Problems of a Tall Girl

Problems of a Tall Girl

Katie O'Connor

My height has always been an issue. I hear all the time how lucky I am to be so tall. Oh yes, while barely touching six feet I can reach things that short people cannot and I can see better than others at concerts. There are just as many cons as there are pros and I am here to tell you shorty’s, life is tough for a tall girl.

Let us start from the ground up. Shoes, any female over 5’7” can’t really wear heels unless you’re strutting your stuff down the runway. Folks already make the ‘Amazon woman’ correlation, there is no need to give them anymore ammunition. For both tall gals and guys alike, it is quite hard to find shoes that you like that will also fit your most likely large, anatomically correct foot. My mother has taken pity me and the fact that I require size 11’s telling me that Paris Hilton is an 11 too. Paris Hilton can also afford to have Jimmy Choo make her an adorable pair of flats if she wanted. Thanks for trying ma.

Having height on your side also means doing your fair share of good deeds for the vertically challenged. I can change a light bulb with no ladder, I can clean dust off places that some short folks can’t even see. It gets old though, whether I am being asked to extend my arms for the reach or if I offer my height to someone who won’t ask for help, you start to feel like that’s all you’re needed for.

Being tall is especially hard for the females. If you don’t have the confidence to go along with it, you’re screwed and will feel forever awkward. When they say girls mature faster than boys, it is meant both the mental and physical sense. Yes some of my guy friends have now reached my height years after I got up here, but it was not fun in fifth grade having a size 7 foot and towering over everyone. I have dated guys shorter than myself because they have made me comfortable in my tallness, but super tall guys are few and far between. Even if I found a guy who made me feel short, doesn’t mean he was meant for me. Any personality in there string bean?

My personal favorites are the people who act as though they were raised by munchkins. “You must play basketball!” Here’s the catch, due to the way they express their theory it really makes me want to say that just because someone is tall does not mean they are good at sports, but I played the sport for 14 years.

Everywhere outside the basketball court I had a strong distaste for my height, but because I was one of the taller ones on the court I exuded a confidence that was needed to let the other team know we were the ones to mess with. Now that I have not played the sport in about eight years, the bitterness slowly sets back in.

One of the hardest things for a tall girl to deal with is her f*cking short friends. Nothing is worse than being the only tall girl in a picture full of what looks like midgets. Not cute. Most places that we go, I look like I am my best friends body guard.

All in all, I really should not complain, these are trivial problems and as I grow older I find that I would rather be tall than short. Finding the confidence to go along with it has been the real struggle but I’m getting there.