I am a very tall human being. I am very much over the average woman height in America. I am also over the average male height in America. I stand at the height of 6’3”. I stand proud and I very much enjoy my height but it does come with a lot of questions. I have learned over the years how to answer these questions to the best of my ability but believe me, it get very repetitive at time. I originally did a spoken word poem for an assembly at my school that was about being tall but I decided to go a little more into depth for the people who still ask me these questions.
1. Do you play basketball?
People assume that I play basketball because of how tall I am. It does make sense but when you are asked this question on an everyday basis it gets a little out of hand. Contrary of my height, I do not play basketball. Nor do I like watching basketball, nor did I like it when I tried it in the seventh grade, and no my parents did not like basketball either. When I did try basketball, they threw me under the hoop and said, “Get all the balls that fall off the basket and throw it to someone who can run faster.” I was not a fan of getting elbowed in the stomach and pushed around only to get thrown out of the game when I pushed back. So in short terms, no I do not play basketball.
2. Where do you find pants?
First off, I am always very surprised when I get this question just because it is so odd to me that people are so curious about where I shop for pants. This questions can sometimes come in other forms like, is it hard to find pants? Or, are pants ever way too short for you? It all depends on the person and how much they are truly interested in finding the answer out. The answer is, yes it can be hard to find pants but most of the time I wear leggings that are long enough or they have this thing in stores called, “extra-long." It is honestly a life saver.
3. How tall are you?
This is the most common question I get and when I answer that I am 6’3” they usually respond with something along these lines, “wow, I wish I was taller, you are so lucky. Your parents must be tall too, right?” To answer the second question, yes my parents are pretty tall but I am taller than them. I don’t really know how to respond when someone bashes their own height though because I think there are many perks to being tall and many perks to being short so most of the time I just smile and say thanks because I don’t know how to respond.
4. So, would you date a guy shorter than you?
This is the question that makes me the most uncomfortable only because I never know how people are going to react to my answer. I usually don’t date guys or are interested in guys that are shorter than me. It would honestly be like Hagrid from Harry Potter dating a dwarf. Which would just be awkward to me. Most people respond by agreeing with me but sometimes you get the people who think that I am being selfish or rude because I wouldn’t date someone shorter than me. Or they think that I am all into looks which is not the case at all. I just find it easier in many aspects to be with someone who is taller than me. I never understood why someone asks me this question only to argue with me that my personal preference is wrong. Sorry I don’t want to bend down to hug someone.
5. Do you like being tall?
Honestly, yes I do. I tend to find the positive aspects of being tall rather than looking at the negative parts about it. I don’t mind these questions being asked. The only time I get aggravated with them is when people are constantly asking me them only to bring out the negative aspects about being tall like it must be hard to find a boyfriend, pants, shoes, or even you probably can’t fit in the back seat. I always look at the positive things like reaching for items that are high, seeing over crowds, always looking older, and having long legs that helped me a whole bunch in sports. I think there are positive and negative things about being both short and tall but I just choose to express the positive parts.
