Why I can't stop talking about being tall !!

If you would’ve told me 20 years ago that I would be writing about being a tall woman, I would’ve laughed in your face. Twenty years ago I was a senior in high school trying to figure out how to handle growing up and being tall in a world that wasn’t equipped to for me. You see, this year is my 20 year anniversary of graduating from high school. In fact, in about a month I’m going back to Northern Iowa to see as many of my graduating class as possible. Considering that I graduated with only 35 people, I hope to see all of them.
20 years ago I did everything I could to hide from something that was so obvious to everyone around me. I was 6’4” and taller than most guys. I didn’t know how to handle it and I had a lot of anger because I never knew how I was supposed to act. So…I did nothing. I pretended that my height wasn’t there and went on with my life. While that was probably the best thing I could’ve done, it took me a long time to get rid of anger.
The anger was there because of what I called ‘the couldn’ts’. I couldn’t find clothes that fit, I couldn’t blend in, I couldn’t control the anger because I wanted to be anyone else but me. I put so many limitations on myself and it wasn’t until a few years later that I realized how lucky I was.
“Just once, let a guy taller than me ask me out on a date,” was a common thought of mine but it never happened. At least I was lucky, because my family was tall and I suppose they could relate on some level but I was so much taller than everyone else. I stood out no matter what I did and although my family was a great support for me, I wished I could’ve talked to someone or had somewhere to turn.
So now, 20 years later here I am. I share my stories in the hopes that they might help someone. I know I wish I had someone like me to talk to 20 years ago or at least I wish there would’ve been the plethora of resources available that there are now. I’m a lucky girl and the best part…I know how lucky I am. I hope you do too.

A Long Legged Love Story

Hi, my name is Anastasia and I have Long Legs. Whenever I say that I feel like I have just stepped into an AA meeting but it’s true that, whenever I meet someone new, I have the urge to just blurt it out, to just get the fact that I have outrageously long legs out in the open before anyone else can comment on them. Why? Because, as I stand there among a group of people I have just met, my legs dominate the conversation. They become the quintessential elephant in the room because, as much as I ignore them, as much as I try to jut out my hip and appear shorter, they stand there ready to take over the room. Then, the conversation becomes about ME, ME, ME! Or really, more like LEGS, LEGS, LEGS!
They really are exceptionally long at a mind-blowing 38’’ inseam. People aren’t exaggerating when they notice that my legs seem to stem out of my armpits, flowing down until they meet my size ten shoes. Yes, they are size tens. Not thirteens, not fifteens – tens. You can measure them.
It isn’t easy being bombarded with the stereotypical “tall” questions when you hardly know the person quizzing you. Being asked “Do you play basketball?”, “Are your parent’s tall?”, “Is it hard to find a boyfriend?” can really get on your last nerve. It always strikes me as funny that people assume that it is perfectly fine to demand answers to these questions when you are tall. I sometimes wonder if it works in reverse and have a secret desire to ask short people, fat people and skinny people some questions of my own.
Me: Do you play mini-put?
Short person: No, why?
Me: Oh, just because you are so small…haha! Get it?
My legs certainly grab attention. And, while I didn’t always see this as a good thing growing up, I can’t help but relish the attention now that I have grown into my body (well, as much as is humanly possible). My long legs have afforded me many opportunities. People remember me by my long legs. This has come in handy in interviews where the only thing differentiating me from my competitors is that “something special” that I most certainly have. It’s helped me in modelling, in public speaking and has helped me “stand out” (ugh I can just hear the short people laughing) from the huge university classroom crowd. And, contrary to popular belief that men have to always be taller then women, my legs have given me power in relationships. Short men love long legs. Tall men love long legs.
And so you see, the questions that people ask when I meet them may annoy me, they may shock me and they may even make me blush. But do you know what’s great about them? People are asking about me because I’m special and they want to know me. And that’s more than I can say for any average gal. So, instead of gritting your teeth the next time you are asked a “tall question”, laugh and smile and answer it with pride. You have been made to stand out and rock out, girl, so take the time to create your own Long Legged Love Story!!

THE TRUTH ABOUT BEING TALL

I’ve been asked quite often throughout my…ahem, 35+ years, what it’s like to be a Tall girl and quite honestly, I’ve never given exactly the right response. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve always given a response that’s typically tailored favorably to the situation but it’s taken me years to figure out my answer and you may not like what you are about to hear.
Before I get too deep allow me to give you some background about me that may help you understand me a little bit better.
I grew up on a farm in North-Central, rural Iowa. In fact, the population of the closest town to our farm was about 200 people. Everyone knew who the Jennings’ girls were; in fact, everyone knew the entire Jennings family. Our family has been living and farming in the area since the early 1900’s and we are tall and outgoing in a small community. Everybody knows everybody.
I wasn’t the tallest girl in Northern Iowa. There was one other girl taller than I was. She stood 6’5” and although I didn’t know her personally in high school, I did play basketball against her in college. I actually felt short! However there were quite a few tall girls all over Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota, many were right at the 6’0” mark or just above.
There are so many facets to the question “What’s it like to be a Tall Girl” and the simple answer for me personally would be: ‘It’s awesome’. However, that’s not the full truth. In fact, it’s far from the truth. It’s not always awesome. I wouldn’t change it for the world but here’s what I normally wouldn’t tell you.
· Sometimes the stares and the comments get overwhelming—when I’m alone and I don’t feel like talking I can ignore it but when I’m with my very protective youngest sister, she tends to get a little frustrated. I went through a period of being angry but I realized that it did me no good. People typically don’t mean to be rude, they are merely curious.
· It’s not always fun to be the tallest person when there’s no other tall people around—yes, its true. When there’s a large group of people that are much shorter than you it can be uncomfortable. It’s difficult to hear what everyone is saying so you bend awkwardly in order to hear.
· Dating is difficult—either the guys are scared/intimated of you because of your height or some woman want a taller man. I spent my high school years and a few college years limiting myself to only men taller than me until I realized how much I was limiting myself. Even if you don’t care about your height, others do.
· Let’s face it, clothes shopping is hard—if I need a new pair of jeans I can’t go into a store and simply buy them. I have to buy them online. In high school and college, this was horrible. I was a walking mess. Now thankfully, we have stores like Long Legs to help us fashionably attire our long bodies.
So am I saying that being tall is horrible? NO WAY! 95% of the time I enjoy standing out in the crowd, I like the attention it gives me, and it’s my conversation starter. But, there’s that 5% of the time when I wish I could blend in and not get noticed because I don’t feel well or I didn’t shower or I didn’t wash my hair…whatever the reason. I’m so happy that I don’t have to dress weird to get noticed or wear crazy makeup and a Mohawk to have someone talk to me. I can simply walk into a room and immediately I turn heads. That’s some pretty awesome stuff. Thanks mom and dad.