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10 December 2010
How tall are you? Do you wish you were taller/shorter?→[More:]
The recent exercise bike thread made me realize I had pre-conceived ideas as to bunnies' heights which is awful silly.
Oh, and nope. I like my height. I never had a self-conscious phase about it, even when I shot up in middle school and was one of those girls looming over all the boys.
I am 6'4"/193cm. This doesn't cause me any major hassles, so I wouldn't wish to be shorter. But the number of things like airplane seats, most cars, etc., that are only just big enough for me means I would definitely not want to be any taller, either.
I'm 1/2 an inch shorter than danf. I'm probably about 10 IQ points dumber than I could have been if I hadn't slammed my head into so many things over the years. My basement is useless to me since the rafters are at about 5'11; I have to hunch over to do laundry or change the cat boxen.
On the other hand, I can always see at concerts and parades.
I am 5'8 and one of the tallest in my family of 4 brothers and 1 sister and parents and grandparents. Like gaspode I know this is above-average for a woman, but don't feel taller than most people. I have always wished I were taller and wear big tall heels all the time.
I also have Short Days and Tall Days where I feel shorter or taller than usual. I don't know if anyone else get this.
I'm about 5'10, and I do wish I were taller! I lost some mobility and flexibility in an accident a few years back, and that means I'm functionally a little bit shorter than I used to be.
I can't reach the stuff on top of our kitchen cabinets anymore, even though I'm the one who put it there originally. That's not a big deal in itself, but it is an easy test that tells me: yeah, you really are shorter (in terms of reach and stretch) than you used to be.
I also had to stop wearing heels, which means I look and feel shorter, too!
74.5 inches. . .just about right unless I hit my head on stuff a bunch of times in a row, which I have been known to do.
One of the funny things I've noticed is that, even though I'm taller than most of my friends, I whack my head on things a lot less than they do. I think it's because it was always such a common hazard for me that the "something brushing hair == duck!" reflex is pretty well-conditioned. Whereas they're not used to this problem, so on the rare occasions they're somewhere when they can bang their head on something, they do.
I also have Short Days and Tall Days where I feel shorter or taller than usual. I don't know if anyone else get this.
I get this, too. I don't know if it's footwear-related (some of my shoes/boots have much thicker soles than others), or other-people-around-me-related, or some combination of the two. Or maybe posture related. Someone should do a study.
I'm 6'3" tall, but am often judged to be taller. I like this height, because, so long as I stay off mass transit, including planes and trains, I am comfortable in the world. Plus, I can reach lots of stuff.
I am 5 feet 6 inches (1.67 meters). People tend to think I'm taller than I actually am. They'll put me in the back row of group pictures and then realize nobody can see me. I wouldn't mind being a bit taller but don't really care.
Just to clarify: I do wish I were taller, i.e., functionally as tall as I used to be, but not because it's better or worse, just because it would feel more like ME. Every time I fail to reach the top kitchen shelf, it's a little reminder: Oh. Right. You're broken.
I am 5'6", but have always felt short because I'm the shortest one in my family by far, with a 5'10" mom, a 6'4 brother and a 6'3" father. One of my cousins is 6'7". Only my paternal grandmother was shorter than me, about 5'2", I think. It's funny how much the family context has affected me; it doesn't matter than I'm of totally average height, and taller than a lot of my female peers. I still feel like a shortie.
77.5 inches here, just a hair shy of 2 meters for you Europeans. For some reason, as I've gotten older I've begun to feel more and more conspicuous, in a not-so-comfortable way. I'm not the tallest person you've ever seen, but I'm probably the tallest person you'll see today--I usually don't see anyone taller in my daily rounds.
I had a real freakout, an honest-to-god anxiety attack, the day before I did all those weddings back in March. Sooooooo many people give me a double-take when they meet me. Sooooooo many people make a comment, usually complimentary, sometimes a wisecrack, and it makes me squirm every time. And here I was getting ready to go out and meet tons of folks for the first time and I was FREAKING OUT about it.
Of course, everybody was wonderful and it was one of the best, most special days of my life. But the fact that all my anxiety came out about my height is telling. And the photo I got later from the first wedding of the day didn't do a lot to assuage my fears:
Not that it hasn't influenced my life in positive ways, too. I'm burly and masculine looking and really, really intimidating on a dark street at night. The awareness of this is so deeply ingrained in my psyche that I probably expose myself to more danger than necessary. But it's nice to be able to feel safe just about all the time. I've only recently realized how special this is.
No claustrophobia in crowds, even in the Obama inauguration crowds, since I always have a clear view of my surroundings. Always, always am able to see at concerts and public events and such. Cubicle walls in most offices are 6 feet high, so cube farms don't feel like mazes to me, but are open and bright and easy to navigate. And it's really easy to find me at MataFilter meetups.
Sooooooo many people make a comment, usually complimentary, sometimes a wisecrack, and it makes me squirm every time.
I notice this now that I'm partnered with someone big and tall. Complete strangers will say, "Hey there, big man!" or "Whoa, you're a big fella!" It's constant and, after a while, it's creepy as hell.
Though perhaps not as creepy as the (always male, always shorter-than-me) strangers who will walk up to me, ask "How tall are you?" in a low, husky, intimate tone, and then start to shudder appreciatively.
Just shy of 170 cms here. I had always hoped to make it to 175 cms. I'm the tallest woman in my entire family though.
I feel like a giant here in Japan - and I still have hassles with finding pants long enough for my legs, so being taller probably would have been much more of a hassle there.
When I was young and self-conscious, it bugged me to not be taller, like lots of things about me bugged me.
Now I seldom give my height any thought. Sometimes maybe, when I can't reach some thing on a high shelf. And occasionally when there's been a woman where was mutual attraction, but the height difference was just too big to feel right.
Also I used to play tennis, and a bigger "wingspan" is definitely an advantage there.
But it's swings and roundabouts... I'm a lot more comfortable on planes and trains than if I were bigger.
I'm 5'10". I've always though it was a good height, okay, comfortable, average in general, good for reaching upwards and getting effective use of the top half of rooms, but I do tend to feel like I tower over my women friends.
I have a lot of trouble with bending over, now, and it seems like the great majority of the world wasn't made for people 5'10" (and over). I mean, I have to bend in my back at least a bit just to wash my hands in the bathroom, to use a vacuum cleaner, to chop things on the kitchen counter. I am significantly sore after doing a sinkful of dishes. I do what I can to minimize things, making my own various whatchamadoogits and adjusting ones I can't make and so on, trying to do as much as possible without having to bend or lean.
But there's still a huge, huge amount of stuff that I can't affect without, say, tearing out the entire inside of my house and rebuilding, or having skills and tools that I just don't.
Not that it hasn't influenced my life in positive ways, too. I'm burly and masculine looking and really, really intimidating on a dark street at night. The awareness of this is so deeply ingrained in my psyche that I probably expose myself to more danger than necessary. But it's nice to be able to feel safe just about all the time. I've only recently realized how special this is.
I feel this way exactly. I wouldn't say that I feel safe all the time, especially in unfamiliar downtown areas at night. But I'm certain I feel less worried about such situations than most people do. I'd like to think I'm a nice person, and I don't think I'm scary looking, but I am big, and I think that gives me a (probably unjustified) feeling that if trouble starts I'll probably do OK.
Some of that is probably leftovers from my high school experience... where trouble often did start... and where I did OK when that happened. I was basically the same size I am now when I was in grade 9.
I've definitely noticed that as I have turned into a single guy again, I find myself more attracted to shorter girls. When I was younger, tall girls tended to be interested in me, and I them. In fact, I've recently had a taller female friend try to tell me that I was being a JERK if I dated a non-tall girl.
I'm 5'4" and the shortest person in my (maternal) family (no idea about paternal). My oldest bro is the tallest at 6'4" and my shortest bro is 6'0". Even my mum is an inch taller than me and her mum had an inch on her. I have a cousin who is 6'8". Bad roll of the gene dice for me.
Oh, and I also agree with mrmoonpie and FishBike - I wasn't aware for ages how different the late night city ois for me, compared to (especially) my short female friends. I pretty much walk anywhere by myself and never worry. And, this is NOT because I am some super tough guy, because I am not.
I'm 5'4" and I've been the tall one around really short people but I'm short. Forget trying to see things in a crowd or reaching high shelves. I don't think about it much but I wouldn't mind being taller.If I was going to bother, why not model height.
Another tall woman - 5'10.5" - here. I hated it growing up and I still wish I was shorter. It seems like the world is shrinking, too: it seems like everywhere I go I'm the tallest person, male or female and it gets old. What else gets old is that people have to comment on it, from blind dates: "Oh hey, you're really tall. Heh heh I like tall women. Uh, maybe next time you could not wear heels?" to total strangers "Wow you're so tall! How tall are you?" to Elsa's observation:
Though perhaps not as creepy as the (always male, always shorter-than-me) strangers who will walk up to me, ask "How tall are you?" in a low, husky, intimate tone, and then start to shudder appreciatively. THIS. THIS. I thought it was just me! I hate these guys!
Also, I've recently decided that when I win the lottery I'm going to remodel my kitchen to fit tall people. I notice that my back starts to hurt really badly when I spend four or five hours in the kitchen these days - everything is just a little too short, leading to a constant slight stoop - and that kind of sucks.
I was being a JERK if I dated a non-tall girl. Yes, yes, you are. ;-) It is infuriating, a bit, because the dating pool for tall women is just smaller. A lot of guys simply will not date women who are taller than they are (In all seriousness, I have actually had men tell me that a) they would prefer it if I didn't wear heels when I'm out with them and b) they simply would never even consider dating a woman taller than they are.) Plus, it really seems as if there are more and more short people every day. Which may be confirmation bias or may not.
5'7" on a good day in sneakers. So prolly around 5'5" for most of the time because I slouch and wear flats that are really super flat.
My dad remains pissed that I didn't reach 6', because him and my brother are both around 6'3" but my mother is something like 5' even so I got dicked in the gene pool.
I'm 6'3" which is "tall" in the sense that I have to look at least slightly down to meet their gaze. I like the height I am because I find it powerfully erotic to actually have to look up at someone. Were I shorter that sensation would probably be a lot less rare than it is.
Also, lots of people ask me to do things for them because I'm tall.
I'm 5'2" and totally OK with it except that I have to use tongs or a spatula to reach things in some cupboards. I'm playing with fire when it's a wine glass! (Today, though, it was paper plates.)
what ethylene said, added to which I'm the one who always ends up stuck behind folks like mrmoonpie and richat in crowds and at events. Now that I'm middle aged my height coupled with my generic caucasian looks and general all around average-ness has apparently rendered me darn near invisible (which trust me I kind of like).
upon finding out, people always seem to think I'm taller than 5'4", which just confuses me. maybe it's because they mostly see me on a bike...?
the mister is 5'10" which to me is perfect; the ideal snuggling height.
I've dated guys ranging from 5'1" to 6'10", and height was never an issue for me, but then I'm like that.
on behalf of any frustrated short men out there, let me just offer the anecdote that my male teammate / good friend is short enough to borrow all my bikes without bothering to adjust them (I know this because he frequently does). Dude pretty much has to pull the women out of his hair, and is never without a date. Same with our other pixie-boy teammate who's maybe an inch taller; neither one is over 5'6" / 130#. So height (or mass) is apparently not a key factor in these guys' ability to attract the opposite sex, with the caveat of course that they're also young, fit, bursting with health and sparkling with charisma.
6'1". Barely. I was relieved when I got over 6 feet; it felt like an obligation to be taller than my 5'11" father, and my mother's side of the family had tall genes - she was 5'10" but claimed to be 5'9" for my dad's ego; never wore heels. And my uncles and male cousins on my mother's side were/are all taller than me although I was the oldest of the clan's cousins.
I may be shrinking, my inseam measurement sure is. It was consistently 30 inches until the last few years, now if I don't get a 29, I trip over my pant cuffs. (And nobody looks tall after they've fallen on their face)
I am delighted to learn there are so many Women of Stature here; nothing wrong with shorties, but I used to feel I had to treat ladies under 5'6" extra carefully, until I met one of the toughest woman I ever knew, at barely 5 feet.
I'm 5'2" and the shortest person in my family. When people who only know me from the internet first meet me, they almost always say "I thought you were going to be taller, for some reason" It's a perfectly okay height, makes plane travel a breeze.
5'3" and the shortest non-elderly adult in the family, too. Which gets a "really?" sometimes from people who know me, as ballet lessons (I guess) over the years gave me a Tall Stance or something. When I was a bit younger, I certainly wanted to be tall and willowy, but now I tend to like it. Because, frankly, dimorphism between the sexes ftw. The first boy I dated at age twelve was 5'9", and they've only gotten taller since then. Not on purpose on my part, but no complaints, either.
5'5". I'm happy with it and I'd be happy being taller too. At around age 11 I wanted to be one of the tiny cute girls but now I'm glad I'm not little. I feel like my size suits my personality.
I've lost a bunch of weight lately and I can't decide if it makes me look taller or shorter.
My hub is 5'8" and is the giant of his family. Our son is only 4 years old but I think he'll end up being tall. We have a lot of height on my side of the family which balances out the shortness on hubby's side.
I'm 5'7". Maybe I'd like to be a tall 5'7' instead of a short 5'7", but I think 5'7" or 5'8" is just about a perfect height for a woman. I can wear heels, I can dig shorter or taller people, it's good, I never feel too short or too tall., I can carry a little bit of weight if I have to.
Oh my goodness, something about myself I'm OK with! Huzzah! Thanks for pointing that out to myself, rhapsodie.
I remember being kinda thick as a kid and then shooting up and feeling tall and hunching, but I felt normal and grew into myself before High School.
I like the height I am because I find it powerfully erotic to actually have to look up at someone.
I have a version of this! I was always taller than most of my peers growing up, and even at my slimmest, I was always pretty strapping: tall, shouldery, strong. As a young woman, more often than not, I could swipe jackets and jeans from my boyfriends and expect them to fit pretty well, could hold my own in an arm-wrestling match, could pin a guy friend in a tussle.
But men did not pick me up in their arms. My littler female friends got to sit on laps, got picked up and cuddled, got carried around. (And yeah, I recognize that if I'd been a smaller woman, I might have resented that.)
I didn't get cuddled or picked up or carried, except by very big (or very ambitious) guys. It was rare enough to be a real surprise and, in the right circumstances, a powerful thing.
The Fella can pick me up, no problem. One evening early in our dating days, he reached over from where he was sitting, scooped me up, and put me down in his lap as if he were picking up a kitten. I swooned, no kidding.
I'm considerably fatter now, and he can still pick me up without noticeable strain. It's pretty amazing.
My female equivalent would be between 6'1 and 6'0. So since I'm online dating I've been on a few dates with women around that height.
It really doesn't make that much of a difference. The only things I've noticed are
- a strange feeling of kinship as in "if I had a sister she'd be your height"
- it's easier to talk and look eachother in the eyes when walking around town
- I don't have to dawdle when walking around town
- when you get biomechanical there are some new possibilities and impossibilities that modesty forbids me to go into.
I'm 4ft 11 (1.50m) and I wish each and every day that I was about 6" taller. Even though I'm 51 I get treated like a child sometimes because I'm the height of an 11-year-old. I've even had people pat me on the head, for fuck's sake.
I can't reach things in the supermarket, I can't reach the rail on a crowded tube train, I need steps to get things off the middle (never mind the top) shelves in my kitchen cabinets, I have to stand on tip-toe to see in mirrors (except in my home where everyone has to duck down to see in my mirrors), I can't buy a dress to fit me because everything is disproportionately way too long on me (even petite lengths), when I have to attend a meeting at work, I end up with a backache because the seats are too deep for me to sit with my feet on the floor so I have to sit forwards with no back support ... and so on.
The only surprises here for me are: jessamyn & Elsa (thought they were my height or an inch or two taller) and Stewriffic & ethylene (thought they were tall - 5'9" or so).
Just about 5'7", and I enjoy it. I would't mind being taller, but I feel pretty tall. Marrying a shorter man makes me feel like BIG TALL MONSTER LADY ROOOOOAR and that's awesome.
I'm 5'2", which is fine most of the time, except I look silly in family photos (my sister is 5'9" and my brother is 6'6"). And pants are always too long for me.
5 foot 9 inches, 174 cm, female. I have always liked my height. All of my siblings (two girls and a boy) are taller than I am, despite the fact that our parents aren't all that tall. My son is nearly 6 foot 4 inches, and my husband is 6 foot 8 and change, who make me feel like a runt.
I'm about 5'3" or 5'4" and wish that I was just a smidge taller. Finding pants is always an issue, since my inseam is somewhere between the short and regular lengths that are usually available. This was what spurred my wearing nothing but skirts and dresses for six months straight. I once got a concussion from trying to get something down from the cabinet and having some baking dishes fall on my head. And I'm a bit (ahem) busty, so I think being taller would make me more proportionate.
The BF is about 5'8" (I think), which I find odd since I was always into taller guys. I once dated a guy that is 6'3" and I thought that was tall until I met his father, who is a whopping 6'10".
On preview: I didn't think I was average. That's nice to know.
Yeah, I'd say I'm mostly taller than other USian women, at 5;7". Normal is like 5'2" to '10'. Taller or shorter than that is outlying - petite or tall.
Miko, hmmm....I had the impression you were taller than I when we met.
5'6", wish I were taller. My vampire mother is 5'10".
In general I prefer tall, solid guys, but there was someone in grad school to whom I was very intensely attracted who wasn't much taller than I. The initial spark is what matters most.
I'm 5', which makes me a head shorter than everyone in my son's 7th grade classroom, except for my son. I'm taller than my mom but three inches shorter than my dad.
I used to wish I were taller but don't care anymore. However, I'm uncomfortable on the rare occasions I meet someone shorter because I sort of don't know where to look, so accustomed am I to be looking up during a conversation.
I'm 6'1" and happy with that, except when it comes to flying, when I wish I was way shorter, because there is no way I can get comfortable in a Virgin Blue economy seat and it's more or less impossible in a QANTAS seat. Driving can be a problem too - to be reasonably comfortable in my new Subaru Liberty, I have to have the seat at the lowest height, almost right back and have the steering wheel pulled right back or my legs go to sleep.
I feel uncomfortable with anyone taller than myself, because I'm used to being the tallest person around.
hah! dg, you just reminded me of a conversation I've had with a friend of mine who is roughly my height...we laughed about the "tall man's hatred of a taller man" and agreed that it IS a real thing! Glad to hear we aren't the only two. heh heh.
deborah: I wish I were taller; my sister is 5'9" or so, my mom is about 5'6", and my dad is 6'1". I'm the runt of the family.
I think it's so interesting to see the perception people have of you based on the Internet Interactions! I'm not anti-short in the least, but I do wish I could reach things.
Another 5'10" female here. (I'd love to see the MeCha bell curve on this.) I go back and forth being comfortable or uncomfortable with it. I'm also just sort of big and curvy, and a lot of times I wish I could shrink up and not really be noticed as much. Other times I'm ok with it...I'm pretty sure the reason none of my drunken misadventures ended up worse than they did was the fact that I'm kind of physically intimidating.
Mr. Arkham is 5'6". Again sometimes I'm ok with it, other times I get self-conscious. People have said the stupidest crap to us.
I'm 5'10'', as measured by a nurse at a recent medical, without shoes. That's pretty much dead average for a man, pretty happy with it. I fit OK in most seats and spaces, though my knees have got a bit cramped in some of the tigher economy class flights. Statistically I'd be richer and more attractive to women if I was taller, but I think that would make flights and train journeys distinctly more uncomfortable.
Incidentally my brother is exactly my height and claims to be 5'11', even to me; a friend of mine is pretty much my height and claims to be 6'. So you can probably think of me as a dating website 6'2''...
I'm 5'8" and shortest in my immediate family. Up until I was about 12-13, I was always the shortest kid in the class. I thought being short was pretty cool. Then I shot up, and now I'm tall. I think that's pretty cool, too.
About Jessamyn being shorter than folks would expect: My dad is 6'4". When there's a large group of people that doesn't know where they're going, they'll follow him, even though he also doesn't know where he's going. In Jessamyn's case, she is *actually* a leader, so y'all expect her to be tall.
The only people I had any preconceived notions of height are people I've seen in photos and/or met in person. So all of y'all I haven't seen/met need to post photos! Also, we have had this discussion before (in some form or another) and I (surprisingly with my horrible short term memory) remembered some of that info.
I am truly surprised how many female Mechazens are so tall (say 5'6" and up).
I'm almost 5'4" so I guess I am the american average. Many people guess me at 5'6" so I might look taller or something, but I am not. I am a tiny bit shorter than my younger sister. My mom is 5'5" and my dad is 6'1" so I don't know why I am so short. Maybe it's because I only ate pizza and doritox in my formative years.
I would like to be 2 or 3 inches taller, and have that height all be added to the length of my calves, since we are asking. I have proportionately short lower legs I think.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
