Let me start off by saying I’m not really that tall. At 5’6”, I’m the around the average height for American women. While I do have plenty of taller Asian girl friends, I’m still well above the average height of Asian women and especially taller than the average 5’0” of Vietnamese women.
Growing up being taller than most of my family, my height has made my body more susceptible to judgement and criticism from my Vietnamese relatives. Like most Asian families, I have an extensive extended family with more aunts, uncles, and cousins than I can name or even recognize. Through the years, as I met more and more of my distant relatives that I seemed to tower over, I would always hear the comment: “You should model!”
This bothered me to no end, not because I had anything against modeling, but because while I am tall, I’m more built than thin—my body does not fit the model nor the petite Asian standard. And the struggles don’t end there. Here are a couple more:
Feeling uncomfortable wearing heels
When my family goes to formal events, I can’t wear heels taller than 3 inches without looking like a giraffe. I’m stuck with the boring 1-inch heels or flats.
Being taller than most Asian boys
If you’re a tall Asian girl, you probably have a hard time meeting an Asian guy who’s 1) not shorter than you, 2) not your same height, or 3) only an inch taller than you. I want to be able to wear heels on my wedding day!
Standing out in pictures
You can point me out fairly easily in pictures with my family and my Asian friends, because I’m typically the tallest one. This is especially a bad thing if I look awful in the picture.
Getting weird comments or looks about my height
Not only did relatives comment on my height, but Asian family friends did too. When we meet new friends of the family, 99.9% of the time someone would say something about it or would look at me weird, which made me feel even more like the odd one out.
Risking ordering clothes from Asian online stores
Clothes from Asian online stores are super cute and pretty inexpensive, and they look really good on the models on the website. Sometimes I forget that those models aren’t 5’6” and end up ordering a dress that looks like a shirt on me.
Not finding clothes that fit while in Asia
During a trip to Bangkok, Thailand, I would drop by cute boutiques in malls since the clothes were cheaper there. I quickly realized that these clothes were made for petite Asian women; the straps were too tight on my shoulders, the skirts and dresses were too high for my legs, the sleeves were too short on my arms, and the shirts were too small on my chest. The clothes wouldn’t fit me in any way possible.
Even though my height still makes me feel like an oddball when I’m around my relatives or friends, I’ve learned to embrace it. At the end of the day, it’s fun and convenient to be on the taller side.
