World's Tallest Woman Dies at 53.

INDIANAPOLIS - A woman who grew to be 7 feet, 7 inches tall and was recognized as the world's tallest female died early Wednesday, a friend said. She was 53.

Sandy Allen, who used her height to inspire schoolchildren to accept those who are different, died at a nursing home in her hometown of Shelbyville, Ind., family friend Rita Rose said.

The cause of death was not yet known. Allen had been hospitalized in recent months as she suffered from a recurring blood infection, along with diabetes, breathing troubles and kidney failure, Rose said.

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In London, Guinness World Records spokesman Damian Field confirmed Wednesday that Allen was still listed as the tallest woman. Some Web sites cite a 7-foot-9 woman from China.

Coincidentally, Allen lived in the same nursing home, Heritage House Convalescent Center, as 115-year-old Edna Parker, whom Guinness has recognized as the world's oldest person since August 2007.

'Tool to educate people'
Allen said a tumor caused her pituitary gland to produce too much growth hormone. She underwent an operation in 1977 to stop further growth.

But she was proud of her height, Rose said. "She embraced it," she said. "She used it as a tool to educate people."

Allen appeared on television shows and spoke to church and school groups to bring youngsters her message that it was all right to be different.

Allen weighed 6-1/2 pounds when she was born in June 1955. By the age of 10 she had grown to be 6-foot-3, and by age 16 she was 7-1.

She wrote to Guinness World Records in 1974, saying she would like to get to know someone her own height.

"It is needless to say my social life is practically nil and perhaps the publicity from your book may brighten my life," she wrote.

Museum appearances
The recognition as the world's tallest woman helped Allen accept her height and become less shy, Rose said.

"It kind of brought her out of her shell," Rose said. "She got to the point where she could joke about it."

In the 1980s, she appeared for several years at the Guinness Museum of World Records in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

"I'll never forget the old Japanese man who couldn't speak English, so he decided to feel for himself if I was real," she recalled with a chuckle when she moved back to Indiana in 1987.

At Guinness there were days when I felt like I was doing a freak show," she said. "When that feeling came too often, I knew I had to come back home."

Difficulty with mobility had forced Allen to curtail her public speaking in recent years, Rose said. She had suffered from diabetes and other ailments and used a wheelchair to get around.

Rose is working to set up a scholarship fund in Allen's name, with proceeds going to Shelbyville High School.

"She loved talking to kids because they would ask more honest questions," Rose said. "Adults would kind of stand back and stare and not know how to approach her."

Disney Doesn't Love Me.

Wow, it has been awhile since I've posted... but I have been super busy wrapping up a summer job, moving all my stuff into storage, and preparing to move to London for a few months.

My tall story today comes courtesy of Disneyland. I went there last Monday for a work event, and we had lunch planned at the "exclusive" Club 33. Somehow, I forgot no flip flops were allowed at the club, and showed up to Disney in black flip flops. The woman at the door would not let me in and said I would have to buy real shoes if I wanted inside for lunch.

This is one of the very few things I haaaaaate about being tall: I can't get shoes or pants in 99% of stores, so if I need either one at a moment's notice, I'm pretty much out of luck. Regular stores just don't carry womens sizes 13/14 for shoes or pants with inseams of 37".

After scouring Disneyland (and almost crying because I was sleep deprived and extremely hungry and frustrated), a friend coaxed me to buy some SIZE 10 pink crocks. The shoes were $40, looked totally tacky, and didn't fit (obviously) but Club 33 let me in!

How on earth are pink crocks more acceptable than black flip flops? UGG!

Luckily, the place I bought the crocks from let me return them when I went back after lunch, so I got my $40 back, thank goodness.

Shoes... shoes... shoes... its so frustrating to have such an extremely limited selection, and so few stores which carry ANYTHING in my size to start with.

Height Fascination Hindering Good Will.

Yesterday I went to volunteer as an advocate at DPSS which is basically a place where low-income and indigent residents go to get government assistance. Sadly, a lot of claims get denied on technicalities so some of the legal aid clinics sponsor these volunteer days where volunteers go in and help clients understand the forms and advocate for their legal rights.

Anyway, I come from a very poor background so I am by no means judgmental toward or uncomfortable around people who are extremely poor. However, the room filled with primarily homeless men who were staring at me the whole time and occassionally cat-calling me made me rather uncomfortable.

It was one of the few times where I really wish I was not an extremely tall, blonde. I went there with the intention to help people, and instead I felt more uncomfortable in my skin than I have in a long time and couldn't wait to get out of there.

Low Vents...

Today I'm in a suit and heels because I have to actually go to court (usually I'm in business casual with flats), and when I parked on my usual floor in our underground parking garage, and climbed out, I couldn't stand up straight because I had parked in a space right under a huge vent, and I was too tall with my shoes on.

The parking attendant nearly died laughing as I tried to walk over to him scrunched down to hand him my keys.

Different Height Stereotypes.

I wonder if it is "worse" to a be a really tall female, or a really short male?

In terms of finding dates, if you want to stick to the "girl is shorter than the guy" stereotypes, I think it is much harder as a girl because there a lot more short girls out there than there are really tall guys. However, a lot of short girls do have that ridiculous requirement that they will only date guys over 6ft, even though they are only 5'1 to 5'4. So the short guys tend to get the shaft :/

In terms of how you're viewed by society, the more I think about it, the more I realize as hard as it is to be a 6'4" female and deal with the kinds of reactions I get sometimes ("I've never seen a woman so tall. .... You are HUGE!..." etc. Plus, on occassion the fact that almost all tall guys are usually with short women makes me think something is wrong with being so tall), I think it's actually harder to be a short guy. Because as a tall girl, if you stay in shape and dress well people will think of you as elegant/long-legged/sexy, etc. And it's not necessarily the most ideal to be short as a woman. Short women often wish they were taller, had longer legs, etc.

However, being tall does seem to be a pretty ideal factor for males, much moreso than females. So, as a male, if you are really short, it seems like that would have more identity-issues to work through than being a super-tall female. This is probably demeaning but I often feel bad for my short male friends, especially when I have to be around them and make them feel even shorter.

Ultimately, this entire post is pretty ridiculous. People come in all shapes and sizes and 99% of it can't be helped. I don't know when and why we created these ideas that the men are supposed to be tall, and the women are supposed to be short(er) and that either tall women or short men are weird and/or unfavored. Tall women and short men are rare(r), and therefore unique. As I often say to my fellow short and tall friends when in mixed company, being tall or being short is cool... being "average" is boring ;)

And lets just be honest.... short men often have way better personalities than tall men. Tall men automatically get like 50+ bonus points in most women's minds because being tall is so desirable, so it seems they don't have to work to hard at developing a decent personality. I've met so many DULL, DULL, DULL! tall men, and so many really entertaining, fun, and interesting short men. I like to analogize the situation to the really hot/cheerleader type girls. Sometimes, you meet a girl with the whole package (hot and a good personality--I have several girl friends who fit in this category) but you also run into really attractive girls that couldn't carry on a conversation to save their lives because usually they don't have to.

Anyway, through all of this shallow conversation... my point is that I'm realizing that height plays way more of a role in relationships and interactions than it should.

Tall Bonding.

At a work event this weekend.... while this is not a glamor shot of anyone in the photo, to give you a little perspective I (the girl in the yellow shirt) am 6'4".

Tall Perks.

I've decided to make a post about some of the things I consider to be perks about being tall (in the midst of all of the things that many people consider to be "negative" things about being tall or just difficult).

• Seeing over crowds (this is especially helpful when needing to find exits, bathrooms, specific people, tables, standing at concerts, etc.)
• Being able to breathe over crowds (although "heat rises" I've noticed that in crowded situations the air is significantly less hot and sweaty up around my face... I love breathing in the fresh air up there ;))
• People always remember me (of course, this can be a blessing and a curse).
• Reaching top shelves, and clothing in stores that is hanging up out of an average person's reach... no need to wait for assistance!
• I can walk a lot faster because I have much longer legs (this is especially nice in airports when I'm in a hurry)
• Conversation starter- I never have to figure out something to say to complete strangers, they almost always start the conversation asking about my height. While some people may consider this annoying, I think it saves me a lot of work ;)
• Attention. Sometimes it's nice :)
• Occassional other special perks. For example, when I was in DC trying to look at the constitution, the guard told me to come over to her and asked the other people to get out of the way. I thought I was in trouble but she just wanted to ask me how tall I am and whether I'm a model.... and I got a nice clear view of the Constitution :)

Nebraska?

Last night I was with a group of coworkers outside of the infamous Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in Hollywood, where we had just had an excellent dinner (...of chicken and waffles!). This really overweight, short man was sitting on a bench staring at us as we were walking away and said,

"Where are you guys from? Nebraska?"

We responded that we were from Los Angeles, and walked away extremely puzzled. We were an extremely diverse group and all dressed pretty differently so we couldn't figure out why someone would think we were all from the same place, and such a random place like Nebraska. The best we could come up with was that about 4 out of 20 of us were on the tall side, white, and blonde (a guy about 6'5, me at 6'4, a 5'10 girl and a 5'8 girl). I told them about how I often get asked if I'm from random european countries, and we all realized that is probably what the man was referring to. He saw several tall people and assumed we couldn't be from southern california, and to him Nebraska is probably just as far away as Europe (he looked like one of the local, never-been-out-of-California types).

2 Times the Charm.

Last night I was standing waiting for an elevator with some coworkers including one who is a 6'6"ish pale, blond male (remember I'm a 6'4"ish pale, blond female). This man walked up to the elevators and said,

"Are you guys swedish tourists?"

Of course all my coworkers laughed and we told the man that we just happened to be really tall. Later one of my coworkers told me how bad she felt that the man said that. I didn't really mind. I kind of think it is really funny.

That makes twice in one week that I've been asked if I'm swedish. I can't wait to go to Sweden soon and see if I actually blend in ;)

Oh, Cars.

For the past 5 or 6 years I've driven a car that is way too small for me. The lesson learned: don't go car shopping alone as a girl. At the time, the fact that the car was cute was enough for me, I wasn't too concerned about whether I actually fit in the car.

The garage where I park for work has parking attendants everywhere and they are always shocked when they see me walk over to the tiniest car in the garage and climb in. They have told me on multiple occassions that my car is too small for me and I need a bigger car. Thanks guys. Also, it's a running joke in my firm that I have such a small car because whenever we go to events I valet and then everyone is standing there when my little car shows up and I squeeze on in.

In August, I'll finally be getting rid of my silver bullet when I move to London for 4 months. Once I return though, I'm going to need to buy a new car and I'm thinking I should aim for something that fits me better. The three cars that I have fit the absolute best in are (1) the Honda Pilot; (2) the Scion Xb; and (3) interestingly, the Jeep Compass?

I've also noticed I generally fit ok in full-size cars (as opposed to my little 2-door sporty car), so it's not like I *have* to get an SUV. And in California, waaaaaay too many people drive SUVs who don't need them. And of course there are the gas prices and carbon footprint issues. I really like the feeling of sliding in to a car instead of scrunching down into one. I'm stuck in this constant tug of war between "get the car that is better on gas and better on the environment" and "get the car that is reasonable on gas and that you fit in really well."

I know a girl who is 6'4" and drives a Prius. So apparently, it can be done. But I've smacked the side of my head on the top of the door frame of my car so many times I'm convinced I might have brain damage.

Sorry for my delay, I've got words to say!

I'm the tallest girl in my office of several hundred people. It brings lots of stares, lots of questions, and pretty much each of the other tall women in the firm (there are a couple women who are in the 5'9-5'10 range) tell me how excited they are to have me here and to not feel like the tallest girl in the firm anymore ;)

I don't mind being the tallest woman around. In fact, I'm so used to it that I almost feel challenged when another tall woman is in the room and is actually taller than me. This has only happened once or twice. Usually, it's a 6'2" girl who is used to being the tallest girl around and then I walk into the room. Half the time they love me, half the time they hate me. Because when you are the tallest girl around, for some (I'll admit, including me) it's almost like an award you start to wear proudly. It's like, if you're voted the best actress and then someone walks into the room who is a better actress than you. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I don't think I am.

There is a guy in the office right next to me who claims to be 6'5" but even when I'm wearing heels I'm not taller than him, so I think he might be underestimating his height which is an interesting turn of events since men usually embellish their height by 2+ inches. Anyway, when we walk into a room together, people describe it as some kind of "force" blowing toward them. Everyone at work keeps talking about how tall all of us newbies are, when really... there are about 5 or 6 of us over 6 feet out of FIFTY. And of course, to me, anyone shorter than me is short, so that leaves 3 people total who are tall.

In non-work news, this weekend I had the following two encounters:

1) Random woman in a church lobby:
"OMG YOU ARE SO TALL!" *looks down at my feet* "OMG YOU'RE IN FLATS! OMG!" *walks away*

2) Random man at a bar:
"What nationality are you?"
Me: "....American?"
"No... but like are you Swedish or something?"
Me: "I don't know... dutch and german?"
"Wow... because yeah... you are really tall."

Apparently white tall girls MUST be from a northern european country because there is no way one could be born and raised in the United States with a family that has been in the U.S. since the Mayflower? Now that I think about it, I've actually got the nationality question quite a bit.

I'm moving to London in less than two months... And I suppose it's a good thing people tend to think I'm european and not American, eh? :)

Bar Meetings.

I was out at a hotel bar in Santa Monica on Saturday night with some friends from work, and two different tall guys came up to me and introduced themselves and mentioned how "great" it is to see a girl at eye level.

I don't go out a lot, and when I do it's usually with my boyfriend (who is also tall) so this is not an experience I have very often. I appreciate that some tall guys are gutsy enough to approach tall girls and say hello. (I've heard from some tall guys that they're afraid to talk to tall girls for some reason or feel like they get ignored... which is probably because the tall girls are pretending to not be too excited that there is actually a tall guy in the room).

Tall Accomodations.

I recently wrote an article for my law review (I'm a law student) which is going to be published next fall. I'm very excited about the article, but for my first-ever publication I kind of wish I'd picked a topic I cared more about before I wrote the article. I've been thinking about the possibility of writing an article on height discrimination. But I want it to be legitimate and not to seem like a joke.

Anyway, so I also recently started working at a big law firm. I'm a summer associate, and I noticed the furniture in my office, while extremely nice, does not fit me well. I emailed my coordinator to ask if I were to come back permanently AFTER law school if it would be possible to lift the desk up a bit so it would fit me better. This led to the support staff instantly coming to my office, trying to see what they could do to help, and ultimately moving me to a new office where they were able to put the desk up on a little bit of a platform which made a HUGE difference. Also, I ended up with a much bigger office and a much bigger window out of the deal :) As it turns out, there are several really tall guys in my summer class as well, so the support staff has been going around asking them if they need to move too. It's nice to be accommodated for once!

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!

I sadly wear between a women's 13 and 14 depending on the shoe. I say sadly because, although people tell me that is proportionate (for being a 6'4" woman) I know girls really close to my height who wear reasonable sized 11s and 12s. While 11s and 12s are still not as easy to find as a 9, they are definitely a LOT easier to find than a cute shoe in a 13 or 14.

But anyway, enough coveting of my fellow tall female friends' feet, and on with some resources where I've been able to find shoes up to size 14 that were actually wearable ;)

#1) Nordstrom Rack. If you have one near you, check it out! The one near me just started carrying 14s too! (all the other ones previously just carried up to size 13, so if you wear a 13 or lower, you're in luck!). You have to check back a lot because sometimes all the shoes are hideous and other times you want to buy the entire rack! :) Also, Nordstrom.com carries up to size 14 I think, and sometimes in the stores you can get lucky with shoes in a 12-13 available in store. It's more like you have to say "can you bring me every black shoe in a 13?" and then see if there is anything you like. They'll only bring out like 3-5 pairs ;)

#2) Zappos.com. Pretty big selection. Like Nordstrom Rack, to me it seems to vary a lot so you have to check back often for cute shoes... But they go up past a 14 in womens! :)

#3) Barefoottess.com. I have yet to purchase shoes from here, but they have a great selection for 12s/13s/14s :) I've heard other people used the sight and loved it, so I'm anxious to try it out!

#4) Payless Shoes. If you only wear up to a 12 (and sometimes 13), Payless Shoes has a pretty big selection in those sizes. They used to only have ugly shoes in my size back when I wore a 12. Now that I'm up to a 13/14 it seems their 12 collection is as cute as the other sizes. Also, I'm pretty sure they carry 13s online and will deliver to any store for free! :)

That's about it for my resources. Comment and let me know if you have more!

Sorry my posts have been lacking. I'm currently in my last finals of my 2nd year of law school.

Banana Republic Talls!

It turns out the inseams actually go up to 36" now! Which, technically I do better with a 37" but that's still better than the 34" talls they used to have :)

Check out the Banana Republic Talls section!

Tall Girl Dating.

First, I just want to throw it out there that I realize I'm completely biased when it comes to the term "tall." Being a 6'4" woman (which I think puts me in the top 1 or 2% heightwise for women) makes it VERY hard for me to accept that someone who is 5'8" is tall. That is a full EIGHT INCHES shorter than me. However, I also realize that technically 5'8" and 5'9" are tall for a woman. But it still is a little like nails on a chalkboard to me to hear a girl who is 5'8 complain about being too tall to find dates. There are PLENTY of guys out there taller than 5'8".

Nonethless, I really like this article, originally posted on MSN (which my friend Sarah posted in another tall community): Too Tall to Date?

Enjoy!

This has only happened twice.

Tonight I was walking down the street and I saw a woman who was taller than me. I assumed she must be wearing heels and then I looked down... she was in flats!

Now, being 6'4" myself.... that is quite a feat. When I see girls who are close to my height or taller, I always want to stop them in the street and be like "let's be friends!!" I love my short girlfriends, but sometimes I think it would be really cool to actually know someone I could share clothes and shoes with... and walk down the street together and REALLY give people a reason to look twice.

Tall Mall?

I can't verify all of the offers/businesses linked on this site, but it looks promising for those looking for something specific in a tall size: Tall Mall.

As for me, I'm currently looking for a women's light brown/tan leather jacket in a tall size. Can't find one yet :(

PS: Barefoot Tess is having a sale on shoes... 15% discount if you enter TallWomen15.

Tall Genes?

Interesting news story posted in one of the online tall communities available here.

Hard to Keep a Low Profile.

I ran into an old professor yesterday at a seminar and he was asking where I'd been because he hadn't seen me around in awhile and then he said,

"It's interesting that I haven't seen you around because it's not exactly easy for you to keep a low profile!"

And then he did a little gesture with his arm indicating how much taller I am than him.

It is definitely very hard to keep a low profile as a tall person. Not only do people recognize me from long distances away, but new people I meet tend to remember me more a lot more often than I remember them. I guess it makes sense-- I generally stand out above everyone else, and it's not every day you meet a 6'4" woman.

Rude Foot Comments.

I just saw this article on TMZ referring to one of the singer's from Danity Kane's feet as "skis."

I wear a size 13/14 depending on the maker of the shoe, and I've had more comments about my feet than I can count (bigfoot, skis, gunships, etc.). Granted, even for my height, my shoe size is still really big (I know other women close to my height who only wear a 10/11), but still, it's no reason to insult someone you don't even know because their feet are larger than yours! It's just not cool to make fun of someone for something they totally can't control.

Long feet are NOT skis. I've tried it out and it didn't work, thankyouverymuch ;)

Heels are For Tall Girls Too!

I think it's funny when I wear heels and people are like "why do YOU need to wear heels??"

My answer: Nobody *needs* to wear heels. I wear them because they're cute!

Today I'm wearing heels that are little over two inches which means I'm somewhere around 6'6" today. It definitely gets me even more stares than usual, and people wondering why on earth I would do such a thing. But for girls who can figure out how to walk in heels, they really do make our legs and butt look better, and I love the way I walk in heels.

I used to wear heels a lot more often than I do now. My current boyfriend is not much taller than me, and although it never bothered me to wear heels and be taller than guys before, for some reason I don't like to wear heels around him if it means being taller than him. So I've been investing in a lot of flats :)

But this summer he's going to be in Europe and I'm going to be working in L.A., which means I can wear heels as high as I want to work :) I would love to be the tallest in my class of 50-or-so interns... and make those tall guys from the Top Schools feel a little uncomfortable ;)

Celebrity Status.

Does anyone else sometimes forget that you're so tall?

I currently live in Malibu, and around here not only are there often a lot of celebrities (and corresponding tourists looking for celebrity sightings), but many people dress celebrity-like even when they are technically "nobodies." So often, as I'm out around town and people are staring at me, I start thinking "what celebrity do they think I am?" (because in my mind, that's the only reason they'd all be staring at me). And then I realize "oh yeah, they're staring because I'm so tall."

Sometimes when I'm not in Malibu and people are staring (like at a mall) I start wondering if my fly is down or if I spilled something really noticeable on my shirt. It always takes me a few minutes for it to dawn on me why they're actually staring. This may sound weird, but I really don't feel tall. Even though I've been stared at and questioned for nearly 24 years, all I know is the world from 6'4" above. And really, if it wasn't for so many people giving me those token stares and and asking me all the token questions on such a regular basis, it probably wouldn't be on my mind at all (until I go shopping and can't find clothes of course... but that's another story ;)).

One time I was walking out of a Ritz Carlton in Phoenix and 3 members of the Boston Red Sox were staring at ME. And luckily, in a "wow" way instead of an "OMG I'm SCARED!" way. Sometimes when I'm having a bad day it really annoys me to be stared at so much. But otherwise, I like to tell myself they're staring because I am famous. Famous because I'm a rare jewel-- a very tall female.

On a somewhat related note, I have learned as a tall female that there is NO point in trying to pretend you are not as tall as you are. When I see tall women hunched over or shrinking down trying to look shorter, I can still tell how tall they are and it just makes them look awkward and unconfident. Ladies, shrinking down doesn't hide your height. So stand tall and proud! You'll look a lot prettier and much more confident!

Us Tall Girls Stick Together.

Yesterday I was shopping at the mall, and I went into Gap and a very tall woman was working the fitting room area. I was only trying on tops (because Gap doesn't carry extra talls in-store), and she asked me if I wanted to try on any jeans, because whenever tall girls return tall jeans that they ordered online, she keeps them in the back room for her tall shoppers. Sadly, the one pair she had in my size didn't work for me, but I thought it was so great of her to do that!

I've heard of other tall girls who make friends with a sales person at other stores which carry talls online, but not instore. Then, that gives you the opportunity to try things on in-store and not have to pay shipping (or worry about returning it when it turns out the item doesn't fit). Then, the person gives them a call whenever something in their size gets returned. I need to make some of these connections!!

On an unpositive clothes-related note, I tried on several skirts yesterday and remembered I can't buy skirts from regular stores :( Skirts that are meant to be below the knee are just above the knee... skirts that are meant to be just above the knee are mini-skirts... UGG! I like myself (professionally speaking) much better in skirts than in pants. But skirts are SO hard to find at the right length! Even at Tall Girl (which carries professional clothes), they don't carry many skirts, because apparently most women wear pantsuits these days. Is it so unheard of as a female professional to want to mix it up now and then and wear a skirt?

It's Not Flattering (Your Input Needed).

One of my biggest pet peeves related to tallness is that whenever I mention the fact that I'm tall online, I'm suddenly inundated with messages from men who are complete strangers and "like tall girls" and "want to be friends."

All of a sudden today I started getting lots of friend requests on Facebook from men I'm positive I don't know and their profiles are extremely limited in personal info (which is incredibly sketchy to me). I was scratching my head trying to figure out what could have sparked this surge in messages. My facebook profile is private and I haven't posted links to it anywhere. Suddenly it dawned on me -- I joined two tall girl communities on Facebook today. Now, I will probably go back and remove myself from those communities, solely because I hate getting an inbox full of requests from men who just want to be my friend because I'm tall. This is probably too dramatic, but it makes me feel dirty.

I think it's nice that there are men out there who like tall women--even short men who like tall women. I know many tall girls who are dating or married to short men. But when someone instantly friends me because I happened to join a tall community, and wants to be my friend on a site I consider meant for REAL friends, not complete strangers who I've never even talked to before, I find that really creepy. That seems a lot more like a fetish than just a general interest.

This has been something I've always struggled with, and in fact I've considered making a tall girl community in the past but feared doing so because I knew it would be a magnet for men with tall fetishes. I want someone to want to be my friend because they've actually TALKED to me and liked my personality. And although I'm currently unavailable, I want someone to find me attractive as a whole package, not just for my height statistic.

I know it sounds harsh, but I think it's just plain WEIRD to go online stalking out tall chicks and trying to add them all to your online profile. For anyone who thinks that is somehow flattering to a tall female ("Oh, some people do actually want to be my friend and do find tall women attractive? I'm so shocked and honored! Of course I'll be your friend!"), it's not true. At least not for me.

Maybe I'm just a jerk... and I really LOVE being tall, but there is more to me than my height. I love to talk about height online because I think it helps as a tall female to share our experiences because most often in person the other tall girls are few and far between and our tall male friends or other girl friends just can't truly comprehend what it is like to be a female in such a tall package. But I do not want to be turned into some kind of object. I am not another form of a school girl, a sex kitten, or a scantily-clad amazon woman. I'm a tall female, and I want to be respected and befriended for who I am, not how tall I am.

I'd love some insight on this. From tall females only, please. Do other tall girls feel the way I do, or do you appreciate this type of attention?

Dealing with Our Long Legs--Resources for Long Jeans.

As a tall woman, one of the hardest things has got to be accomodating our long legs. I've always been secretly jealous of my girlfriends who can walk into a mall and every store has endless jeans and dresses which are long enough for them. I also secretly hate them when they try on 100 pairs of pants and complain that they couldn't find any jeans which fit them right (I think... you just tried on ONE HUNDRED PAIRS OF JEANS which were all long enough!)

For me, the only qualification for jeans for the longest time has been "are they long enough?" That one requirement has been so hard to find, that I haven't had the luxuries of considering "how does my butt look in these? how do my legs look? do they fit too tight or too loose in the hips/thighs?" For the longest time I just bought mens jeans. And many of my fellow tall females still do this.

However, these days there are a number of options that provide up to a 37" inseam (and even longer!) in WOMEN'S styles! So for those of you in need of some advice where to find good jeans-- here are my discoveries so far:

GAP. My first female jean discovery--- Gap.com! They actually carried jeans online in women's styles in extra long! I didn't get the luxury of trying them on before purchasing, but at least I could wear WOMEN'S JEANS! These days, Gap.com not only carries tall women's jeans, but select other tops, coats, sweaters, pants, etc.

Tall Girl. My second female jeans/pants discovery--- Tall Girl! At the time I first discovered this store, the closest one was in CANADA, so my mom and I drove up there to buy me some professional clothes and shoes (sadly, you can only get shoes at the Canada stores) for my then new office job. They have some pretty cute jeans in women's sizes, but I have used the store primarily for suits and dress pants. Often, the pants are TOO LONG on me (37" inseam here). These days, there are stores all over the country and you can also order online :)

Alloy. My third discovery--- Alloy.com! This site is AMAZING. The jeans are generally quite a bit cheaper and more fashionable than both Gap and Tall Girl, and they go up to size 25 or so, and inseams up to 37". A few times the jeans I've bought have been a little too long... that is such a great feeling!

Buckle. My fourth (and possibly favorite): Buckle! Buckle stores (nationwide chain) carry a pretty wide selection of jeans that come in long, extra long, and extra extra long sizes. I love being able to walk into a regular store in the mall, and try on several pairs of jeans that actually fit and walk out with new pants! (verses having to wait for the internet sites). The only downside is that the jeans rarely go above the 13/14 range, so if you wear a bigger size than that (which most tall women do) it might not be so successful for you. The store in my hometown (Portland) even has a whole WALL of just tall womens jeans separated out from the rest!

These are the only four places I've bought pants from, but if any of you have further suggestions for places where you've actually purchased pants, please let me know so I can add your suggestions. I say actually purchased because I've seen some websites out there but I'm always really cautious about buying something from a website if I don't know anyone else whose bought something from there before (I'm a little paranoid about online fraud!)

I hope these resources help! Future posts on shoes and dresses to come.

Let's Get Started.

I have already started a listing of links on the right for tall girl shopping resources, and other tall women communities and/or blogs. If anyone has any further links to suggest, please do so in a comment here and I will add it to the sidebar!

-Michelle

Here We Go!

So, I read an essay on NYTimes.com called Life as a Tall Girl by Becky Thomas. It's exciting, as a tall female, to finally see what you go through being recognized in such a big way (no pun intended).
Anyway, this reminded me of the blog I originally started a few years ago that I planned to use to talk about my experiences as a 6'4" female, and to share resources with other tall women (and hopefully have other tall women contribute their own resources as well ie places to find long pants and larger shoes sizes, for starters). Sadly, I got wrapped up in graduate school and forgot all about that blog.

So here I am. Fresh start. New blog. I plan to add a few other tall super tall, gorgeous females I know to contribute. I need other posters to keep this thing from lapsing :)

To all the tall ladies out there who will hopefully happen upon this blog, you are not even close to alone!

-Michelle