returned to Bradley County in the early 1900's, and moved to Miami, Florida, following John Caswell's death. Flora lived in Miami with her mother, niece Esther and Esther's husband, Mr. Dupont (the first name is unreadable in the census). Following her mother's death in 1924 in Dade County, Florida, Flora began living with her niece Lena B. Donovan, and by 1940 lived by herself in Homestead, Florida.

In conclusion, Slaughter reported that Ms. Shields passed away on September 27, 1951, in Dade County, Florida. He further stated that the Shields mausoleum was likely built between 1900 and 1908, with Flora and her parents, John Caswell Shields — who died in Bradley County on November 12, 1908 — and Emily Howell — who died in 1924, its only occupants.

For more information, videos, and pictures about Tall Betsy visit TallBetsy.com.

Contact: Daniel Brantley
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(423) 472-1000

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Why Are You Still Rejecting Short Guys?

Tracy Moore

Lots of hetero people are hung up on height when it comes to dating. Men, it is assumed, are supposed to be slightly taller than women (average heights in America differ by 5 1/2 inches). They are supposed to, in turn, be big and strong; women are then supposed to be dainty and petite. In the dating process, men and women both perpetuate this notion by eliminating people who won’t help them achieve the status quo visual. But what is to be done?

At the Independent, a woman has written an essay saying that women who won’t date shorter men are as bad as men who won’t date fat women—maybe even worse, because you can at least change your weight but not your height. Charlotte Gill argues that she feels sorry for short men and wants to make a stand for them. It has somehow become perfectly OK, she argues, for women to disparage the short man in public and rule them out on height alone as a romantic prospect. As a result, shorter men are discriminated against on the dating market. They have more trouble getting dates online than taller men, who have been shown in studies to receive more messages.

Gill’s ultimate point is that these women are shallow, which is ironic to her because, as she sees it, women sure do expect men to forgive their many violations of the aesthetic social code.

Gill writes:

But what especially vexes me is this double standard of women criticising and making fun of short men, then expecting them to tolerate all different types of weight (which isn’t even a fixed state). For a man to openly reject a woman because he found her fat would be social suicide.

Yet for women to complain about a man’s height is fine, apparently. Hilarious, even. (And they call us the fairer sex…)

It’s not really ok, though, is it? Any more than telling your friends you dismissed someone because they had black hair, or small tits, or anything else that is, undeniably, genetics. And that is, actually, not that big a deal.

The thing is—it is OK to reject people for dumb reasons, or, at least, it’s better to do that than to lie to yourself and that other person about what you want. To begin with: who has the right to tell anyone what their personal criteria for dating can or should be? Moreover, I think that A) men openly reject women for being fat all the time by never dating them in the first place, and B) women are, yes, just as picky, but it’s fine. When it comes to dating, nearly everyone is some form of Garbage Pail Kid somewhere in there. The question is what specifically hideous Garbage Pail flavor. What I’m saying is that we are all dumb, and no one type of physical preference or repulsion is in the abstract better or worse than another—if some preferences, of course, do carry much more social connotation and weight.

So Gill’s not wrong in asking us to stop reflexively falling on someone else’s idea of what a couple should look like, and on this topic, she’s not alone. Recently, writer Ann Friedman put out a call at Esquire for men to date taller women, and for women to date shorter men, because dating is ostensibly about widening your potential pool of prospects, and ruling out people on height alone is bullshit. It’s one thing to have a stated preference for a beard or hair color, she says, but online, people tend to actually filter out everybody who doesn’t meet a certain height criteria, which makes it a “sweeping prejudice masquerading as sexual preference.” This is because, she argues, women have internalized a message about having to be smaller.

Friedman wrote:

To be bigger than men is to worry that you’ll turn them off. Webb found that it isn’t just men lying about their height online, women do, too—to appear shorter. (With good cause: Women over six feet receive forty percent fewer messages on OkCupid than their 5’4” counterparts.) Ask any super-tall woman about her dateless teenage years and the number of times a well-meaning adult said to her, “The boys are just intimidated by you.” Taller is mannish. Taller is… weird.

It is regarded as weird to be a taller than average woman—I can attest. Growing up pale, “too thin” and taller (5’11) than most dudes in the short, tan, blonde hair, big tits worshipping South was not a cakewalk in the boyfriend getting department. Barring a couple exceptions, it wasn’t until I hit college that guys my own age even noticed me, much less approached me with any indication that being taller was actually part of the attraction.

I always equated being taller with being less feminine, although I never actually went the other way with it by insisting on boyfriends being taller than me; most of them were shorter because most men are shorter than me. Had I refused to date men who were shorter, I’d have hardly dated at all.

But this is where I get confused, because whenever we try to politicize attraction to certain physical traits rather than other physical traits, it gets tricky. When talking with someone about their preferences, particularly when they “happen” to be culturally condoned preferences, people tend to get defensive.

Hey, can’t people just be attracted to whatever they like, they argue. Is it really discrimination to prefer a man who is tall, dark, or handsome to a man who is short, pale, and just OK-looking? Alternately, is it really so wrong to want a woman with blonde hair and big tits versus one with brown hair and smaller ones? Is it even shallow, especially when physical attraction is a necessary component of any lasting romantic endeavor? You can’t help attraction! I just like what I like!

Furthermore, what—are we supposed to right social evils through dating more inclusively? Is that anyone’s job? And can you differentiate what you like from what society gives you, not by your own choice, but through chance and circumstance and pattern? Take me, for example: Am I attracted to shorter men because that’s just “what I like,” or is it possible that my so-called deviant height status guided me to consider personality or faces as much or more than heights? Is it possible that likewise, I attracted people who did the same—either liked me for my height or they liked me in spite of it, because they too felt outside conventional norms as well.

Maybe I just got lucky and happened to like shorter men and simultaneously needed to like shorter men. Had I been a shorter, tanner, bigger-titted blonde-haired version of myself, what might I “like” in men? Tall, dark, handsome athletic types? Wish I could find out, but I can’t.

Here’s the thing: On some level we are all shallow when it comes to dating, and that’s nothing to apologize for because it’s how it works. We all like what we like. Attraction is sometimes something that forms out of a lifetime of exposure to one thing or another, the familiar or the novel. Sometimes what you like is inexplicable even to you, but it has a pull on you regardless. It’s all so arbitrary, so specific to the situations and relationships that shape us, the images we all see and embrace or reject.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question it or even go against it on purpose. You can and perhaps should choose to consider another type outside what you like before you think about it. Awareness in most things is typically a good thing, if for no other reason than that it expands your options. Dating is no exception.

This has happened to me by virtue of moving out of the region I grew up in. I’m from an extremely homogenous place with that’s largely white people of European heritage. Moving to Los Angeles has opened my eyes to so much, but on the most shallow level, I have begun to find people attractive from an astonishing variety of cultures I’d never been exposed to before, whether it’s longhaired Filipino hesher dudes on skateboards or sun-baked surfer beefcakes. Before I lived here, I couldn’t have included these traits on any short list of what I “like,” because I’d never been exposed to them. I had a frankly generic idea of what was “hot” that I then revised, happily, with all the new examples of beauty I’d see.

So the answer here then is not to shame anyone’s preferences—most of us come by them honestly—and certainly not to enter them into an Olympics of egregiousness. No shame if your tastes run to the conventional. But in the same way some of us like to examine our privileges and biases, we could also consider why our attractions are what they are, and what forces have shaped them, and simply let ourselves open to other kinds of allure.

It’s kind of like falling in love with someone at work you might’ve never chosen from a lineup of potential dates, but whom you end up being drawn to because you got to know them, be around them, and weren’t so focused on the physical. When you’re willing to suspend your more reflexive assumptions, you can be opened up to so much more, short or tall, in any direction it takes you.

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Sabrina Rojas Weiss - Yahoo Lifestyle, 30 January 2018

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas have been together for almost a year and a half and the couple have been engaged for about three months, which seems like enough time for Turner to get used to feeling like she’s in a “fishbowl,” as she once told Glamour. It is not enough time for some onlookers to get over a simple fact about this couple: At a reported 5’9,” the Game of Thrones star is taller than her 5’7″ DNCE fiancé.

The paparazzi caught the two walking out in unseasonably warm weather in New York City over the weekend, with Turner wearing a pair of boots with tall chunky heels as Jonas strolled along in his Converse. Gossip site Just Jared posted a photo of them to Instagram, and immediately the comments section became host to a load of criticisms over their height difference.

“She is sooooo much taller than him,” noticed @aurmichkell.

“And why does she wear such high heels?” wondered @csre27. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with being taller than your partner, but it just seems uncomfortable to accentuate it like that.”

“So … Joe is the little spoon,” wrote @amandachristy12. And @geronimogl was meaner, joking, “Caption should say, Sophie’s fiancee and her little bitch!”

When they first started dating, a couple of tabloids made a big deal about their height difference, but they’re hardly the first celebs to demonstrate that sometimes taller women like men who are ever-so-slightly shorter than them. See also: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban (or Tom Cruise), Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden, Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik. Jonas has dated other statuesque women, such as Taylor Swift and Hadid. Why do people get so fixated on this kind of pairing? Does it have any bearing on the internal workings of their relationship?

A lot of that depends on the couple’s past, New York-based relationship therapist Jean Fitzpatrick tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

“Because we think of man-as-taller as ‘normal,’ sometimes this height difference sparks anxiety, usually at first,” Fitzpatrick says. “A very tall woman may have felt like a giant growing up and dating, and may sometimes wish for a guy who feels like her match in height. A shorter man may have been the smallest guy on the team and so dating a taller woman may be an uncomfortable reminder of shame he hasn’t worked through yet. The biggest height difference any of us experiences in life is the one we have with our parents growing up. When we were small and they were tall, we felt taken care of and loved, or deprived and judged, or both.”

But none of that baggage is insurmountable, Fitzpatrick notes, particularly if both parties are willing to talk about it.

There’s one way in which Turner and Jonas are already getting past one shorter-man stereotype: “Tallness in men is associated with career success, which isn’t an issue for couples who are already successful,” Fitzpatrick says. “And with today’s partnership marriages, I find couples less interested in height and more in sharing career, household, and parenting equitably.”

Fitzpatrick says there are much more important questions they’ll have to face together than physical differences.

“Once a couple have been together awhile, it’s the quality of the relationship that matters: Do they listen to and understand each other? Do they express care for each other in everyday ways? Do they trust each other?” she says.

Regardless of height, “Jophie” look pretty happy together, as they begin to plan their wedding, which will feature Maisie Williams as a bridesmaid and some kind of speech (or more) from Nick Jonas. Then we’re betting Turner’s choice of footwear will have everything to do with her dancing plans, not her groom’s height.

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WNBA Star: You Can’t Please Everyone, ‘People Hate Beyoncé’

by Christina Santi, August 17, 2018

Dallas Wings center Elizabeth Cambage is 6’8 and leads the WNBA in scoring. Despite better than average stats, the London born baller believes she cannot get everyone to be sure of her greatness, according to Bleacher Report.

The 26-year-old is the tallest woman in the league. She plays hard, is second in rebounding (9.7 per game) and has an over the top personality. Cambage played for the Tulsa Shock in 2011, the year she was drafted 2nd overall. Then she spent time playing overseas in Australia before allegedly being cut from the national team.

Drake recently shouted her out on “Sicko Mode,” a song on Travis Scott’s recent album, Astroworld. However, things weren’t always so bright for the ball player. Cambage was teased for her height growing up and feels her game is lowered because of her height and passion. “A lot of people have tried to dull my light,” she said.

The MVP candidate understands that she needs to love herself because not everyone will. “People hate Beyonce. People probably had s**t to say about Mother Teresa, you know? You can’t please everyone,” Cambage asserted. “You’re not an avocado. Not everyone’s going to love you.”

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She Is Not The Tallest Girl, However, She Has The Longest Legs

By Momina Wijdan Last updated Oct 24, 2019

We just came across a video (by Barcroft TV) of the girl with World's Longest Legs, Maci Currin. And that has really surprised us. She is not the tallest girl in the world. However, she has the longest legs. Comparing her to Netflix's Tall Girl Ava Michelle would be unfair. So, let us just compare her with the record-holder longest-legged girl.

Maci Currin | Girl With The Longest legs

Maci Currin is a 16-year old towering teenager from Texas. And she is a proud owner of the world's longest legs. Like seriously, her legs are too long. She officially has 53 inches long legs, that is 134.62 centimeters or 4.42 feet. (Considering I'm 62 inches tall, I really cannot imagine standing next to her legs.) Currin is actually from Austin, Texas and she is officially breaking the record of Ekaterina Lisina, of Russia who has 52.5 inches legs.

Currin is an aspiring model with a total height of 6 feet 9 inches. When she was born, she was slightly smaller than the average newborn. However, she went through some serious growth spurts and by the time she was 9, she was 5 feet 7 inches tall.

Currin Explains Pros & Cons Of Her Height

Maci Currin is a proud owner of the world's longest legs. Though her legs come with some pros and cons, she does not mind having the longest legs. With an outseam of 53 inches and an inseam of 43 inches, she can find her friends very easily in a crowd. Her mother said when Currin was just 18 months old, she stood a foot taller than other kids with the same age.

Maci Currin says finding friends in the crowds is very easy for her. However, there are some disadvantages to being that tall. These cons include hitting her head, getting into cars and finding the clothes. Currin's father Cameron is 6 feet 5 inches tall.

Her mother Trish said that there were some years in Maci Currin's life when she was growing 5 inches in a year. When she goes to public spaces, a lot of people stare at her. And they take pictures of her without asking for her permission. And it really annoys her. She does not like shopping at all, unlike other girls. We wish her all the best for her future and we'll hopefully see her official verification soon in Guinness World Record.

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