because i do.
and i blame charlize theron.
more specifically, i blame charlize theron in that red dress.
you know the one i'm talking about. you must.
hmmm. okay, yes, i see your point. now that i look at it i realize it's not exactly red (the footnote says bronze). but you get the point.
i mean, come on, is she not heaven in that dress?
this spawned a certain love affair with ms. theron, such that, i took to googling. and what i remember is that i was particularly taken with her height.
five feet, ten inches.
glorious! huzzah! yes, i would be that height as well then. i was old enough to know that the chances were pretty good that i would be tall, so might as well really be.
so i took a sharpie, pulled out a tape measure, and charted out the distance on the frame leading into my bathroom.
growing up i would stand there. against the molding, mark how tall i was, how much progress i had made, and how far i had yet to go.
and when all was said and done and all the proverbial cookies had crumbled (puberty and growth spurts and the joys of teenage-hood) don't know you, i stood right up against the frame, put my hand atop my head, stepped away to look where it had landed and...BLAM. 5 foot 10.
some things are willed into existence. of this i'm almost nearly, just pretty sure, nursing a strong inkling that yes, indeed, that is true.
the funny thing is. i'd give a few of those inches back. because this is what i know now: men are short. particularly those in drama school. particularly on the east coast. and the thing is i'm like anyone else: i wanna wear heals! i want to feel small and demure and lithe next to my beau!
then again, this too is true: it's great for concerts, and...
oh, gosh, that's all i've got so far, it's great for concerts.
i've been working on it though. of late. i've been working on pulling my shoulders back, unfurling the full width of my chest, holding my neck high. because for better or worse it's not just ms. theron's story, it's mine. and when i'm surrounded by family, and the tall women we boast, i know it's part history, part heritage, part love-story.
but do send your really tall guy friends my way, won't you?
43 comments:
hahaah. love this.
tall women are SO beautiful!
I can only imagine how tough it must be to find a boy who you can coordinate your height with though. I wouldn't want to be taller than my love either. Haha.
But yes-embrace your height!!
from, Jessica.
www.jessicakutok.blogspot.com
I'm about 5'8 so not as tall, but I love being tall! Just come out to the Mid-West where the boys are corn fed and you will find yourself a tall man!
I feel you. I'm 5'9". Boys are short. My boyfriend is shorter then me actually. But the thing is I don't mind all that much. =) I have one really tall single friend that I would send your way but he isn't much of a city boy. Good luck out there!
Oh my goodness. I love this post. I'm 5'8 and all the guys I meet are my height. I don't mind being the same height as the guy, but it would be a little odd being taller by a couple inches, truthfully. I'm tall enough that it starts to matter, but not TOO tall.
Growing up I always wanted to be 5'10/5'11 and I wouldn't mind it now, either. You milk what ya go. You probably have a nice pair of stems!
I hear you.
I'm around 5'8 1/2'. I have literally begged god to let me not mind so much about a boy being shorter than I am but so far, nothing has changed.
I am trying to stand straighter and wear heels if I want to, as well.
i love these responses. i should say, that when a man is really a man, and you love him, the height thing doesn't matter a damn. i'd take that any day.
I'm also 5'10' or even a little over it and I love it. I'd even venture to say it is not all that super tall in the modern world. Embrace it I say!
I dated shorter, same height and taller men and am now four months away from marrying a man 4 inches taller than me. They are out there!
That said, if he has a problem with it, he's probably not the person for you. Look at Sophie Dahl and her shorter man!
I'm 5'10" too, and this is silly to say, but it's one of my favorite things about me. I'm not particularly exotic or unique looking, so I consider my height to be my special thing. I really hope you do embrace it! It is a depressing thing to see someone tall who feels embarrassed by it and walks around with slumped shoulders. Hold that neck high!
P.S. Don't you find it strange when you're with a girl taller than you? I certainly do. The natural order feels "off". Ha ha.
my husband is 6'6 and all of his 7 brothers are that height or are a smidge taller/shorter. i'll see if i can send one your way. blonde or brunette.
but seriously, tall is beauty. it's the height of the goddesses, the long legs, able to reach things in high places, not blocked by someone right in front of them at concert benefits of being tall. rock it sister. rock it!
@lindsay: i love that it's one of your favorite things!!! and i know what you mean, i constantly want to lose a few inches, but put me around a girl who's taller than me, and it's like i try to out-tall her! so odd!
i love this so so much! i'm exactly 5'10" too and i feel the saaaame exact way! good for concerts and good for getting things in high places without having to drag that pesky chair over....
you'll find that handsome tall man soon, i'm sure!
I am 5'1 and would give anything to add a zero: 5'10. My boyfriend is 5'11, and you're right, it is nice to feel like you can curl into the nook of their arm as you walk down the sidewalk. But also. Tall girls have such nice legs and great confidence. Plus? I'm sure you can dance. I look like a Teletubby when I dance.
Cheers to embracing our heights, yes?
How lucky to be so tall!! Own it!! :)
Ben is tall! Just saying... :)
I've met Charlize Theron and she is lovely, kind and passionate. You two have several things in common.
What a cute post! I wouldn't have guessed you were that tall (is that weird to say??) I'm 5'9", so it's probably because I always assume everyone's going to be shorted than me. :)
I am 5'9" and a little bit. I totally agree I used to dred dating because I felt like I had to scrunch up to feel any sort of small. Then I met my husband, and he may only be a few inches taller, but the emotional tallness, I find is much more comforting in making me feel like a real woman. If that is of any help.
Reason #23408 you need to come visit me in SF: All of Radley's friends are tall. No, not 6'7" tall like him, but, say, 6'4".
Did I mention I have a 100% record in matchmaking?
i feel you!! i am 5'11"! :)
it is really great for concerts and pretending to be a supermodel.
www.onwardcreativity.blogspot.com
I'm 5'0'' and never have to worry about a guy being shorter than me really (once, just once, I dated someone who was the same height as me; it was awkward though easy to kiss him).
I tend to worry more about weight though, and in that way - I wish I was a perfect 5'4''.
Oh but what I would give to be 5'10".
Meg!
I completely understand! I'm 5'9 and love all those cute heels! I usually do no more than 3 inches, though.
and yes, where are all those tall handsome men? :)
it's great for concerts AND it's the same height as me. now you have two reasons to love it!
men are short on the west coast as well. i think it's just a national thing these days. i remember when i was younger i thought my aunt was a goddess. she is 6'1 and i wanted to be exactly that height. i guess i didn't will that enough into existence! you are so lucky!!!
I am 5'11" and dating a man shorter than me, by one inch, for the first time in my life. He's a better man than all those other tall guys I've dated. Ah, the east coast.
The best thing about being tall is I get taken more seriously because of my height. No one can look down on me, literally. :)
Oh and concerts and reaching high shelves.
Yay for tall ladies! Embrace your height :) There are plenty of tall men out there who are just waiting to find a girl who can get things from the top cupboard by herself ;) I'm 5'11" and I'm actually so glad that I don't have to wear heels because I can't balance in them at all!
i'm 5'10 as well. I spent a majority of my life hating this. The first time I really appreciated it was when I took my 21 year old self to Vegas with a gaggle of tall girlfriends (though, not quite my kind of tall - more 5'8ish). I wore flats to a club and realized that there were tons of girls in 6in heels who were significantly taller than me. I HATED it. And since that day, i've grown to appreciate my height. Additionally, if you want to look at it as a glass half full: it narrows down the dating pool. What? You don't think that's a positive? Think of all the choices our 5'1 counterparts have to make! they can date ANYONE! and as someone with decision anxiety, that sounds like hell. Give me my 6'2 prince any day :}
ps as a side note:
shorter girls have to have either a booty or a rack (apologies for the crude description) which means they must find either an "ass man" or a "boob man." men universally love legs. i've never met a man who hasn't loved long legs. so you might say, us tall-ys have a leg up on the shorter competition.
Hello Meg, this is the first time I comment but I have been reading you for a while. I am a tall girl who grew up in Mexico, so I know about the awkwardness. All I have to say is the dutch are the tallest (world average) and funny enough I ended up with one who is just slightly (7 cm ) taller than me, so, whenever I wear heels we look like Nicole Kidman with Tom Cruise.
Oh, but I agree with the girl above, us tall girls have long legs.
i had a magazine cut-out of charlize in that dress handing from my bulletin board all through middle school, high school and college. that right there was my epitome of beauty, and i kind of thought i could find a prom dress similar. no such luck, but i still think that's one of the most classic looks of all time. crazy that you posted about it:) but everything you said is spot on.
I was meant to be tall, too. And then, somehow, during high-school, I stopped growing. I blame it on my early, early birth - two and half months premature, I was so enthusiastic to see this world! But the funny thing is, that at just my average height of around five foot, five inches... I'm the anomaly in my family. My sister is a whole six feet--just short of an inch over. And all those things you said, I know are true. But at five foot five, I could do with doing them, too. Pulling my shoulders up straight, head high. I'm not quite so sure it is a height thing - not a measurement of bone, at least. I think it might be a skin thing, and our comfort with it.
luckily, i found a husband who is 6'10". that's right. i can walk on stilts and still be good.
ps: stand up straight and flaunt it missy.
Oh my word! I didn't know you were so tall. I am 5'9". I didn't know all these other girls were tall too. I don't feel alone anymore.
My sister and I are both 5'9" and we live in Arizona. No tall guys out here. I would just take someone even my own height. Or someone who doesn't make me feel like I'm awkward or big. I just want to feel like a girl around a guy. For us to just fit. I have had one too many awkward short guy hugs... do you go above the shoulder or below or sideways? Help!
I guess the East Coast is out for us! Ha
Oh, and why is it that all the tall guys marry really short girls?? Maddening!
Yes conjures up thoughts of misaligned embraces, perpetual stooping & such
I'm only one inch smaller than you, so I know what you're talking about! It used to bother me so much when you're younger, but after seeing my sister (who is 6 foot) walk around as tall as she can with confidence, I see how beautiful being tall can be.
AMEN! Much love for this post coming from a 5'9 gal who just aches for a tall man and a good pair of heels :)
-Karla
http://casualbedlam.blogspot.com
5' 10" is normal to me, being 5' 11 and 3/4" (or so my doctor told me one time, and I thought "why the heck didn't you just say 6'?"). My biggest thing about having been tall my whole life is that I gravitated toward other tall friends (aka boys) becuase they were literally on my leve, meaning when out at parties or bars they're the only people I can hear talking. My shorter girlfriends stand in a cluster gabbing on and on and I can never hear a thing they're saying without bending over awkwardly or standing with my legs spread out so I'm a few inches shorter.
Your time will come. You'll meet the guy who's the perfect height, or the perfect guy regardless of his height. I dated a boy 4" shorter than me for 3 years and after we broke up started dating a guy 4" taller than me, and we're in it for good. It takes time. As soon as I stopped looking, I found him.
I think I'd rather be tall, like I am, than short. While it is particularly hard to find guys that are substantially taller than me, I just like being tall.
My lovely husband is 5 foot 8...and a half, I'm a lovely 5 foot 9. It works, and I wear heels...big ones! It's certainly good for more than concerts! yikes.
I didn't know you were a fellow tall girl! If you're 5'10 exactly, I've got 3/4" on you.
I get down about the height sometimes too, but despite the annoyance of finding a guy who is really awesome, just to stand up to tower over him, I wouldn't trade it.
I have a few tall local lady friends and as we stood in a fancy-schmancy club in Atlantic City last summer with our glam heels, towering over nearly everyone in the place, I realized one thing. I have a direct line of sight to the tallest (and thus, most attractive) gentleman in the place. All twelve of them. Who knows if I would have been able to see them through the seas of people - or worse, if they would have been able to see me.
Also, one of my tall guy friends (I have a few!) told me after breaking up with his 5'5 ex-girlfriend that now he could focus on making sure the next girl would be a "good breeding wife" so that his future sons wouldn't have a chance to be vertically challenged.
Whenever Camilla gets back out to the East Coast, we're all going out. And so are our tall shoes.
oh meg, yes! yay for tall girls. I willed this as well. I used to always quote cher from clueless... i wanna be 5'9'' just like cindy crawford. i think i was 12 when it came out. well, i'm 5'9''. cheers to our height! and like you, sometimes i ache to be shorter... but then i realize it is really quite awesome. i just know your tall handsome beau is out there and on his way to find his 5'10'' beauty.
2011 version? http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,20549222,00.html#21086940
I always knew I would be tall- I was always on the back row at school pictures and among the tallest in my class. Then, after everyone else, I hit my growth spurt and went from being 5 6 like them to 6'! I've tried willing away a few of the inches and think 5' 9" but I try to just focus on being grateful for my tall husband (6'5", we laugh I married him for his height- not quite but I did start dating him for it!) A few years ago I saw a step stool in my girlfriends kitchen and thought well that's insulting she needs a baby stool for herself. We all have things to work around, at least I can get what I need off the high shelf at Costco! Now to focus on teaching acceptance- I'm pretty sure my little girl is going to be far taller than me!
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