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Being tall – Gift or Curse
Inspired by the Eddie Izard discussion
At 6’2 without heels I have always stood out and even more so as Tanya. With my many years of paranoia about being spotted when in girl mode i found I began to loathe being so tall and just wanted to be petite and inconspicuous, blending in being a dream as much as being accepted for who I am. It took my self-consciousness to new levels and even affected Tanya’s dress sense. Only now am I staring to fill my wardrobe with sparkly and outrageous things, yet the height thing pervades. On the flip side I am told I have amazing legs and a statuesque figure many a girl would die for. So, gift or curse, how do you taller ladies out there see it?
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28 Replies
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Well…..
I once had ! the same feeling that it was a curse for the reasons it drew attention and gaping stares by some people, BUT nowadays I regard it as a Gift It has elevated me !! to a level of self confidence I never thought I would have.
In simple terms to endure the gaping stares and attention you really have to be able to build a force shield around you when you encounter someone from the general public who really is “Lost for words” at what they are seeing and looking like they cant handle it.Fortunately I have never had any adverse comments but I think quite a few people must have had sore necks after turning around to have another glance as Iv’e walked past them.
I love TALL look at at all the gorgeous women in the world who are 180cm and plus.
Dont worry about it Tanya!!
Caroline -
Thanks Caroline
It’s bizarre how many tall females I have encountered since I loaded this post! Must have been a dozen in total all round the 5’10 to 6’2 mark and all gorgeous and real head turners. Looks like tall girl’s of all denomination we’re out there all the time I just didn’t see them!!
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Caroline I’d love to agree with you because you’re awesome.
Tanya, for me its a niggle. I’m 6’1” with a heel fetish and a preference for an after 5 look. So I stand out too.
Actually got heckled walking back from the Glebe pub on Friday night. Height is the attribute that initially grabs the attention.
It didn’t worry me too much and my response made my partner giggle but how sweet to be able to move among the masses unnoticed if one chose. -
I’d say that’s my fear Belinda as irrational as it is. It’s definitely in my head and I shouldn’t give a damn. Maybe it’s a process thing and loving me for who I am. It does get worse when I’m with my wife though as she’s only 5’2!!
It would be interesting to hear from some of the sub 5’10 girls if they would prefer to be taller. Everything’s relative I suppose and human nature is to want what we can’t have, but perspective is always a great leveller i find.
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Dear Tanya,
I suppose if it is of any consolation to you, I am more than an inch taller and probably a quarter of a century older not to mention having lost my youthful slimness you have retained in the process- life can be so cruel. I towered over most of the men in my generation never mind trying to slip in seamlessly to be one of the women… I do love heels and worst of all are the larger feet that come with the height… so twice cursed!But have a light heart, as with my view of our trans nature I think the gift is really the realisation of an unconquerable soul; an internal presence and belief for us that makes the rest of the world simply seem that much smaller compared to us…and perhaps given time (generations?) the rest them will eventually reach a ‘normal height’ or equally suffer from being too short and ordinary…..
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TanyaHide wrote:It would be interesting to hear from some of the sub 5’10 girls if they would prefer to be taller. Everything’s relative I suppose and human nature is to want what we can’t have, but perspective is always a great leveller i find.I don’t want to say anything that might make someone more sensitive about their height, because in the big picture it is just one way we can draw attention to ourselves. We broadcast our diversity with pretty obvious clues like hair, skin, voice, bone structure, height and so on. So it is unavoidable that we attract “the gaping stares and attention”. As Caroline says it is better to put your effort into being able to ignore unwanted attention rather than worry about things you can’t easily change such as your height.
That said I am a “sub 5’10″ girl by a few inches. And I have a different perspective on height perhaps. Even though I am not tall I do find height inconvenient at times – and as a result have very few heels in my wardrobe now. What I observe is that if you are taller it can often make a conversation with someone a lot shorter difficult. Stooping down to talk is not very feminine and is somewhat condescending. As the average Australian female is just 5’3” there are a lot of girls I find myself talking down to. I certainly wouldn’t want to be taller. And wouldn’t want to throw out all my clothes just for the convenience of being a few inches shorter. The status quo is really the best thing to live with.
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Like a lot I guess when I was in my very early 20’s and out for the first few times I used to hunch my shoulders a bit and try and reduce my overall space…..it didn’t take that long to work out that was a pointless exercise as soon as I opened my mouth – which, as it is now, is often. Since that obvious revelation I actually try and stand as straight (no pun intended) as I possibly can and wear the tallest heels I can get away with.
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I think I’m the only person in this thread so far who has used the metric system in discussions
Hey Girls we live in the Metric Age!!
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I was born in pounds and measured in inches…the Metric Age came along later!
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OK So was I But don’t be a Prisoner of History
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Hey the admin and moderator are both off-topic…..is this a first?
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Darling
There always has to be a first time for any event that has not been proven to have occurred before.I think you are absolutely correct!
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I was also born back when the Imperial system for weights and measurements was in use. Like every other kid (well, most anyway) I learnt to use it. Maths though, was never my strong point so the metric system was a ‘gift’ as far as I was concerned.
Another gift is my height. At 182 cm (sadly, I’m sure I used to be 183!) I find height has its advantages. After retiring I let my hair grow out so my locks are homemade, not store-bought. Unfortunately, there is some thinning on the top but my height means that it’s harder for people to notice it. People tend to look up at the length and not down at the developing helo landing pad.
I don’t wear tall heels though. I have a ridiculous history of rolling on my ankle so tumbling from 15 cm stilettos isn’t my idea of a good night out.
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Quite frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn! My height is slightly below the old 6 feet but in my heels, usually 3 to 4 inches, I do tower over people, especially in Thailand (land of the little people) where I live, but it has never bothered me one jot. In my earlier days, I even wore platforms with 6 in. heels! I worry about the sound of my voice and my overall appearance but it never occurs to me that people might take any notice of my height. My advice is to find a place to sit down if you feel people around you seem to be standing in a hole. Just remember that some of the world’s super-models are over 6 ft and they look positively fantastic is a nice pair of high heels.
So, gift or curse? Neither in my case. I couldn’t care less.
(On the off-topic thingy, the USA had a Metrication Board and some US states were already changing road signs to metric values. In retrospect, Australia jumped on the metric band wagon too early; the USA was saved by the introduction of computers which could do instant conversions, so the need to standardize on the metric system became redundant and the US abandoned its plans to change systems. Personally, I prefer the Imperial system whose units I think are far more practical and useful, but then perhaps I am just an old fuddy-duddy.)
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Tall? well, yes I’m 183 centimetres, 6feet. Does it really matter? of course not, we are what we are, what we are born with. The bean poles who strut around on the cat walk as coat hangers have a definitive advantage when they are 6 feet or even taller. Being 183 cms is handy in supermarkets taking things from the top shelves, a distinct disadvantage in public libraries in endeavouring to read book titles on the bottom shelf. Offerings in clothes for the vertically advantaged are often minuscule when seeking something a little more sumptuous; perhaps a Carla Zampatti may be an exception, a gorgeous exception at that. Scrunching one’s shoulders in the futile hope of a diminished sense of height is totally reprehensible. Head up, shoulders back, take advantage of God’s gift to you, keep slim. Gift or curse? I really wouldn’t know I go with flow.
