Tall Girl Writes

Estrogen "therapy" in tall young girls?

2011-03-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I've been digging into some articles on estrogen therapy in tall young girls. It's very interesting stuff, both the side effects that can come later in life and the social implications of medicating healthy children to keep them from growing "too tall."

I went to specialists as a child, from before I can remember. Mostly they just measured my growth plates and drew blood to test for diseases that could have caused my irregular height. But when I was 10 or 11 I was prescribed an estrogen supplement. The goal was to bring on puberty faster, which would slow down my growth. I don't remember a whole lot about how I felt about it. My parents didn't make it a big deal. The pills were small and yellow and tasted sweet when I took them twice a day. After six months with no period they doubled the dose. Six months later, still nothing, and my parents decided then that they would "let nature take its course."

Fourteen years later, I'm healthy. I haven't experienced any side effects from my year taking a pill intended for menopausal women. But the idea that this is, or has been, a relatively common practice is unsettling.

If anyone reading has dealt with this issue, please e-mail me at tallgirlwrites@gmail.com. I'll keep looking into this and post again with more info.

Clothes for the tall woman

2010-10-07T15:32:00.002-07:00

Oh yes. We're going there. When I was a teenager, I had to figure out clothes on my own. I wore men's cowboy jeans from Farm & Fleet for years because I couldn't find girl pants long enough. I wore men's shoes all the time (I still do actually. Just bought a pair of sweet oxfords online!), which was fine for sports but not so much for school dances, etc. I'm a real grown-up now (technically. I have a full time job and everything, but sometimes I eat microwave popcorn and cheese for dinner, so.) and I'm proud to say I've finally learned to dress myself properly! This is thanks in part to the fantastic powers of the internet. There are tons of forums out there that can help. Tallwomen.org is one of the best for conglomerating a big list of sites. There's one for shoes there too.

Specialty shops

I've had the most success with Tall Girl. I know they're owned by Long Tall Sally now, and I haven't bought anything from LTS yet, but it looks like little has changed from what was in Tall Girl stores so I'm hoping it's good.

I bought all my dress pants at Tall Girl, and they fit well and have held up well. I also bought a couple of blazers there. The fit was a little weird, since I have wide shoulders and tiny boobs, so that, combined with the fact that my workplace is uber casual, means I don't wear them much. I definitely need to find a tailor, though, because they're nice. I also bought all my sweatpants and workout gear there during my track and field years (and am still wearing the sweatpants to lounge in and go to the occasional yoga class).

Overall, some of their stuff was pricey but there were also good sales. LTS looks to be the same, so here's hoping.

http://us.longtallsally.com

There are a large handful of catalogs and sites catering to tall women's clothing that I watch, but some that I've tried have a weird fit or iffy quality (I'm looking at you Long Elegant Legs). I would suggest ordering one thing from a new company to see if you like it before purchasing a whole new wardrobe.

Shoes are a big one too. When I first took to the internet looking for large size women's shoes, I was about 13 and my mom was sitting right next to me. We promptly entered the wonderful world of 5-inch clear plastic stilleto platforms and thigh-high pleather boots. Drag queens can rock that sh#@, but it's not really my style. Thankfully, we've come a long way in only 10 years or so and there are tons of sites devoted to large size shoes for the ladies. I used to buy most of my dress shoes at www.designershoes.com, but lately their selection has been boring. **Actually, I just checked it and most of their stuff is Barefoot Tess anyway.** Barefoot Tess is great when it comes to catering to the tall ladies. I wear a 14, and they have more styles and cute options than I've found anywhere else. Their shipping costs are ridiculous, but I still order from them. (See those Jeffrey Campbell heels down a few posts? Totally bought them this summer. A-maz-ing.)

http://www.barefoottess.com/

Buried Treasures

Specialty shopping is easy and you're likely to be disappointed when you find the perfect item in a department store only to realize it's too short. But honestly most of my clothes aren't from a tall shop. Today I'm wearing a striped sweater I got on sale from the Gap with a thrifted scarf and a khaki green jacket from Lands' End with jeans from Tall girl and shoes from Payless. Shirts are definitely the easiest thing to buy in mainstream stores. The long, tunic length is all over the place and I buy a lot of tops at TJ Maxx, Old Navy and Target because I'm poor.

The aforementioned Gap sweater was a bit short when I bought it but I'm in the habit of stretching the sleeves and body of shirts after washing them, then airdrying, to lengthen them out. This might not be great for the clothes but very few of my clothes are so high quality that I care.

If you didn't know already, Payless has women's shoes through size 13. I get sandals there a lot, and you can order online and get them shipped to a store for free.

http://www.payless.com/store/

If you're looking for trendy, cheap jeans, you should probably just do this now. Yeah, it's kind of embarrassing when I get ads for Proactive and the latest YA novel catered toward tween girls with every order, but seriouslyyouguys. $20 jeans with a 37" inseam is not something you give up because they're trying to sell them to 16-year-olds. I know buying jeans from a catalog or online makes some people nervous, but I've bought probably 20 pairs of jeans there since high school and have only returned 2 or 3. If you're a tall teen or young adult (or mature adult with hip style!) check out Alloy if you haven't already.

Two final notes on shoes: Zappos.com is pretty reliable when it comes to large sizes and they have great customer service. And finally--I almost don't want to let this secret out and if any of you readers start raiding the Northtowne Mall is Spokane, WA taking my shoes I will find you--Nordstrom Rack has size 13 and 14, quality shoes at really discounted prices. I can't afford to buy most brands in the regular store but they're really high quality. I stop in there every time I'm driving by and almost always find something. Leather ballet flats for $20? What? You have them in black and metallic bronze? I'll take them both. This spring I bought a pair of suede leather boots, originally $180, for $50 and am reaping the benefits of my thriftiness with this fall weather. It's definitely worth a look.

Of course, every body is different and the things that work for me might not work for you. But hopefully this list will help.

To end this super-long post, I urge you all to add your shopping suggestions to my list. Where do you buy your workout gear, your school clothes, dress clothes, coats? Let's all get together and help the next generation of tall girls avoid the world of man pants and too-short sleeves!

Ack.

2010-10-07T15:32:00.001-07:00

I can't seem to meet my own self-imposed deadlines.

Inspiration? Oh, there it is!

2010-08-18T14:52:00.001-07:00

I've been severely lacking in the inspiration department lately. I got married a few weeks ago (YAY!), and the months of preparation, planning and setting up that led to the (amazing, unforgettable) big day has left me somewhat drained of enthusiasm.

I've been preoccupied with worries about the future, for my career and my life in general. I've also been thinking a lot about this blog, mostly feeling guilty for not doing anything with it, not posting. I'm still not sure what I want this blog to be...well, actually, I do know what I want it to be. I want it to be a place for tall girls and women to come for advice, for understanding and encouragement.

The problem has sometimes been the fact that most of the goings-on in my daily life don't have anything to do with being a tall woman, or at least I don't think about it that much. And when I do it's usually a passing thing, like I'll be out shopping and can't find any clothes or shoes that fit. Or someone will ask me my height and I'll just tell them and that will be that.

I need to spend more time thinking about these little things and turning them into ideas that will work for a larger tall audience.

I started writing this post because I was feeling bad about letting the blog languish again. But just now, writing about frustrations of shopping, makes me realize that I do have a well of knowledge about where to find clothes and shoes. So that will be my next post!

Bottom line, I know I've said this before, but I'm going to get serious about posting regularly. I'm going to start by giving myself an easy goal: one good, in-depth post once a month. August=Shopping for the Tall Woman. If anyone wants to contribute some shopping tips, write them in the comments and I'll incorporate them into the post. I'll be back soon! PROMISE!

Posture

2010-04-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm tall and proud, but I constantly catch myself slouching. I stand in line with one leg bent and my back curved (looking a lot like the guy on the right). I lean down and lower my head to hear a friend at a loud party. I nearly double over to prepare food on my kitchen countertops (I need to save up for this!). It's easy to blame these moments of subpar posture on our environment--I wouldn't have to slouch around my apartment if I didn't have to worry about hitting my head every third step--but a lot of it is carrying on a habit I formed in my teenage years. My muscles are probably accustomed to letting my shoulders fall forward, and it's an ongoing struggle to hold myself upright.

Once, while standing in line at the grocery store, a woman engaged me in conversation about my height. No surprise there. But she told me she had lost several inches off her former height due to bad posture (she looked about 60). She said her bad posture led to mobility problems and she has trouble exercising due to lower bone mass, etc. She even said she spends time every day hanging upside down from a bar to try to stretch out her compressed bones and muscles! This really hit home for me. I'm back in an exercise routine after a year of next to nothing, but even when I run I see my reflection in a window and my back is hunched! It's frustrating, but after years of hiding my height, I realize it will take time to rebuild my posture. And as a young woman I feel like I need to make it a priority now to stand up straight, even if it means I bump my head more often, because I don't want to be lamenting my past slouching in 40 years as I hang upside down trying to straighten myself back out!

I need to spend some time learning exercises that strengthen posture. Anyone have any tips?

How do you see yourself?

2010-01-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

So I've been thinking about self-image issues a lot lately. I had a group of girls over at my apartment last weekend and we were talking about body image in the media, and how on blogs and message boards fat girls are saying skinny girls look like emaciated skeletons and skinny girls are saying fat girls are disgusting and lazy. Likewise, when i was a teenager this boy I liked called me a tree trunk. Weird insult, but amazing how the embarrassment has stuck with me. Obviously there should be no ideal body type, and everyone's body should be celebrated. But how do we get young girls to understand this? Is it perfunctory to feel bad about yourself growing up because you're different, whether it's too tall, too short, too dark, too chubby or whatever it is? Is there a way to instill self esteem in girls, or do they have to get there, as I did, through a long, difficult, self-doubting process? I certainly don't have the answer, but a couple things that have been boosting my self-esteem lately: bright red lipstick, and these Jeffrey Campbell shoes, which I am hoping to buy eventually (Shoutout: barefoottess.com!). Hey, it's the little things that count.

Tall reading...

2010-01-13T10:15:00.001-08:00

Has anyone read "The Tall Book" by Arianne Cohen? I was just checking out her Web site. The book claims to answer the age old questions, "Why do tall people succeed professionally, financially and intellectually? Why are tall men the most successful dating and mating group on earth, while tall women have low birth rates? And who the hell is behind those airplane seats?" I wonder if there's actual research on these things or if she used anecdotal evidence. Either way, I'd like to talk to whoever's responsible for the airplane seats.

Follow me!

2009-11-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

Hi there. Thanks to everyone for commenting on the previous post. It's usually good to use humor in awkward situations that always happen from time to time. Last week I was walking in my neighborhood and a man sitting on a restaurant patio shouted that age old question, "How tall are you?" I replied with a "None of your business" and controlled myself enough to omit the expletive ;) Anyways, I get emails quite often from people who like the blog. Why don't y'all follow me? I put my followers right on the top of the page. You, yes you, should join in! Let's really try to create a community here--and I'm really going to make an effort to post more often. Also, I finally succombed to Twitter, though I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with it yet. Anyone have tips on how best to use it??? I feel very un-hip and old not knowing. Speaking of old, my birthday's Tuesday! Yay! Too bad that's the day we lay out the newspaper so I will be at work aalllll day and night. Maybe I'll take a break from InDesign to post.

greeeat question.

2009-07-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

I know I know. The guilt is overwhelming! Poor tallgirlwrites.com, sitting here alone, languishing with lame posts and few interested readers. Let's revive this sucker! I got a job! Doing a lot of commuting but it's a REPORTING job, yes they do still exist. It's going well. Let's have some fun now...Someone asked me how tall I was the other day (Shocker!), and I usually just tell them. But it got me thinking about all the replies I've come up with over the years. Please add to this list:

Replies to The Question Tall Women are Asked Most: How tall are you?

--What a great question! I'm 6'4", now tell me how much you weigh.
--Ask me that again and I will squash you.
--Congratulations! You're the one millionth person to ask me that. What does he win, Bob?
(it helps to carry confetti around if you're going to use this one.)
--Oh, are you doing a survey to determine the height of people who are trying to mind their own business?

Another one is: Do you play basketball?

--No. I do enjoy dropkicking short people, though. May I?
--(Mock excitement) Are you a WNBA scout?!?!!! Yes! I knew the only requirement to be a great basketball player was to be over 6 feet tall! (aaaand deadpan.) All me troubles are over.

Long time coming

2009-04-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hello! Sorry it's been so long since I posted. A lot has happened since the end of January. Spring is finally starting to break through the dreary Spokane winter, which is definitely raising my spirits. I got a part time job housekeeping for a small company back in February. It's definitely not ideal, but I was glad to have a paycheck and something to do! I published a freelance piece in a local magazine here called the Inland Business Catalyst, and it turned out pretty good, but I haven't gotten any more freelance opportunities since then. There's a reporting job open in a small town in Idaho about an hour and a half from here. I'm hoping to get it even though it's quite a commute. Anything would be a great opportunity right now, and it seems like a solid newspaper.
Anyway, I was just feeling guilty about not writing for a while but I'm not much in the mood either so I'll try to write more in-depth soon.

Monday Impressions and a Rant

2009-01-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday! I'm never exactly sure what day it is since I'm still out of work, but I'm pretty positive today is Monday. I've been in Spokane now for three weeks and two days, and I feel pretty comfortable here. I've been out and about in the city; I figured out the main roads and found the library, the newspaper office and of course the unemployment office. From what I've heard there are a lot of people out of work in Spokane...maybe that's why I can't get an interview.
I spoke to a local woman last week about jobs and she said that this town was pretty blue collar and she advised me that it's not always good to show off my college degree because it could come off like I think too highly of myself. That shocked me. Shouldn't I be proud of my education? Shouldn't my degree show my dedication, work ethic and ability to overcome obstacles? I certainly won't be taking my degree, or my GPA, off my resume, even though most of the jobs I'm applying for don't require a college education. Since when was education something to be embarrassed about?

Oops!

2009-01-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

Sorry readers (a.k.a. Mom)! I haven't lived up to my promise of a post a day. I know it's no excuse, but I really have been busy. I'm really getting in gear with my job search, sending out lots of e-mails and resumes. Yesterday I went to the job services office in Spokane; it was busy. As I was waiting I noticed a man who was striking up a one-sided conversation with anyone who sat near him. Soon enough he was sitting next to me, asking me the age old question. "How tall are you?" I told him, and he proceeded with the usual basketball and modeling comments. He started telling me how he'd been waiting there for four hours to have a job interview, etc. etc. What struck me wasn't so much the generic tall girl comments, but just this guy's inability to have a conversation. I've encountered more than one person lately who will just talk and talk and you can't get a word in edge-wise. Are they aware that by smothering people with information they're being extremely rude and annoying? When the person you're talking to repeatedly says, "Weelll..." and takes a few steps away from you, it's a sign that they want out! I just wonder if this guy was socially inept or just really really lonely and talkative. Either way, my name was called and a career advisor saved me.
I should get back to my applications. I just wanted to post before I forgot.

Leave me a comment if you're reading! What do you want to hear about?

Cabin Fever

2009-01-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Well I changed the look of my blog today, what do you think? I wish I knew more about web design so I wouldn't have to rely on Blogger, not that I don't love you, Blogger! But I'd like to get a bit more creative. Anyway, I've got cabin fever. I spent all day in the apartment sending out resumes and reading local publications.
I sent out letters to a couple of editors in Spokane requesting meetings. There's a fine line between being assertive and sounding desperate. Hopefully I stayed on the assertive side. I think if I can get a meeting it'll be easier to get my foot in the door here. Once someone meets me they won't soon forget. "Oh, yeah. That tall girl!" Yeah, give her the job!
My fiance is at class tonight but hopefully he'll get me out of the house later. In this new city I still don't feel super comfortable walking around on my own. Well, until tomorrow...

New City...New Challenges

2009-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

Well, here I sit in my new home, Spokane, WA. I moved here a little over a week ago, but it seems like longer. I graduated from college back in mid-December and had a few weeks to enjoy the holidays and spend time with my family in Wisconsin and Iowa before packing my life into my tiny car and driving halfway across the country, landing here in Spokane.
My fiance is going to graduate school here, at Eastern Washington Univ. for creative writing, fiction. So we're a couple of writers...I guess I'd better get used to living on a shoestring! I moved out here with no friends, no family and no job, and it was really scary at first. I've never lived outside of Wisconsin, and although I've traveled all over the U.S. it's always been on a trip with family or a group of friends. I wasn't sure how I would cope. I wondered also if my height would be a big deal all over again, with new people and new attention.
Scotty, my fiance, has quite a few friends from the masters program he's in, and I've met quite a few of them. Sure, there were passing comments about my height, but nothing rude or at all offensive. Scotty read one of his short stories for a group at a coffee house a few days ago, and there's a guy who does all the introductions. This guy called Scotty the night before to see if he could do an intro making fun of me being taller than him (he was going to Photoshop Scotty's head on Yao Ming's body) and he talked to me to ask if it was okay. I didn't really care, but I gave him a hard time about it because I wanted to see how he would react. So at the reading he didn't do the height thing at all; he said I'd intimidated him on the phone and he felt wierd.
This shows me two things: One, people here seem to be much more courteous than Midwesterners about physical differences (so far) and Two, I can still use my height to intimidate large men. Score!
On a more serious note, I'm struggling finding a job. I've been applying all over the place, and haven't heard a thing back from anyone. At first I was really questioning my skills and my marketability. I should have been a nurse, I thought, or a finance major or something that would get me a reliable job! But I know I wouldn't be happy doing that stuff. I could never stick needles in people and I suck at math. It seems there's always something that threatens my confidence. But when I look at it, I know I have skills. I'm tall, I have blue eyes, and just as much as I know those things about myself I also know that I'm a writer, and here I am, in a new city without a network and only my resume and portfolio to convince people I'm right for the job. But at least I have my skills. And I'm going to try to post on here once a day to keep those skills fresh. Coming up will be my reflections on the city, my neighborhood, and differences between WA and WI (It's more than just a letter!).
Anyway, this post is getting long, but there's a lot that's changed recently. Hopefully some of you, besides my mom, Scotty and Gram (Hi guys!) will be reading. Does anyone have insight to add about social difference between the Midwest and the coasts? Get posting!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

Hello loyal readers. Did I not say I would post again soon? We got out first snowfall here in Wisconsin last night, just in time for Thanksgiving. I'm going home for the holiday tomorrow, but tonight I'm finishing up some job preparation stuff. Even with all my talent and charm, I have yet to land a job after I graduate in TWO WEEKS! Yikes. Here's a link to my online portfolio if anyone is interested in reading some of my work.
Of course, any job offers will be greatly appreciated by this tall writer! Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.

Time flies!

2008-11-13T21:12:00.000-08:00

Hello all. I'm always saying I'm going to keep this thing updated...such is life. Especially now, with four weeks left in my college career, things are pretty hectic. But I've been getting a lot done! My job as the Features editor for my school paper is going well, although I've had to write a lot of the content for my section! Just more stuff to put in my portfolio :) Right now I'm working on two research papers...yikes!

On a more exciting note, my birthday is on Monday! I'll be celebrating this weekend with friends, and I think I'll wear heels.

And speaking of shoes, the original reason my poor neglected blog is getting updated is I got an e-mail from Tess herself at barefoottess.com. They're having a sale on their entire inventory this weekend, which is pretty sweet. 15 percent off anything when you enter code ECO15. Check out the site...and remember ladies, you heard it here first!

Hopefully I'll post again soon. Until then!

Back to School

2008-09-03T15:16:00.001-07:00

It's my first day back at school. It's also my last first day of school! Unless I go to grad school, or fail all my classes this semester, I'll never again have a first day of school. It's pretty weird. In four months or so I will--if all goes well--be a college graduate.
Maybe it's the excitement of my first day of school, but I don't have a trace of senioritis yet. I'm actually really excited to be back to learning after my summer as a reporter. My internship was for a small newspaper catering to tourists in Green Lake county, a 35 minute drive from Oshkosh. The fact that the "Green Laker" isn't exactly the New York Times was actually good for me, because I was in charge of a lot of different things. Not only did I do all the reporting and writing, I also took pictures for stories and stand alones, wrote the captions and forwarded press releases to my editor. All in all it was a good hands-on experience.
Now I'm savoring my last remaining semester of college, while maintaining a part time job and taking on the feature editor job at the UW Oshkosh newspaper, the Advance-Titan. I'm pretty excited about that too, even though I know it's going to be pretty high-stress. Another good experience.

Quick update

2008-08-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hi there, I've been pretty busy lately working on my internship, moving, and getting my wisdom teeth out :( but I wanted to let you tall ladies know that Barefoot Tess is having a trunk sale with a lot of large size womens shoes marked down. Check it out here, and I'll update soon, I promise!

My sad obsession with shoes

2008-06-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Speaking of my sister's wedding, it was a pain finding SHOES! Shoe shopping has always been a horrible yo-yo of emotions. I love shoes, and I go to stores and see all the cute one on display, get all excited then deflate at the reality that no stores offer anything past size 12. I think I obsess about shoes so much because it's such a rarity to find my size, I'm always looking, and seeing all the styles for smaller sizes just makes me crazy!
Although Nordstrom has quite a few 13s online, the one time I went in there they only had three pairs of black shoes, my grandmother probably would have worn them...
But at least I'm glad there are more online companies designing for us large-footed women. I looked at Kathryn Kerrigan for the first time and the designs are gorgeous, too bad for me that the cheapest pair is $99 (they are handcrafted and look to be great quality. check out the website).
...Someday, when I'm a famous journalist...I probably still won't make enough money. But it's good to know the companies are out there.

Bachelorette Party!

2008-06-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

My sister, next to me on the right side, isn't much of a party girl, so we went out to dinner the night before the wedding with the bridal party, cousins, and my brother's girlfriend.
There's nothing like a good Wisconsin fish fry.

I've Been Busy...

2008-06-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hopefully some people are still checking on my blog occasionally, even though I have not posted for a while. I'm finally settling into summer, my internship, and various other commitments.
I went home to Mineral Point, Wisc. this past weekend for my sister's wedding. A lot of family I haven't seen since Christmas to they all told me how they liked my article and saw me on the Today Show. It was nice to know I had all these people behind me, and guilty because I have let my blog languish for so long.
I'm so comfortable around my family that I forget my height. So it was weird when, at my sister's wedding reception, a man came up to me from the bar to ask how tall I was. It was one of those where all he wants to know is my height. "Those guys wanted to know." Okay, well now you know. It was a great reception, and we danced for hours. As the maid of honor I made a speech. It was the first wedding I've ever been in, and since it was my only sister getting married it was all the more special. And nobody minded that I was taller than the bride, even standing a step below her. :)

Track meet

2008-04-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the UW Oshkosh women's track team had a meet in Illinois. The meet started at 9:30 a.m., which meant we had to leave at 5:15. Ouch. It was a pretty good meet for the team, even though I didn't do as well as I hoped in all my events (high jump, 400m hurdles, and 4x400). I have a couple funny tall stories from the day, though.
First, after my 400 hurdle race, I was in a foul mood. Right after I checked my time, some guy in a red uniform who I'd never seen asked me, "Excuse me, but do you high jump?" Um, okay. Tall girl must be a high jumper. I was crabby but I wasn't going to take it out on this guy. "Yeah I do," I said in a tone I hoped would end the conversation. "What else do you do, pole vault?" Heavy sigh from me, "No, I hurdle. Do you have any more questions?" He says, "Yeah, where are you from?" I replied I was from Oshkosh and mercifully he walked away.
This kind of thing happens occasionally, people just decide to start asking me questions and I don't know what they want. They're usually just curious but it gets to me sometimes.
Was this guy trying to pick me up? Does he walk up to random girls and ask them if they high jump? Probably not. Afterwards, I told my friend when he asked me where I was from I should have answered, "The house of Pain!" and punched him in the face. I always think of good comebacks once it's too late. ;)

Another day, another column.

2008-04-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

I wrote a column for the Oshkosh newspaper The Northwestern that was published today. Read it here.

UPCOMING! NPR

2008-04-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

I will be a guest on NPR's Talk of the Nation talking to host Neal Conan and Pulitzer Prize- winning novelist Jane Smiley. Here's what she posted on my 'Life as a Tall Girl' article:

200. March 25th,20085:36 pm

I was born in 1949. When I was twelve, I was 5′1″, just like the other girls. By the end of high school, I was 6′2″, and it was 1967. During my adolescence, it was considered possible and even desirable to cut tall girls down by taking some inches out of the long bones of their legs. There was an article in Life magazine about it. I refused this treatment. The last time I had a single regret about being over six feet tall was when I was sixteen. Since then, it has been great. I wear heels in company and when I have to do any stage performances, and I enjoy that. A few clothing tips–Zappos for shoes (big selection) and Lucky jeans for pants (37-38) inch inseams. I’ve had a lot of friends who were in the 5′-5′2″ range, and I learned something from them–it’s a lot more difficult for people to condescend to you when they have to look up to do it.
— Posted by Jane Smiley

I think it's going to be a great conversation.
Listen tomorrow Thurs., Apr. 17 at 2:40 central time.

Reflecting on a day in NYC

2008-04-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

So by now you've seen me on TV, right? Check out the video from my appearance on the Today Show.
The Today show flew me to New York for a day! It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot and met a bunch of great people. I went with my mom, who acted as my personal assistant carrying shoes and bags and everything for me! We hailed cabs and ate fresh bagels and spent $22 for two drinks...all things you don't usually do in Wisconsin. I noticed that in New York I didn't get the stares and comments I usually do here in the Midwest. Or maybe I was just too focused on walking in heels to notice. Read more about my trip in my column for the UW Oshkosh paper, the Advance-Titan .
Also see my slideshow, on the top right here on my page. Click it to enlarge and see more.

A Story with Legs

2008-04-10T18:11:00.001-07:00

I got home from vacation and a lot was happening. The Today Show filmed in Oshkosh, I was talking to NPR to be interviewed on Talk of the Nation, and a book editor contacted me! Why was my story getting all this attention? It had sprouted legs and was picking up speed, but I was keeping up. I read most of the comments on my post (which is now just nytimes.com/tallgirl , the permanent URL!) and found a lot of posts that started out with something like, "This is like a page out of my diary" or "This is my story," "I could have written this." There were so many women who posted, as short as 5'9" or as tall as 6'8", who had the same anxiety about their height growing up. I was glad to have sparked a conversation where tall women could see that they were never alone, that there are tall women everywhere and each of us has a story about our height issues.
It comforted me to know that people shared my anxieties, and it made me even more proud to be tall and confident. I also began to think about all sorts of people and their hangups on body image.

The Email, The Times, and Reactions

2008-04-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

The title "The New York Times" rings of authority, creativity, the very pinnacle of American newspapers. At least it does to me. So when Grace emailed me on Mar. 8 and said her friend Tara Parker-Pope wanted to publish my story on her blog, I was ecstatic. I didn't even know that Grace had sent her my article, so it was a complete surprise. Of course I replied immediately that I would love to have my article published in the Times. I didn't even try to be cool or aloof. I didn't think about all the strangers who would be reading my personal story, I was focused on the idea of having a byline in this respected newspaper that I had read and aspired to for years.
Tara and I emailed back and forth, and ended up doing all the edits for the story over email. I had cut some parts with description earlier, and Tara didn't change too much in the text, but the changes we made helped to tighten and clarify the message of my story.
I was getting excited about being published, told my friends and family, but I was a little uncomfortable. I felt, and still feel, like such a novice when it comes to the world of professional journalism. I still have so much to learn about the field, and being so close to it now made me think that maybe I'm not prepared. I know it comes with experience, and I am confident in my abilities, but I guess I was intimidated. But since then I have been learning a lot every day.
When my essay was finally published online on Tues., Mar. 24, I was actually on spring break, camping on the coast of Georgia, so I didn't get to see it until two days later.
On Wednesday, I was laying on the beach on Cumberland Island reading while my boyfriend Scotty was out running. His phone rang. I figured it was his parents and didn't bother to get up. When he checked his message it was my little brother. His message said, "Hey, um, the Today show called. They want to talk to Becky so she should probably turn her phone on...Oh, they said to call them back..." and gave a number. My response was just, 'What?' Why would NBC want to talk to me? I was curious, so I called them back right away. I talked to a producer there who said they read my story and they're doing a spot on tall women and short men, the advantages and disadvantages, etc. They wanted me to be on the show. "So does that sound like something you'd be interested in?" the producer asked. "Um, Yes!" It was very surreal to be sitting on this gorgeous beach talking to the Today show. This was like nothing that had ever happened to me, and I didn't even know what to think, but I was excited to see what would happen.

I wrote this essay for class...

2008-04-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

In order to understand what I want my blog to be about, I need to go back over its inspirations. I've learned a lot over the past month or so, and I want to get it all down here so you all can understand too.
I entered the spring semester at UWO looking forward to my classes. I had Magazine Publishing, and I was looking forward to learning what it takes to design, edit and publish a magazine. I was also taking Feature Writing. I was excited and a little apprehensive about this class; I knew it would be a challenge, but I also knew if I worked hard I could write some great stories. The teacher was Grace Lim, a woman whom I respected, but also sort of feared. Let's just say she's intense. But I knew she would challenge me to produce good writing.
Our first assignment was to write a personal essay. I've never been to type to talk much about personal stuff, so i wrote about the jobs I have to help pay for college. I took the story to Grace and she promptly gave it the axe. She told me that if I didn't write something truly personal then no one would want to read it. She shared how she had wished she were white instead of Asian growing up, and she encouraged me to write about being tall.
So I went home and poured out all these memories from my childhood, adolescence, my entire life. I wrote the essay focusing on how I was, and still am, singled out for being a tall woman. I recalled how, during my teens, I stuck out as different when all I wanted was to fit in with the crowd.
I read a draft of the essay in class the next week, in early March. My face was red the entire time, but my voice was clear (I think). It was difficult to read it in front of my peers, and I don't think I could have done it even 3 years ago, I was still too uncomfortable about my height even then. But everyone seemed to like the essay, especially the kicker (final sentence) where I defied the shyness I had felt about being stared at: "In fact, sometimes I wear heels. Just to make them look twice."
I felt good having written it. I had accepted and embraced my height, but I had never really put the whole story into words and shared it with so many people. It reminded me to be proud of my height as well as my writing ability.

Tues., Apr. 1, the Today show came. Really!

2008-04-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

Nick Palledino, associate producer for the Today show on NBC, came to UW Oshkosh yesterday with camera and sound guys to follow me around for a few hours. I'm going to be on the show LIVE on Wed., Apr. 9, but they wanted to prepare a taped spot of me in my natural habitat! It was cool--I've never had someone put a microphone on me, never been the center of the camera's attention--but it was also a little awkward. They came to my Feature Writing class at 12:40 yesterday afternoon. I was already in the building, but they had me put on my jacket and backpack and go back outside so they could shoot me going into the building. I was trying really hard to act normal but it was weird coming into Clow, going back out, coming in again, all while being filmed and trying to act like I was just heading to class on a normal day! But the crew was really nice, and pretty soon I got over it. They taped me at track practice, high jumping and hurdling. All my teammates were asking me what was going on and saying congratulations. Then it was time to get ready for the taped interview, something I was pretty nervous for since I've never been that good at talking about myself. But I guess that's what started all this in the beginning!
I have to work this morning, but the story will continue this afternoon. Cheers!

Welcome!

2008-03-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog, Tall Girl Writes! I'll be chronicling my life as a tall girl. But I'm not just a tall girl, I'm a tall girl with skills. Check out my Life as a Tall Girl essay in The New York Times! See you soon!