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August 2, 2016

Dear Tall Girl.

 tall woman poster

I see you over there, shoulders slouched, trying to make yourself appear shorter to fit in with your friends.

Trust me, it’s not going to work, so push those shoulders back and hold your head high.

I know it’s hard to have a different body from your friends—big feet and long legs—but these are your proportions. This is how you were beautifully made.

I was you. I am you.

I know it’s embarrassing to go to shoe shops and be turned away because they do not carry a size over 10. I also know how sucky it is, as you shop with your middle school friends, when you feel the need to justify your larger sized clothing to them: “uh…uh…I need the extra length!” The same friends will tell you they wouldn’t be friends with you if you were any taller because, “ya know, that would be awkward!”

Don’t worry about these girls. In the future you will have awesome friends—friends who will cross oceans to visit you. As for the clothes and shoes, the internet is your friend; there is a wide assortment of apparel and shoes for a girl of your stature.

No, you are not a “big girl.” You are a tall girl.

The two are not synonymous, and I still cannot figure out who came up with this euphemism.

You, tall girl, do not need to play basketball or volleyball, and no, you do not need to be a model. Your tallness demands attention, and it will help you set the world on fire one day.

I can bet that the boys are shorter than you right now. In the summer, you will hope and pray that they have started growing and you have stopped. Don’t worry when you return to school next year and you’re still tall. Girl, some of these boys will grow and some will not—and you will remain the poised tall girl you always are and have always been.

As for the boys, wait for the men.

Tall men like tall women; shorter men like us too. It may not feel like it right now, but one day you will be a hot commodity. You will be whisked away, and you will experience romance. You will have a boyfriend and, if you choose, a spouse who will love that their wife is tall. They will even start to notice that the world around is comparably short, thanks to you, tall girl. They will experience your plight, too, and drive two hours to find your size 12-plus shoes.

Tall girl, I can promise that it only gets better from here.

Airlines have started to increase legroom, although you may still bump your head while getting onto the small planes. The world has started to realize, as you will, that there are many tall girls like us.

One day, you will walk past another tall girl. Please look at her and smile. She is part of your tribe—the We of Tall Girls—and we understand what you are going through.

You can only go up from here, so please go and get them girl.

Love always,

Tall Woman

~

Relephant:

Letter to a Young Girl.

Dear Haters: My Response to Body Shaming.

~

Author: Reagan Rasmussen Hart-Maor 

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Apprentice Editor: Cori Carlo; Editor: Toby Israel

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