While scrolling through my Twitter newsfeed a few weeks ago, I saw a tweet that said, “Girls over 5’9 should not wear heels.” Not only did I find this tweet appalling but it has also got me thinking about how judgmental our society is today.

Since when is it okay to tell someone what they can and cannot do based on their physical appearance? Since when is it okay to knock down the confidence and self-esteem of others? The answer to these questions is: never.

Society, the way people label others, and close-minded, rude tweets like these are the reason young girls who are tall tend to be insecure. There is this stigma that girls have to be shorter than guys or else it is weird. Or like that tweet stated, you cannot wear heels if you are over certain height.

Ever since I was young I have always been tall. I was always the tallest in my elementary and middle school classes and was always volunteered to help people reach high shelves. Growing up I was extremely insecure about my height. I wasn’t insecure because I hated my height; I was insecure because the people around made me hate my height. People were always commenting on my height telling me I was too tall for this or too tall to have a boyfriend. People would even question why I was wearing shoes other than flats because they made me “too tall.”

I was always the tall friend that slouched down in pictures to fit in with my short friends. I always dated boys that were up to my shoulders and was always the one wearing flats to prom while every other girl wore cute sparkly heels. The first thing people said to be when I met them was “wow you’re so tall.” People made it seem like there was nothing to me but height.

As I started growing up and experiencing the real world more, I realized that all these societal ideas of how people should act or should look like are false. We are humans, which means people do not look the same. No one should ever feel shame for what they look like or how tall they are.

With that being said, if you are six foot like me and want to wear heels, do it! Most models are over 5’9 and are strutting the runways with huge heels in confidence. If you are in love with a boy two inches shorter than you, date him; love isn’t measured by height, but by heart. If someone does not like you because you are taller than them, move on. There are plenty of tall hunky men that find it attractive. Do not let one judgment ruin your confidence.

Don’t be insecure about being the tall girl out of all your short friends; instead simply embrace it. Being tall is beautiful, not awkward. Girls do not have to be shorter than guys, and being six three in heels is sexy. Being tall is not worse than being short. Being tall is elegant and flawless.

The next time someone comments on your height, take it as a compliment. Everyone is unique and it is time to start embracing it, and the first step to embracing it is buying those heels even if you are over 5’9.