When I was younger, my height was a conflicting source of agitation and smugness. I hated being one of the tall girls in class because I had to stay at the back when we lined up height-order, while my best friends chatted up in front. I did love being taller than my brother and cousins and occasional aunt, however. My greatest victory at age eleven was being taller than my mother.
As I grew older, I started loving my height wholeheartedly. Mostly because we no longer lined up according to any prerequisites, but still. Also, I was a big girl back then, and I thought that the height might not make it seem so obvious.
Last year, I discovered the joy of high heels. This is not to say that I didn't wear heels before - of course not. I've been wearing high heels since I was ten years old; my mother was adamant that I learn to walk in them at a young age. I still remember the cherry-red colour of my very first pair of heeled shoes. They weren't that high, because I was still learning, but my parents took the family out to a nice restaurant, and I strutted around like only a ten-year-old can.
Anyway, just because I knew how to work them didn't mean that I liked it. In fact, my choice of clothing was limited to (WHY, GOD, WHY) Baggy Jeans and Big Tops and Backward-Turned Baseball Caps. And Sneakers. I'm quite sure I thought I was an African-American rapping goddess or something back then. Or a hip-hop dancer (I couldn't dance for the life of me, FYI).
Last year, when The Change happened, I took a sudden liking to high heels along with everything else. I couldn't go into a store without wandering into and getting (purposely) lost in the shoe-section. And then, miraculously/annoyingly, my shoe-size started shrinking with the rest of me. I swear to you, my feet are now 2 or 3 sizes smaller.
So my favourite pair of nude heels? Yeah, turns out they're a bit big for me now. I'm genuinely upset about this, because I wear those heels with basically everything. They're comfortable, match with almost all my ensembles, and they make my legs look endless.
Anyway.
Recently, I started noticing my height in the pictures. When I'm with my friends, I don't notice the height difference. When I'm standing next to them in photos, however, I'm towering at about six feet, I think, while they stay somewhere in the 5'5"-5'7" range in their tall shoes too.
I didn't exactly get self-conscious about it, but I wondered: can a tall woman where high-heeled shoes and actually get away with it?
I can. Thankfully, I stopped growing at 5'7", which I think is a nice, ideal height for me. Even if I put on my highest platforms, I'm going to stay around six feet, maybe 6'1", but never taller than that. And with the height of men these days, that doesn't really matter much.
What about the women taller than me, though? Who are 5'11" and 6'1" naturally? Can they wear heels? I've heard that women that tall tend to gravitate toward flats, so that they fit in with the crowd. While I understand why they would want to do that, I also say,
Stand Out!
Sure, maybe you want to fit in with the crowd at the mall or whatever. But if they're headed for a night out with the girls, I see no excuse to NOT wear heels. Be tall and be proud, I say. In fact, wear your heels to the mall too! You deserve to be looked at and admired. High heels naturally change your posture when you wear them, pushing your shoulders back and your bum up, and accentuating those gorgeous curves that women have been blessed with. ALSO makes you look slimmer by making your legs look longer by the way, always a plus.
And truly, I admire tall women. I think tall women that push their shoulders back and walk straight project confidence. Your eyes are naturally drawn to them, so why not make the best of it?
My mantra: Be comfortable in your own body, and make your body comfortable.
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