I’ve been called Stretch, Stringbean, Giraffe, Too-tall McCall, Legs, and “Hey, wow, you’re tall!” I’m 5’11, and a female (obviously), which puts me somewhere between the 95-99 percentiles for women’s heights.
I used to be embarrassed to be so tall. I was always the tallest in my class; this wasn’t some sort of growth spurt that put me a head above every girl. No, I’ve always been the tallest. I was also extraordinarily skinny for quite some time. Put those two together, and I’m sure you’re thinking, “Oh, you could’ve been a model! Stop complaining!” Uh, no. Tell that to my 10 or 12 year old self. I had knobby knees and super long limbs. How’s that for cute?
At the bus stop in elementary school, I was so clearly the tallest child. That awkward boy next to me with the matching soccer outfit and creepy face is my brother.
My one sport, soccer. We were all the same age, if you can believe it. All you see is my head sticking out of the circle.
Anyway, now that I’m older, 5’11 isn’t as weird as it used to be. There are plenty of girls taller than me (most on the volleyball or basketball team). Speaking of sports, one part of being tall is that people assume you have hand-eye coordination. This couldn’t be more wrong for me. Ask anyone. I recently played in a students versus teachers basketball game with my middle school kids, and boy did I get made fun of by students. They couldn’t believe that I had no skill on the court.
Sports aside, another interesting thing about being tall is that it makes dating even more fun. The average male height is around 5’9. I’m not sure I even believe that. My favorite part about dating is that many men believe that they are 6’ tall, and happily tell me this, while I am peering down at them from my 5’11. These men are generally 5’8, but this post is not about Napoleon complexes (which dear Joceline claims to suffer from). Most of my boyfriends fell in the 5’10-6’ range, which shows that height in relationships isn’t actually a huge deal to me. My own mother is taller than my father. No biggie, right? Well, to some men, it’s a huge problem. I’ve had some awkward run-ins with potential romantic interests over height. They usually fizzled out quickly.
In Joceline’s post about being short, she wrote that she has a bombastic personality to overcome her height. I also have a bombastic personality, but it just adds to my “larger than life” presentation. I have no idea where my loudness ways came from, but it’s very hard to ignore the tall one with the big mouth.
Joce and I at her graduation last May.
Which brings me to the good parts about being tall. I’m usually easily recognized, and I also tend to make an impression on people. I love fashion, and there is no denying that height makes it easier for me to get away with many looks. I do still have a hang up about wearing heels, but I’ve become better recently. My mother says that at our height, it doesn’t matter if we’re 5’11 or 6’3, so we might as well wear high shoes. I also like that I have the best view at concerts, and I also can reach things very easily. As a teacher, I believe students tend to respect me more than other young teachers because of my imposing height.
Also, I’m the perfect height to marry Ryan Gosling. We’d make a beautiful couple.
Perfect. He's a little over 6'.
