I'm Taller Than You

When I was in the 8th grade (read: 12 years old), I wore a button. The button contained a simple phrase that answered a common question, asked of me almost every single day. The question: How tall ARE you?? To which the button would reply: I'm 5'11"

In the 18 years since I sported my button, I haven't grown in height all that much and now stand proudly at 6'1" tall. Yet I still get asked that question almost every day and so when my good friend Nikki pestered, er I mean, encouraged me to start my own blog (read hers, its hysterical) I kept thinking about what my vantage point would be. What small but significant view of the world could I have to offer? Well, here it is folks: I'm taller than you. And you wouldn't think that affects life every day but, oh does it. And I'm here to prove it! Sure, there are plenty of other folks out there writing about being tall but since I couldn't find any other city-livin loving, mad about movies, foodie fanatical, cat adoring tall gal blog, I figured my niche was set.

And to kick it off, I wrote a letter to the editor of Boston Magazine last week regarding an article in last month's issue entitled What Turns Us On: A User's Guide To Love and Lust in the Hub. So check out my letter below (bc I'm sure it isnt getting published in the pages of their mag, ha!) and stay tuned for my views from above. Above what? At the very least, the top of most bathroom stall walls (more on that later).

Dear Boston Magazine Editor -

I was prompted to write this letter by the article "What Turns Us On" in your most recent issue and, more specifically, by this startling statistic:

Survey says: The ideal Boston woman is about average height (5'4"–5'8"). But fewer than one in six Bostonians found women of 5'8" to 6'—a.k.a. the supermodel median—compellingly attractive.

No, its not the results of the survey that I take issue with (more on that later) but rather your survey requirements. How is it possible that you've completely neglected a large portion of the Boston metro population: the tall girl? Yes, I'm referring to the bevy of beautiful babies who so contribute to the physical landscape of this great city. The gals who top 6ft tall, a group of which I am a proud participant. As I stand here, in all my 6ft 1in glory, how is it that I don't even rank to be included as an option in the survey? Though I suppose that based on your results we should be pleased, given that the men of this town are less inclined to throw sidelong glances in our direction. Speaking for the glamazonian ladies I represent, we say: we're OK with that. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the average height for an adult male in the United States is 5ft 9in. ( National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted from 1999-2002.) Therefore, your average respondent was shorter than me and, as those who've dated us long-legged lasses in the past will attest, we like to be able to wear heels too. Simply speaking, we want a tall man for our very own. As a whole, I've found Boston to be a city somewhat on the shorter side (take a look at our mayor and governor! Aside from the Celtics, our popular landscape is not exactly banging their head on the door frame) and so to that we say, survey be dammed. I know those tall fellers are out there and I have faith that they'll come looking for my friends and I, regardless of your survey results.

Because that old amusement park guideline - You must be this tall to ride this ride - is one we're particularly fond of. So we'll keep wearing our 3in Manolos and smile politely when people ask if we played basketball in college because we know one thing's for sure: tall is terrific.

Cheers from the treetops,
Laura H. Vogel