Skyscraper Girl

This is funny, and it points up the differences between your IRL and your Internet social lives....the one thing people notice first about me in person is something you may not know.

I'm tall. Really tall. Five foot eleven, barefoot. And yes, that's five inches taller than my husband (though he likes to wear boots )

They say if you measure a girl at age two, or a boy at age 2 1/2, and double it, that's a good prediction of adult height. I was three feet, so I grew up knowing I had a good chance of being six feet tall. I remember watching gymnastics on TV, and telling my mother how much I wished I could do that. I also said I was worried about being taller than the boys. She replied, "Honey, it's highly unlikely you'll be less than five foot eight."  My fate was sealed.

Most girls reach their adult height at twelve or thirteen. I didn't reach 5'11" till sixteen.  Sometimes it's nice to be tall. Sometimes I wish I could be just a few inches shorter, or even tiny for a day. No good reason--I just want to see what it's like! But I can't. There's not a thing I can do about my height. So please don't think I have this huge self-esteem thing about it--I don't. I accept it. But it really does change your life in ways a shorter woman would never think about.

A few facts of my life as a Skyscraper Girl:

-It took me YEARS to buy and enjoy capri pants, remembering the taunts of "high water!" for my unintentionally short pants.

-I am grateful for every store that sells tall clothing at a reasonable price--especially those that specify height ranges for their sizes. But the LL Bean catalog just went into the trash....for some reason they cater to tall men but ONLY the "average" (read: five-foot-four) woman.

-Because my proportions are different, I am as thin as I should be in a size eight. I smile when I read about a short starlet getting down to a size two. I'd be DEAD if I were a size two.

-A former boss thought I was better suited for a position of authority than my petite predecessor, calling me "Amazon Woman" and "The Natural Deterrent" (deterring children's bad behavīor with my mere presence). Maybe this was because I was taller than him.

-When you're pregnant, the doctor measures your tummy, top to bottom. During my first pregnancy, I was told over and over that I was "measuring small," and they were worried about me gaining enough weight.  I later found out this is common for Skyscraper Girls. How counterintuitive is that?

-I never dated someone shorter than me before I met my husband.

-He asks for my help with the stuff on the high shelf (though I must point out he's got far more brute strength than I do).

And, from time to time, I will strike up a conversation with a woman I don't know. Why? Because I notice that she's taller than me, and that's unusual, and we can trade stories and clothes secrets. Here, I would love to insert a photo of a girl I met at my latest temp job (attendance clerk at a junior college). Problem is, I feel funny asking to take her picture, and it makes it hard to keep my private life on here cordoned off. Anyway, this female student walked through our office door who barely cleared the jamb. I asked. She was six foot three. And not a "big" girl either--probably a size ten (see my note on proportions above), and very stylishly dressed. So anyway, you'll have to just take my word on this chick.

One more note. Some men do like us Skyscraper Girls. Doug was a guy I went to church with, short and swarthy, of German stock. He met the sister of my good friend Michelle. Michelle's about my size, but Cindy is six foot three, voluptuous, and beautiful. Reportedly, Doug asked Michelle, "Can I just shimmy up her, like climbing a tree? Just one time?" Jeremy and I had a good laugh on that one.

Feel free to weigh in with your own reflections on being short, tall, or somewhere in between.