Being tall is simultaneously a curse and a blessing. You may say "I wish I were tall, like you are." Well, sometimes I don't want to be. It's taken a lot of time to be comfortable with my height and I certainly don't want to be any taller. But at the same time, having a few extra inches more that most people does have its advantages. So here's a list of many things that all tall people can relate to.
1. The Comments
Everyone's a critic and everyone notices your height. Everyone. Even small children notice there's something different about you. People are always asking you "How tall are you?" or telling you "Wow, you're tall." As a woman whose height reaches six feet, I often confuse toddlers because I'm taller than their fathers. They tend to just stare for about ten minutes and not say anything. Thanks kid.
2. Mirrors
Seeing as most women are about 5'4" and men are usually 5'10", my height is pretty abnormal. Thus mirrors are usually too short...They are placed for the average person, which tends to be significantly shorter than what I need. Any tall woman going to a public restroom and looks in the mirror to discover that she has no head...
3. Extra Long Clothes
These are a blessing that are God-inspired. It's like clothing designers have finally decided that you don't have to pick between width and length to have a decent piece of clothing. If only every clothing designer would follow the trend...
4. Beds
Your bed is never long enough, unless it is specifically made extra long. Which, by the way, is usually not the case. You get used to sleeping diagonally, in the fetal position, with your feet hanging over then edge, or all of the above pretty quickly.
5. Reaching The Top Shelf
You don't have to use a step-stool most of the time. You can reach that shelf that most people can only dream of reaching. You don't have to rely on anyone's help to reach it.
6. Reaching The Top Shelf......
You don't have to use a step-stool, unlike a good portion of society. That means you are the designated person to help. You've come to recognize a certain tone that means someone is about to ask for your help.
7. Reaching The Bottom Shelf
You have a lot further to go down to reach that bottom shelf. In fact, using bottom cabinets and the like is kind of annoying. Not only do you have further to reach, you might as well sit down in order to reach it.
8. Fear Of Heights/Falling
You can't blame us right? We have further to fall, and thus we stand to collect more injuries than the average person. You'd be surprised how much difference a couple of inches can do. Plus, maybe the whole "not needing a step-stool" has spoiled us and we're just not used to being up that high.
9. "Do You Play A Sport?"
You're in the grocery store, minding your own business, and some random person walks up with glowing admiration in his eyes and asks the dreaded question: Do you play any sports? It's the second most asked question to a tall person. "Do you play ______?" This blank is always filled in with a sport of some kind. Which sport depends on the day, time of year, area, and who's asking. I personally have been asked if I play basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, and many more. My older brother has been asked if he plays basketball, soccer, football, lacrosse, and, again, so many more I can't even begin to fathom. Now, you get to crush the dreams of any random person to ask by telling them you are the farthest thing from athletic...
10. Tallest Of Your Friends
Remember the average height for men and for women? Yeah, see, when you are a woman who is taller than the average man, more than likely you are the tallest of your friends. This means you always end up in the middle for group pictures, standing a foot taller than those around you. Always.
11. High Heels
So many people will judge you hardcore for wearing heels when you are already tall. What do you need a few more inches for, right? Well they're pretty and you wear them anyway. Let them judge you. You look fabulous in them.
12. Finding You In A Crowd
People can always find you in a crowd. You are a head taller than most women and even a few inches taller than most men. You do kind of stick out. It makes you kind of hard to miss.
13. Finding Others In A Crowd
While people find you easily, it's a bit more difficult for you to find your friends. Sure, you're taller than most people. That doesn't mean that you can see over everyone's heads, nor that your friends are that tall...
14. Dating/Significant Others
If you are average height, it's easy to find someone who is taller than you, but not if you're a tall woman. If you are taller than the average man, odds are, you'll end up with someone shorter than you. Might as well accept it. You might find someone taller, but probably not...
15. Group Pictures
You are always in the back row. You're told to line up from shortest to tallest, and you immediately head over to the tallest section of the line. The people in the back row are usually men and you. Good luck with that, and get used to it.
16. Short Bathroom Stalls
That's right. You read that correctly. There are some bathrooms that are designed for short people and that means us tall people get the short end of the stick. Pun intended. This is an actual picture of me standing behind a bathroom stall door. Flat footed.
17. Trees
You know exactly what I mean. Trees are literally always in the way. You could be walking down the street with your average height friend and they don't have to duck, but you do. Every. Single. Time. That happy little tree is not your friend.
Whether it's the random comments from people passing by or the little things in life, being tall changes things. There's nothing quite like it. It's a bittersweet feeling, and either you love it or you hate it. Still there are those out there jealous of us giants, so own it.
