Making Headlines

As I mentioned in my very first blog post, I wrote a letter to the editors of Boston Magazine regarding an article in their May issue. A quick refresher: they did a survey asking men in Boston what they were looking for in a date. Regarding height, the results were pretty much not in my favor:

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.

Not in my favor NOT because our Patriot-lovin, accent-toting male Boston residents aren't looking for a gal like me but rather not in my favor bc my height didn't even rank as part of the survey! So as a funny, hey-its-another-rainy-weekend-

day-in-Boston lark, I wrote a letter to the editors of Boston Magazine declaring their survey to be missing out on a key element of the Boston scene and admonishing the results. They called to confirm when they received it but said it was highly unlikely it would get published bc it would have to wait until the NEXT issue. Fortunately for me it must have been a slow news month because in the issue on stands now, on the bottom of page 12, is a response from the editors to my sweet little note.

Boston Magazine doesn't publish full LTE but rather snippets of them in commentary. For mine, they mentioned how I was appalled that my fellow tall females and I were left out of the survey entirely. Well....here's the kicker. The good folks at Boston Mag actually added an editorial note to the bottom of my paragraph stating:

The survey did include the option "Taller than 6'"; however it garnered far less than towering support with a mere 1 percent of the votes

Well done, Laura. You've forced the magazine to print that 99% of eligible Boston bachelors are not interested in dating someone of your height. Smooth move. A huge boost to the ego if there ever was one. They were trying to save you the pain that comes with knowledge, yet you called them out and forced their hand.

However, I know I speak for all my fellow long-legged friends when I say we take this in stride (a long stride, yes, but still in stride). We know that most guys are driven by ego and it takes a very special kind of gentleman to be with a woman who is taller than they are. And these special gentleman DO exist, I have faith. There may only be 1% of them in Boston (or at least those willing to admit it) and they may be in hiding 99% of the time, but occasionally they do stick their heads out of the ground long enough for us to snag them. And when we do, we won't be letting go any time soon. Hypothetically speaking...of course.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

As a tall single gal roaming the streets of Boston, there are many alarming sights. The sketchy guy eying your purse on the Orange Line. The sleazy bartender eying your - whatever - on a Saturday night at Felt. But none strikes fear in the heart of the Tall Gal more than...DUN DUN DUN...the tall guy dating the short girl.

It's unfair from the start. I mean, how many guys over 6ft are there even in this town? And then to see one of our few potential soulmates matched up with a midget, ahem, a lady of petite height....it's enough to start a fire of rage inside you that has no equal. Usually I will be the first to condemn this pairing and point out how akward it must be when he has to bend in half to kiss her goodnight. But occassionaly (the exeption makes the rule, right?), there is a TG/SG pair that makes it ok. For me, that pair is Jen and Jason Newberg.

Jason is an old colleague of mine and stands proudly at 6'5" tall. His charming wife is all of 5'2" - and don't let her fool ya, that's on a good high heeled day. They were married in a custom-made chuppah (to be high enough for him) and the majority of their wedding photos involve at least one member of the newleyweds engaged in something to reduce their height (sitting on a bench, kneeling on the ground, lounging on a grassy knoll). And yet when in their presence...it just doesn't matter. You can't help but feel the love between them and know that sometimes, height knows no limits.

So for you, Jason & Jen, I will put aside my predjudice's towards to TG/SG pairings...but only until I spot the man of MY dreams hanging with a short gal. Then it's anybody's game.