“How tall are you?”
“WOW, you are SO tall”
“You play volleyball don’t you? Basketball?”
“Do you like being tall?”
“Is it hard to find guys taller than you?”
“Do you date guys shorter than you?”
These are questions I have gotten my entire life. I am about six feet tall, and as a female that means I am something to stare at everywhere I go. I never really put much thought into my height because I have always been tall for my age and especially my gender. Other people, especially strangers, love to notice how tall I am. The amazement people feel at my height would lead you to believe that I had a full beard and hooves for hands. Yes, I am tall. Yes, I LOVE being tall. Yes, I will date a guy shorter than me if I like them. Please stop asking me.
My height is a part of who I am, and I am proud of that. So why does everyone feel so personally affected by my height?
As a senior in high school, I was a cashier for a local hardware store in my town. It was a small shop, so I was the only cashier, and therefore talked to every customer that came in. Without fail, I got a handful of comments on my height every shift. I even had a few people ask me if I was standing on something behind the counter, or if I was really that tall. It never failed to amaze me how shocked people were when I informed that, “yes I am pretty tall, about six feet to be exact.”
Out of all the things you could say about my height, I always love the “you’re tall” comments. I never really know what they are hoping to get out of this conversation, as they are just pointing out a physical characteristic of mine. It isn't a compliment or a critique. Just a fact. I usually respond by stating something about their physical appearance, you know, to return the favor. “You are so tall!” “Yes I am, and you have brown hair!” The conversation usually ends there.
The most common question that I receive is “how tall are you?” Seeing that I have gotten this question hundreds of times over my life, I try to have fun with this one too. I like to either over exaggerate...
“I’m eight feet tall!”
“There’s no way you are that tall.”
...or under exaggerate.
“Ah, you caught me! I’m 5’2’’.”
My least favorite question is the infamous: “Do you like being tall?” I tell them that I love being tall, and more often than not they are surprised and ask me why. The assumption that I should hate it is what gets to me, because it clearly shows their own opinion on my height. I’ve never really understood why I shouldn’t love being tall. It is a part of who I am and it is something that I cannot change, so why would I spend time being sad over it?
Plus, being tall is so much fun. I got to ride roller coasters way before anyone else my age could. I can always reach things on the top shelf. I get to ride shot-gun majority of the time because I'm longer than everyone else. I can almost always see the stage or court at concerts and games (much to the dismay of the fans behind me). Not to mention I am in great company with other members of the tall-girls-club like Kendall Jenner, Blake Lively, Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, and my girl crush, Karlie Kloss. I mean, who wouldn't want to be like them?
