Do you like your height? Are there certain benefits to the amount of space you take up?

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Answers

Well, I am 5'4, and I never even thought of myself as short until I read all about your trials, Pamie, and realized that you are only one inch shorter than me.
I have to go think about this now.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

I'm 6'0" and very glad about it. It was awkward being the tallest girl when I was growing up, but now it occasionally gives me a little rush of power. Sometimes I feel like I should be one of those women in the business suit section of the J Crew catalog -- executing important decisions, sketching diagrams on layout paper, explaining blueprints. I mean, I never do that kind of stuff, but if someone asked me to, I bet I would be good at it.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

I am 6 feet tall. Now, this would be a nice height, you'd think. But the catch is that I am a chick. So, the bennies are: no shelf can elude me (have been asked by little old ladies to get things for them in the grocery store), I can ALWAYS find my friends in a crowd (unless they're really short... then I just look for a hole in the crowd), and I can reach the floor when I am sitting on anything shorter than a bar stool. Drawbacks: **yeesh** try sitting on a plane for six hours with your knees under your chin; ditto a movie theater or back seat of a car. I can never find clothes that are long enough (the industry assumes that the taller you are, the wider you are, and I am not -- and it is always easier to hem stuff than to hope the designer left in enough fabric to let down a hem). I am tired of hearing, "Gosh, how tall ARE you?" from the easily-amazed. And those lovely heels that Pamie is so proud of, that I would like to wear for a sexy touch ocassionally or to make my ankles look thin, well, I am positively Amazonian in heels of any significant height.

Finally, men. Most men who ask me how tall I am respond to my answer with, "No way you're six feet tall. I'm six feet tall." ...okay, then, you are not 5'10". I'm really six foot two. Nevermind the fact that I could dip most of them. The tall guys seem to go out with short girls. And the shorter guys are often (NOT ALWAYS) insecure about being shorter than their date, which makes me uncomfortable. And, well, it's not something I'm comfortable admitting, but I feel more feminine with a guy who is taller than me. Perhaps I am a victim of society that has shown us in countless movies and television shows images of a woman looking upward to be kissed.

Kavetch, kavetch, kavetch. The tall and short of it is, however, that I enjoy being tall. It truly gives me an advantage in many situations. And if all else fails, it's an attention-getter.

**duck** (did I mention it makes me an easier target? almost as much as posting a reply like this...)

--twq

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Ummmm, when people say they're really short I always assume they're under 5 feet. Of course this could have something to do with the fact that I don't think I'm short. ...But... I'm 5'3" which .. makes me.. as short (or tall) as Pamie.

The bits I don't getting about being the height I am - I have to turn up all my trousers - but I can't buy a floot length skirt. Yet 6' girlies seem to find them. Are they on a really high shelf or something?

There are 2 things that usualyy bring home how small I really am
1) When one of my male friends deliberately pulls himself up so he can look down at me. All I can see is this big, giant towering over me.
2) Photos - especially ones from my holiday this year - there's some hysterical ones of me standing between some of the guys with my head practically in their armpits.

Pamie, I reckon it's everybody else is freakishly tall!

Just Stopping By

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

It depends on the day. I tend to think of myself as being kind of short, but at 5'5", I'm average height. I'd always wanted to be 5'10", to feel Amazonian. That's probably why I wear heels a lot, usually 3" pumps, and I like the way they make me feel, despite the fact that my ankles have taken to protesting rather vehemently.

But most of the time, I do feel comfortable with my height. At least I'm taller than my 5'2" mom.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Oh, kickass, I'm the shortest person here so far! ;)

I'm 5'0". 5'1" when wearing my combat boots. I love it. Sure, sometimes it's annoying, like when I sit in anything "contoured for the body" which is obviously not contoured to anyone not 5'6", but whatever.

The best thing about being 5 feet tall is that my boyfriend is 6'4". We look so out of place together that it's fun. People remember us ("oh, it's the short blue-haired chick with the tall long-haired guy!"). :)

Besides, I love being small; it makes my motorcycle go faster. ;)

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

I never realized I was short (5'3") until the day when I was 17 and my family realized my 12 year old sister was the same height as me. That day seemed to curse me as strangers everywhere starting thinking my sis was the *older* of the two of us, just because she's taller. (She topped out at 5'6".)

While my height doesn't normally bother me, some things are annoying. Like having to have footrests at my desks because I have to crank the seats up to be at a proper "typing" level. I'm actually still too low but that's because if I raise the seat any more, the arm rests prevent the chair from fitting under the desk and then I can't reach the keyboard anyway.

I see Carpal Tunnel over there giving me the "I'm Gonna Getcha" look.

I'm also so damn sick of all the tupperware falling on my head every time I open that cabinet over the sink. It does that because I'm too short to be able to "place" the tupperware properly, and too lazy to drag over a stool to reorganize.

And, I gave up rollerblading because there was no way I could keep up with my husband, Mr 6ft and All Legs whose got the bigger wheels and more ball bearings just so he can go even FASTER.

However, unlike Dale, my feet don't hang off the end of our bed. I don't bump my head on the lamp over the dining room table. I can comfortably lie stretched out on the couch. Uh, that's about all I can think of at the moment....

Oh yeah!! Though my husband initially had the aisle (we were in the FRONT ROW!!) seat at the Kids in the Hall show we went to last week, he asked to trade with me because he had to keep pulling his legs out of the way as people tried to manuever between our row and the stairs to the stage that were right there. That put me INCHES from Dave Foley during one skit!

OK, short is cool.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

damn. I am about 5'5", but I totally tower over my entire family.

People used to wonder why I wear such big shoes. Heh. My 5'8" boyfriend loved it when I wore 4" platform sandals - he had to tip his head UP to kiss me *grin*

Okay.. I have a pair of high heeled AND platformed badass black boots. I was wearing them at Thanksgiving, and when my dad suggested that we get a family photo, I assumed that we'd be sitting down. NOPE! Surprise surprise - we took the photo standing up and since you couldn't see our feet, it looked like I was a good four inches taller than every other person in my family - dad, sister, and step- mom. Alas, my dad forgot to put film in the camera. I couldda been tall!

Dear jeans manufacturers:

Hello. Contrary to what you people may believe, a certain size behind does not always mean that one has a certain length of legs. Okay? Do you remember when jeans made "short" and "tall" and "regular"? Why don't you do that, Mudd? L.E.I.? Hello? It's frustrating for me - I've cut more than 5" off of a pair of jeans before, but it's really bad for people who are taller than you think they should be. Can't ADD to pants very often, ya know? Okay, so take care of that one.

Fondly, Emily

PS: Can you pass that on to skirt manufacturers too? Thanks.

em

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

No, I don't like my height at all. I'm tall - 5'10" or 5'11". I really don't know exactly. Every time I get measured, it's different. I guess you could say I'm just under 6'.

I have no idea what it's like being short, so I really can't sympathize. I've always been at least a head taller than everyone else. If you look at my girl scout pictures, the one towering over everyone else is me. I was called "Frankenstein" growing up - the nickname even is similar to my actual last name. How nice.

Guys seem to avoid me and the short ones I've dated have always been uncomfortable with my height. I like wearing shoes with heals, but then people comment on my height even more.

I also get frustrated with the lack of tall girl stores. It seems so much easier to find petite stuff - like in every department store. I learned how to sew, so I can take stuff in, if only I had that luxury!

I bump my head all the time. Flying is a nightmare for me. I could go on and on.

I hear people say all the time, "Oh, I wish I were as tall as you!" If only they knew the reality.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

"Man, how tall are you?" Some stranger has his face directly in front of mine, contorting his facade in intense puzzlement. He searches for a space just over the top of my head and says, "Man, I bet yur 'bout six four." "No, I am six seven." His murky eyes open wide. He slaps the side of his hip. He stares at me like I am behind glass.

I love being tall. I love stooping to enter a room. But I just wish everyone would quit asking me how tall I am. TL

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Heh, the blessing-and-a-curse question.

I'm at the other troublesome end of the scale. At 6'6" I have the worst time buying clothes, I hit my head in places with low clearance, and I have dating anyone under 5'8" is awkward and the source of random smirking.

On the pro side, I don't need a stool to reach the top cupboard, I can always see clearly at the theatre (oh! legroom, another point for the con!) and it's hard for people to be pushy when they have to crane their necks upwards.

Being tall young is a pain, as it gives the playground monsters another reason to make you dread recess, Of course, when they stop growing and you meet them years later they run like startled livestock.

Pamie, you and I could be in the "Human's can vary greatly..." picture in a science textbook... :)

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

What Pamela said. Except for the Kids in the Hall part. I didn't get to do that. But really, I've got the foot prop and the cranked up seat and I can't put my chair under my desk.

The worst was when I rode Batman the Escape at Astroworld. It's a stand-up rollercoaster. They make the bottom as high as your tallest person's feet. what did that mean for me? well, my feet had to dangle the entire ride. i had to hold on to the harness. My pubic bone was precariously perched on a rock-hard bike seat for a three minute ride. oh yeah, at high speeds. with hills. and loops. for me it was a "hang on" ride.

if i can't have children, i'm suing six flags.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

I am back. Still puzzled, but back. Why can't you 5'4 and 5'3 people reach cabinets? I can't recall having a problem with this.
Also, I have never cuffed pants in my life, BUT I have a short waist and long legs so that may be it. Now that I think about it, I have long arms also, which may solve the cabinet thing.
Not so puzzled anymore, Glitterbeam

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Well, I'm 5'2 1/2" tall... or short. It's got advantages and disadvantages. Pants are never too short. It's easier to roll than lengthen. I can hide behind things. My feet don't hang over the edge of beds. Swings are rarely too low... so I guess it's a good thing.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Damn, I thought I was going to win for shortest. I'm 5'1". Shelves and things are not a problem because I am not scrupulous about climbing on counters when I have to. Ditto for climbing up and sitting next to the bathroom sink when I need to look in the mirror closely. i can lay full length not only on my couch, but I fit rather comfortably in my bathtub as well. Besides the usual condescension of people who often make references to me being "small" or "little" and injuries from average sized people who are careless with their elbows, I don't mind being short at all. Though I don't like the "cute" stereotype that goes with being short and I certainly don't like the fact that I instinctively play it up. Ugh.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

i'm 5'6, dead even. i'm exactly in the middle of all of my friends (though i'm one of the tallest on my hockey team - last year, our first line had an average height of 5'3 1/2"), i can find pants long enough that don't drag on the ground, i can reach most things (but of course not my mailbox in the union), even in heels most guys are taller than me. it's a good life.

but my baby sister is almost 5'10, and that drives me batty. i get her hand me downs. everyone thinks she's older. i like my height, except in comparison.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Oh...tall girls of the world, UNITE! Let's start a freaking support group. I hate it most of the time - I'm 6'. I get so sick of people commenting on how great it must be to be so tall. WHAT was great about it when I was 5'10" in the 7th grade? Nada.

Now, I sort of like it. I often terrify small men and their small...uh...minds. I have embraced my inner-Amazon I guess. I want to get really buff off the Tae Bo and go and be an Amazon on Xena. I am a Warrior Princess, baby.

Meanwhile, my father waits anxiously for me to marry and procreate with a tall man so that I can have five kids and my dad can have his own basketball team.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

I am 5'3". (5'4" with my boots on, but who counts these things?) The part that REALLY gets me isn't my inability to reach certain things or seeing eye-to-eye with people. I've never had it, since I was even smaller as a child, so it's not something I miss.
And besides, the ability to play on a children's swingset makes up for all of that.
The part that gets me is this phrase: "Oh, you're small. You can fit in the back seat / middle of the back seat / back of the station wagon. We're all taller than you. Stop complaining."
Yes, 5'5" is SO MUCH TALLER than me that they deserve a good spot in the car.
Grr. I absolutely hate that.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

i am 5'2" and i love it. i like being able to shop in kids' department and being able to wear kids' shoes. they're SO much cuter and cheaper. i like being the one to do adventurous stuff because i'm the only one little enough for example: getting lifted up onto the 10' base of the MASSIVE statue of sam houston off I-45 in huntsville, tx, to take pictures ).

i don't like being shorter than my little brother though. that blows because we get mistaken for twins more than i'd like to admit. oh, and it's not much fun being the shortest person in your grade for like seven years running with the last name "small." i kid you not. but, i did manage to sweet talk them into listing me as 5'5" in our volleyball program, though. ( yeah, i play volleyball at 5'2". but i'm not the shortest on the team! )

xoxo, amy

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Actually, I like my height. Sure, I used to wish I was taller. It would be nice to reach all the way to the back of the middle cabinet without having to use a stool, or be able to buy jeans without having to hem them. But I can wear heels (okay, not that I do most of the time). I don't look my age (which at my age is a good thing).

I guess it's just something you get used to after a while. Like your hair or your shoe size or whether you can wear hats without having everyone laugh hysterically at you.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Last measured at 173cm, or 5'8=". Don't think that brings any particular benefits or problems and I wouldn't mind being an inch or two taller. Otherwise I like my height. My weight, now

Tonight We Sleep In Separate Ditches

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

I'm 6'0", but that's not why I'm posting. =) Every woman I've ever been interested in has been remarkably shorter than myself. Er...so now you all know my dark secret.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

Amy, I'm with you. I'm 5'2" and I enjoy it immensely, especially since they came out with the kids' Abercrombie line. It's so much cheaper than the actual Abercrombie stuff, and it actually fits me! All their adult stuff is too big around the waist and too droopy around the butt (considering I don't have one). So it's nice. And I like wearing boys tennis shoes.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I didn't mind being 5'2" when I was younger than most of the people around me, but now, in my 30s, I've realized that there isn't going to be another growth spurt and I'm permanently stuck in this greyhound-terrier dynamic with the rest of the world. And I'm pissed.

One-size-adjusts-to-all "ergonomic" furniture is just not possible. For me to be able to type with shoulders relaxed, the keyboard would have to go in one side of my thighs and out the other.

Ballroom dancing is more or less out. They don't make that many guys in my size. Ballet dancing, on the other hand, is something I should have tried. Standing on your toes is probably almost as good as wearing Spice Girls shoes.

The only thing I could add to the list of benefits is being able to sleep on two or three airline seats in economy class. It is no longer possible to sit up comfortably in a single seat, even for me, because of people ahead of you leaning back. ("Oh look. She's small. She doesn't need all that room.") Then you have to lean back too and it's a domino effect. Between that and the tray table and the armrests, you have about as much chance of getting free in an emergency as of escaping from an Iron Maiden. How is the aircraft industry getting away with this?

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I'm 5'8" which is okay. Except I live in the middle of Dutch country. Where all the 6'3-5" 270lb. men and 5'6-8" 150-170lb. women roam.

In Los Angeles, I feel more at home.

As for dating preferences, I don't care about the height. If she's taller than me, then there's more to love, right?

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I like my height. I'm almost 5'9" in my stocking feet, and I usually wear at least a one-inch heel. My favorite shoes have 3-inch heels. You can do the math.

However (she says, dredging up childhood trauma), I grew up in Hawaii, where the percentage of petite girls and women is extraordinarily high. Since I'm very large-framed as well as tall, I was made to feel like a monster freak. It took years to get over being horribly self-conscious about my size. I like it now, but things were rough when I was in college and in my twenties.

And I have to say, twq is right when she says that the tall guys seem to like short women (and Carolyn supported the theory). If I had a nickle for every five-foot-two-minus woman I know who married a six- foot-two-plus man....

But I love topping out at nearly six feet in my three-inch heels.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I'm a mutant. I've been the youngest LOOKING among my friends since time immemorial. I'm 26 and I look about 12 years younger than that. I was prescribed growth hormones in the eighties. I've _always_ been the short one, although I managed a biologically unlikely growth spurt in my mid-20s that put me to my current 5'6". Unfortunately this freezes me in between male teenager clothes sizes and male adult clothes sizes. Damn you and your arbitrary sizes, capitalist vermin!

And now that I've decided to grow my hair out, strangers are constantly mis-guessing my gender. :)

But then, being short rocks. We're more, um, compact and efficient. That's right, tall people. Fear our wily shortness, our canny ability to hide behind shit.

And lower those goddamn ceiling rails on the subway a few inches, will you? My shoulder's half out of its socket here.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I like my height. I'm in some fuzzy area between 5'7" and 5'8" -- it's like five foot 7 inches and 3/4 of an inch, but that just sounds weird, so generally I round up to 5'8". I always wanted to be 5'10" when I was growing up, but I'm happy now -- although an extra inch might be a nice treat. I'm at least 3 inches taller than every other woman in my family, and my boyfriends (who tend to be at that fuzzy 6 foot range occupied by a lot of men) are always a good size -- easy to kiss, just tall enough for me to snuggle into a shoulder. I can reach most things, my jeans always fit (at least lengthwise), heels aren't a problem, and the ten pounds I've gained in the last few years aren't as painful as they might otherwise be. I don't have any of the difficulties of being short, like my mom does, and I'm not tall enough to encounter any of the difficulties of being tall. I guess I have it pretty easy. I'm sorry I didn't realize that until now.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

At 5'9", in Berkeley, I used to be average height, and everything was fine. When my wife and I began our plans to move to the midwest, she warned me that I was going to have to get used to being short. I scoffed.

Silly me. I'm short now. Most guys here are about 6'; there are a great many over 6'4". My only problem with my height is that I'm the same size as my wife, and she keeps taking my dang clothes. At least her feet grew enough that she can't wear the same shoes.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

i was happy once. totally contented 'thinking' i was 5'7". then it hit me... i wasn't. oh the shame.. this realisation came watching a 'most wanted' show. the wanted man was 173cm/5'8 1/2. in that moment i grew 1 1/2 inches. the best thing about being taller is shorter people ask me to get things off high shelves for them.. i'm happy to do it and they're eternally grateful. hehehe

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I am always surprised when I look at pictures of myself with other people. Although I stand a typically-Scotish 5'3", I rarely feel short. When I talk to people taller than me, I feel like I'm looking at them directly in the eye -- you can imagine my surprise when I remember that they are somewhere areound the 6'0" mark.

It's somewhat well-worn, but maybe it IS all in the attitude.

Ok, I can't completely say that I am happy with my height. I've often wished that I could be stretched out like plasticine, with one of those olden time torture contraptions (no pain, of course). Go-go boots don't fit me because my calves start earlier than tall people's; the waist is always where my hips are in any kind of shirt, dress, or whatever; getting carded four times in one pub is displeasing to say the least; etc.

But it's so rare to really love everything about yourself, you know?

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

pamie, you've got about a half inch on me.

i went to a party in six-inch heels just a couple weeks ago. nobody could relate to me anymore. my husband could look me in the eye, and it threw off his entire world. i heard a lot of "look at leigh anne being all tall, isn't she cute?"

but i enjoy being "petite," even though my feet don't always touch the ground on public toilets.....sure you wanted to know that.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

5 feet even---I tie with Carolyn for the shortest one here so far. I like it though. I'm 33, yet I always get carded, and no one can believe I'm 33. I love tall men. The men I have dated have all been between 5'11" and 6'5"...I can curl up and sleep on an airplane..I drive a tiny two-seater car. I don't really think about being short until I see myself in photos with other people, and I think...geez, I'm short!

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

At 5'3 I actually don't consider myself short. People around me never realize I'm sort until they stand really close to me and look down. I like to think it's because I have a big presence.

But I too have bought some kick-ass tall shoes in which I stand eye to eye with my Mother at 5'8. And to top it all off they are red, RED I TELL YOU!

So yeah, big presence.. that's right.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I'm 6'5" and it's cool except for the airplanes. I can't deal with flying. I just can't fit into the fucking seat. The last flight i took was to Hong Kong to visit my girlfriend's family, and I spent 15 hours in a seat so small I couldn't even cross my legs at the ankle.

Thrift store shopping is usually unrewarding, too. People were shorter in the old days.. . .

But i think being tall keeps me out of fights, as an adult, anyway.

Oh, and I have to second the tallguy-shortgirl theory. My girlfriend is 5'4". Short chicks are hot.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

Well, Paul, so much for MY self-esteem. Thanks, buddy.

(Slinks off, whimpering.)
(Just kidding)

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

Julie,

I *hate* that "You're short, so you get the back seat/hump seat" attitude! One of my ex-boyfriends was like that. *roll* But, to be honest, I usually do give up the front seat, depending on my mood. But, in our Pathfinder there's enough legroom that I can move the front seat forward, so that Big'n'Tall can sit behind, and we're both comfortable.

Pamie,

I've been on rollercoasters like that too. *ouch*

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I am 5'5, and my boyfriend is also 5'5. he is extremely insecure about his height - he wears big old clunky boots with huge soles and if anyone asks, he says he's 6'0. without shoes on, he is just a wee bit taller than I am. I don't wear heels much. ;P

I like my height, though. sometimes I'm taller than everyone, other times I'm shorter. they still don't make jeans that fit me, though... I've got a teeny waist and long legs, and everything that's long in the leg area has a BIIIIIG butt area. yick.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

i'm 5'3".

my mom's 5'2", my dad's 6'2".

i don't get it.

but anyway, i like my height. i feel cute. and at concerts, instead of people head butting me in the back of the head, they hit the top of my head with their chin. HA!!

it's also easier to execute my sneaky ninja-ness.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

pamie....all my shoes have at least a three inch heel. even my tennis shoes. It sounds ridiculous I know, but, I am 5'4 1/2" and my husband is 6'4". I feel so short beside him without my heels.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I am 5'3" and love it. I also LOVE tall men. I am drawn to them. Someone told me recently that a lot of women love tall men because somewhere deep inside of us through the ages we learned that we needed all the tall/strong men so that we can reproduce a strong species. I don't know if that is true or not, but they just do it for me. I feel short and petite and I wouldn't want to be a half an inch taller than I already am. The shelf/cabinet thing is no big deal, I just stand on the bottom shelf and reach.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

oh, my god! pamie, you've got half an inch on me, but the same thing happened to me on the damned batman ride at astroworld. real pain!

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

Ooh, I had to get in on this forum. I'm 5'11, and being tall was the bane of my existence until I got into college, got some self-esteem, and realized that being an Amazon is cool. I used to bemoan the fact that I wasn't "cute" - now I love the fact that I'm tall and elegant.

I've experienced all the usual drawbacks. Being really tall as a young girl is not too fun. Trying to find clothes that are long enough in the legs *and* the arms is a chore (thank God for the GAP). Growing really tall really fast has given me back problems. Squishing myself into plane seats and bus seats is a nightmare. And hearing people say either "Gosh, you're tall" (if I've never met them before) or "Have you grown?" (if I haven't seen them in a while - as if, at age 26, I'm somehow still growing...) - that stuff gets old *real* fast.

And as for Intimidated Man Syndrome - well, that never really bothered me. It actually made sorting the wheat from the chaff a lot easier: if the first thing a guy said to me was "Gosh, you're tall (*nervous chuckle*)", I knew right away that that guy was just not man enough for me. :) My husband is just a tiny bit shorter than me - I don't think he ever commented on my height when we were dating - and he loves it when I wear the sexy black boots that make about 6'2".

It's all a matter of being comfortable with yourself, no matter how tall you are.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I'm 5'5. While I wouldn't mind being 5'7, overall I guess I'm happy with my height, especially with my chunky heels making me feel a little taller.

My husband's cousin is 7 feet tall!!!!!!!! I think I'd much rather be short than that tall. Do you know how many times he's heard "dude, you're tall." No shit sherlock.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I'm 5'5", but I'm constantly told how short I am by people whose opinion I didn't ask. Maybe I'm giving off some kind of "short vibe" and I don't know it.

Sometimes people argue with me when I tell them how tall I am. (Look, buddy, I don't lie about my age, weight, or height. The only thing I'm lying about right now is when I reassure you that you're not annoying me.) So it must be the "short vibe", right?

If I could get shin implants to make myself 5'8", I would, because I know in my heart that that's my true height.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

i win i win! i'm the tallest girl in the forum!

i'm 6'2" and HATED it growing up, but now...I LOVE IT! sure kids can be evil, airplanes suck and don't even get me started on finding clothes or the lack of tall men, but in all honesty, i love looking different than everyone else. height can be a beautiful thing. my favorite part is going to a show and being able to see the band from anywhere in the room. kimberly

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

...my height varies depending on who i'm dating...

...officially i'm just under 5'8" [let's say 5'7" and a 1/2 to be fair]...however, i've been known to be the same exact height as the men i'm dating who claim to be 5'9"....hmmmm...funny how that works...

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I'm surprised to see so many 5'3" people here. I am 5'3" also, and most of the time I'm okay with it, but sometimes it's a real pain in the ass. Pamie, I had to laugh, because I have recently discovered the joy of the giant Kiss Boot shoes and wear them for the same reason you do, even though people at work have been chuckling a little at my Frankenstein shoes. When I realized I could kiss Charlie while wearing them and neither of us had to make any major adjustments (he's 5'11") that was it - I got as many different colored giant shoes as I could afford. I feel a little ridiculous in them sometimes, when I look down and wonder who slapped the clown shoes on my feet. Then I realize that I'm not getting neck aches any more when I stand in a group of people talking. I used to have to look up all the time.

Just the other day I wasn't wearing a pair of my tall shoes, and I suffered the consequences. I was looking for a gift, selected a beautiful windchime, went to get it and realized I wasn't tall enough to get it off the hook. I made all kinds of racket trying to get the damn chimes down, and people stared at me like I was an annoying kid playing with something that my mother should be telling me not to. No one offered to help me get them down, and I ended up leaving with another gift that I wasn't as happy with. I needed to be 5'7" that day.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

well, i've plateaued (?) at a mere 5'4 3/4", the tallest of the three sisters, (and the oldest). always dated men in the 6"0 range, though not on purpose... i wish i didn't have to cart the plastic blue footstool around the house to reach things.

the first guy i dated was (and still is, i'm sure) a HUGE 6'2 taiwanese (sp?- sorry, i'm ill and can't spell) foot ball player whose parents were MAYBE 5'3... really a funny looking family.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

i hate my height! i'm 5'5". average. boring. blah. i used to be 5'5" and 1/2 in high school, but i shrank. god. i'm not tall enough to be a regular model, not short enough to do petites. and, what's worse, my feet are a size nine! fine if you're 5'7" or 5'8", but they're just way too big for a boring, average 5'5"!

-- Anonymous, February 10, 2000

I'm 5'6", which is about average, I figure. That makes me a bit taller than most of my family, excepting one brother, so I was often called upon to get things from cabinet from puberty onwards, but I could live with that. :-) So, yeah, I'm pretty satisfied with that.

In an essay written by one of my classmates in a college workshop, I discovered that some people would actually consider me to be short, but this is so at odds with my perception of reality that I've rejected it as being ridiculous. I mean, yeesh. I'm the tall one. Get with the program, people. :-)

-- Anonymous, February 10, 2000

Just yesterday morning (it seems) I was five foot four In high school, man, they said I was short and small I woke up one morning and I grew an inch or more I just can't remember that I'm really tall

I've been short and I've been tall I've been the smallest child walking down the hall I've been called to hang things high up on the wall: My growth spurt made me five feet nine inches tall.

Don't you look down upon me, people You've got to help me see the show You've just got to notice I'm down here, please My feet are aching and I can't see the band And seven foot tall men are in my way.

Oh, I've been short and I've been tall I've been the smallest child walking down the hall I've been called to hang things high up on the wall: My growth spurt made me five feet nine inches tall. I went to college, was an easy time, I shot up towards the sun. Lord knows where the cold milk goes, it'll give you strong bones! Well, there is many a time while shopping where I'm unable to wear a thing Sweet jeans and pretty things in crumples on the ground.

Oh, I've been short and I've been tall I've been the smallest child walking down the hall I've been called to hang things high up on the wall: My growth spurt made me five feet nine inches tall, now. Thought I'd see you eye to eye, man. There's just a few things I'd like to say this time around, now. Now you'll see me, *now* you see me, I'm 5'9", now.

-- Anonymous, February 10, 2000

I like being 6'2", for most things it's an advantage. The only real hassle I've had was when I was in the navy on a submarine in the 70's. I had to walk around with my head bent over to the side. You also had to walk sideways cause the passageways were only about 2 ft wide. When you met another person you had to kinda turn sideways and squeeze by. Most passed butt to butt so to speak. The other problem was that the racks(beds) were only 6 feet long and boxlike stacked 3 high.. So I had to sleep with my feet against one end and my head turned to the side into the corner of the other end. And since I was tall I got the top rack which meant I either had to get in face up or face down because there wasn't enough clearance to turn over. Damn I'm getting claustraphobic just remembering this.

-- Anonymous, February 10, 2000

Somebody said that 5'6" is average. Actually, 5'3" is the North American average for women. I've seen this stat cited in several sources. But when I tell it to people who call me short (at 5'5"), they laugh and accuse me of making it up.

(For the record, the average weight for North American women is 143 lbs. No, we're not the svelte Amazons the fashion/entertainment industry would have us believe we should be... so what?)

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2000

I'm 5 foot 10 and it suits me just fine. However, there are some annoying things ... trousers that are too bloody short being the main problem. Also, anybody who thinks taller people can put on weight and carry it better are just not right. I'm naturally fairly slim, but I often feel huge around tiny, petite people, and if I put on a few kilos I really feel like a giant blob person. Still, at least I can always see the screen at the movies.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

I'm 5'10". I like my height a hell of a lot more now than I did when I was 12. I was 5'8" when I was 12. It sucked. I hate that I have a hard time finding jeans that are long enough, but it could be worse.

Someone mentioned a funny looking family...well, mine is kinda funny....my dad is 6'5".....my oldest brother is 6'6", my other brother is 6'5" and my mom is 5'3".

We call her the runt. Then we run away, of course.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

I'm 5'8" and am fine with it - but when I was 12, it was a drag.

I've also had the experience of a man telling me (in email) that he was 5'10" but then when I met him in person, I was at least an inch taller than he was. Why do men LIE that way?

I didn't care about his stupid height, but I thought his lying about it was a bad sign.

-- Anonymous, February 16, 2000

I'm 5'10" or 5'11" and I enjoy it. I like having graceful, tall posture. I don't really think about it that much. Except there have been short guys who tried to make me feel BAD for being tall. One said I made him insecure, as if it were my fault, and another said I was sort of scary in a dominatrix kind of way. Whatever. I'm just the height I am. Sometimes it is hard to find pants that are long enough, though.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2000