Tall Women Updates.

Again, I have completely abandoned this blog. I have had the desire to write a book or make a blog for tall women for sooooo long, and I've just been so busy with 7 years of post-high school education plus working, that I always start something I can't seem to keep up with or finish.

On the tall book note, there is a book out by a tall woman (6'3" I think?) called The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life From on High by Arianne Cohen (available on Amazon for $13.60+tax). I recently ordered it and while it's had great reviews from fellow tall women, and I'm excited to read it, I'll admit I feel slightly disappointed because I've always wanted to write such a book and it appears Arianne has beat me to it.

On a somewhat similar note, I saw the movie Julie & Julia last week which I LOVED. Julia Child was 6'2" and there are many height references in the movie which made it a little extra amusing for me. They had to go through great lengths (pun sort of intended) to make Meryl Streep appear tall in the movie. She frequently wore very high heels, stood on boxes, and they cast only short people in street scenes to make her seem taller than she is. Meryl Streep did an outstanding job, but I can't help but wish there were actually really tall female actors (aside from Uma Thurman who I really don't think could have pulled it off) to play such roles.

Lastly, I've been kicking around the idea of starting a NEW tall blog. I have a niece who is bound to be very tall like myself (she's currently not quite 3 years old) and several young girls in my life who look like they're going to be pretty tall as well. I've been kicking around the idea lately of writing a blog and/or book "for" my niece, but also for the benefit of other young girls who are destined to be tall (and maybe even not so young girls), about embracing their height as a beautiful thing, and embracing their femininity despite such a non-characterstic quality of being tall as a woman.

Then I thought of this blog, and I'm not sure if I should just transform a new one or start this one. I'll keep thinking about it....

Long Lost Me.

I apologize for my incredibly long absence. I was out of the country for 4 months, had a lot of crazy things happen, and I am now in my final semester of law school.

While I currently have a job offer, it looks like my start date may be pushed back quite a bit, so I'm considering putting into action a little plan I've had on the back burner for years. I've always wanted to make clothes for myself, and if I'm good enough at it, start selling to my fellow tall ladies out there. My current plan is to start with dresses. As a southern California tall girl, I would like to be able to wear sun dresses, etc. but they are almost always too short on me.

I think a law degree with a dress business on the side is a brilliant idea ;)

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.