#TallGirlSolutions

Today’s culture has really progressed in body acceptance for women. America still has some ways to go as far as accepting all body types because there is still a stigma for tall women. I don’t mean the tall women that are Victoria’s Secret models that can date NBA players, but the tall, ordinary women that are bigger than a size 6. These women, myself included, are subject to unfair stereotypes such as being masculine, athletic, intimidating or not worth romantic interest by men close to our heights. The reason that we are perceived this way is because our culture may be trying to not care whether or not you weigh 80lbs or 380lbs, but the culture still expects women to take up less space than men. Being shorter than a man seems to give women a more feminine quality because it makes men look like the big protector. This same belief extends to tall, slender women because they might be tall, but their body does not take up much width. These women look dainty and breakable, which leads men to have romantic interests in them because it still makes them feel masculine in their ability to be a protector. The women that are average width and tall give people the impression of masculinity, like the women can fend for themselves and are Amazon women. Amazon women have the unfortunate implication of being man-hating and unnatural. I know I have been called an Amazon woman in my lifetime and it has not been with respect or as a compliment. The “masculinity” attributed to tall women is generally coupled with the intimidating factor. More than once, people have been shy of me and after long periods tell me how intimidated they were because I was so tall.
Tall men are not intimidating. Tall men are cool and considered worth dating. If both a man and a woman are 6 feet tall, why is one intimidating and the other cool? The reason is that the culture does not like this idea of women looking as if they do not need protection from a man. It does not fit in with our heteronormative culture and therefore creates negative feelings towards tall women.
On the flip side of this same mentality, the men are actually suffering. Men that are shorter than 6 foot are teased about being short. For some reason, this natural, uncontrollable bodily development determines the romantic factor for most women. Women are taught from Disney to Days of Our Lives that men are supposed to take up more space and be taller than the women. Think about the shows or movies you watch! Prince Charming is always a head taller than the princess, Damon is almost a foot taller than Elena, Luke is taller than Lorelei, Thor is a foot taller than Jane, Finn is a few inches taller than Rey. Over and over again the media pounds into our heads that the cutest couples are the ones that have a man tall enough to let the woman wear four inch heels and still be shorter.
How contradictory are we? Sure, let’s all love each other whether we have fat rolls or not, but ask me to date a guy that is under six foot? NO WAY. It’s an insane phenomena that needs to be stopped in its tracks. This is 2016. A man smaller than 6 foot is no less attractive or manly than a 6’5” man. A woman that is 5’10” is not intimidating or unworthy of love because she looks like she could protect herself. Height does not matter. I can speak to this because the love of my life looks me square in the eye. I struggled with his size because I grew up with the same images as everyone else, but after a few weeks, it didn’t matter anymore. He was still my best friend, and what did it matter that we were the same size? He was still attractive, kind, and smart, his height did not effect the qualities that really matter. Tall girls want solutions for men? Stop believing that height is the End all be all for dating. Men, stop believing that women constantly need your protection. A 5’3” girl can defend herself just as well as a 5’10” girl can, they made mace and guns for a reason. Tall girls are just as beautiful as anyone else and deserve to be treated with respect and not as an anomaly.