#890 Really, really tall people

Neil Pasricha

You can just feel that back pain

They’re tall and there’s nothing they can do about it except learn to live with their crazy tallness. For this reason, we respect them and think they’re cool.

If you’re really, really tall, you feel it, because this is your life:

•Everyone hates you at movies and concerts. Sure, you get a decent sightline, but at what price? Everybody in the room resents you and you have to put up with constant shuffling behind you and people saying things like “Oh great, I’m stuck behind Stilts here.”

•Guaranteed back pain. Duck into a car and lean over to tie your shoes enough times and you’ll eventually score some sharp, shooting pains in that lower lumbar.

•Hard to date people. Well, not hard, but complicated. I mean, would you date someone really, really tall? If not, you see the problem here.

•Size 'em up You are forced to play basketball. Doesn’t matter if you like it, doesn’t matter if you don’t — you just have to play. Also, if you’re no good, you’ll never hear the end of it, and if you are good, people will say it’s just because you’re really, really tall.

•People always want you to get stuff from the top shelf. And guess what else you get when you pull down that giant soup pot nobody’s used in two years? That’s right: a big faceful of dust, that’s what. Hope you’re not allergic.

• You’re always hitting your head on everything. If you’re really, really tall, you know what I mean, because your skull is full of spider cracks from chandeliers, basement stairwells, and overhead bins on airplanes.

•Life is more expensive. Because raiseable desks, extra-long pants, and King-sized mattresses aren’t cheap, bro. You know that and I know that.

It really is a tough life.

So next time you see a really, really tall person, break out the empathy. Remember: they’re tall and there’s nothing they can do except learn to live with their crazy tallness. In this upside-down and inside-out world, that’s worth something. So throw them a smile and a nod, a solid high-ten, or just some quiet respect.

AWESOME!

too-tall-for-this-door

Photos from: here, here, and here

155 thoughts to “#890 Really, really tall people”

  2. I am 6’1…thank you for this post. It’s nice to hear some empathy in the world. I can only tell people that I hate the “Do you play basketball?” question so many times before I just start accepting my fate of freak-dom. But this awesome entry did make life a little better. So thank you, Awesome-blogger Guy. When I make my awesome list, you’ll be on it.

    1. 6’1 isnt really that tall lol.
      my friends dad is like 6’11 and he spent 100,000 remodeling his house so the doorways were tall enough.

      1. I’m 6’7, and let me tell you, seeing some cool clothes is cool, byt finding out they ‘don’t come in that size’ really, REALLY sucks.

        same for fat people, i guess D:

        1. yeah, try being a 6’7 GIRL. here in girl world, we are not expected to be that tall. buying clothes is impossible.

          1. I guess you should learn to sew, or make use of accessories so you can have a lot of outfits. My best female friend, she says she’s 6’3″, but she’s closer to 6’5″. She sews her own jeans and if she hadn’t told me I wouldn’t have known. She always looks nice. She’s a wizard seamstress.

    2. iam 7’4 it is always the same question do you play basketbal , or you should play basketbal, hahaha
      yes life is realy expensive for me, but the dating part my girlfrend is 6’3 …

      nice post man

      1. i don’t think you should call Audrey “crazy tall”
        6’1 is a great height, she should embrace it!

      3. I am 6’1″. I get asked the basketball question a lot. A friend told me to ask right back if they play miniature golf!

    3. 6’4″ here,
      just tall enough to smash my scalp on the odd lowered ceiling while heading down stairs, and to get asked why I don’t play basketball….
      People don’t seem to realize Steve Nash is 6’3″, that is midget height in the world of big orange balls.
      I feel for the tall tall people though, I like not having to specialty shop for clothes/shoes.

    4. Seriously. I’m 6’1 too. And yes, it’s tall when you’re a sophomore in high school. I always get the : “are you a volley ball player? Basketball player?” And all I can say back is: “no im afraid of the ball.” And they always say that it is such a shame. I can never find skirts or dresses long enough to appropriately cover my butt, or pants that make me look normal and not homeless. The only real plus is I am also always asked if I model. You, Mr. Awesome guy… MADE MY DAY. YOU are awesome.

    5. 6’1 is not really tall. it’s tall, but a lot of models are that height and don’t look like freaks. i’m 6′ and all of my friends are jealous of me. you just need some self-confidence. are you attractive? if so, dress like a model!

  4. I once stood directly behind Manute Bol in the airport circuity line at O’Hare in Chicago. He is looking much worse for wear these days, having to walk with a cane that is, no-joke, about as tall as my wife.

    Plus, even though only about 20% of the airport knew who he was from his playing days, 100% of the people were staring at him. Made you really feel for the guy.

    Since I’ve only been about average height all my life, I decided to marry into a really short family, and now I feel really tall by comparison. BOOYAH! Take that average-height genes!

  5. Ha ha “airport circuity line”. I love it! The closer you are to missing your flight, the more circuitous it gets.

  6. well… i love this post… huahaha….
    im6’5 and im dating a 5 foot girl… its not realy hard though….

    i had a little experience with force to play basketball, and to took a high place stuff… huahahaha

    1. yeah. there was a thingy on family guy with like yao ming and the little man dude doing comedy together

    1. 6’6″ male here and after reading these comments I see I’m nothing special which is funny be/c where ever I go I get comments as if I am.

  10. I’m 6’3” and I love to wear heels and I’m tired of the negative comments. Thanks for the kind words!

  11. My husband is 6’7″…luckily I’m 5’10”..so I guess that all works out.

    The most frustrating thing is when he gets dressed in the mornings, if he forgets to turn off the ceiling fan, he hurts or breaks his fingers..it happens a lot..nothing like that early morning ER run to get a finger set!

  12. my room mate is 6’8″. we tell him to have kids with a black girl so his kids can play basketball. At least with him the old saying white guys cant jump is quite true.

  14. I’m 6’6″ and the worst thing ever is finding clothes that both fit and look good. Thanks for being sympathetic. :)

    1. and it doesnt help that (in america) what was a large waist in 1950 is now the anorexic midget size. damn mcworld

  17. this is a great post. 6ft4 here i hate my height. I buy trainers but dont wear some coz they make me look even taller. better start accepting it. it

  18. I’m 6’11 and this list is a good one. Cars are particularly a pain to find. It took me months and months to find the right one. Afterwards I started up “The Tall Street Journal” so that tall people could network and find all the best places for cars, clothes, furniture and everything.

    Here is our list on cars and our heights that drive each one if you are interested.

    Best Cars For Tall People

  19. i laugh at the guy who said he appreciated the post because he was 6’1″. 6’1″ is not tall. 6’4″ and above is tall.

    1. the name on that post was Audrey…i’m pretty sure thats a girl who posted it, in which case 6ft1 is pretty tall!

  20. I’m 5’5 and I prefer guys who are taller than me. Part of the reason is because I have large boobs, and the one time I dated a short guy and he went to hug me he got a face full..I also prefer dating taller guys because I like having to stand on my toes a little when I go to kiss them. That and I think it’s kinda sexy :P

    1. No offence, but girls like you annoy me SO bad – leave the tall guys for the tall girls, god knows it’s hard enough trying to get a boyfriend if you’re a girl and above 5’10 or so…really limits the playing field lol!

      1. Girls that don’t know how to spell annoy me. Learn how to use the proper word. It is ‘offense’ not ‘offence’.

        1. It’s actually spelt with a c if you’re from England…so be more informed next time you get all superior.

    2. When you think he is looking down at you into your eyes… think again because he’s lookin a little further south if you catch my drift.

      1. Hey Michael – that is oh so true. I’m 6’5″ and wouldn’t trade it for anything. The view is typically lovely!

  21. This really relates to me cause i spent the summer in Japan and all the Doors were 6 inches shorter than me.

  24. Although I’m only 6’2″, I can relate to the bed comment. When I slept in my “extra-long” bed in the college dorms for the first time…a little bit of heaven came down; my feet didn’t hang off the edge of the bed.

  26. I’m about 6 foot but since I’m the tallest one in my household I’m expected to get everything. Turning on the the ceiling fan that someone snipped the cord on, gabbing something from the top shelf that myself can barely reach, getting stuff from off the fridge, and finally, changing light bulbs.

    1. when i was 14 i was 6’8″ and wore a size 15 shoe. I am now 20 years old and stand 7’1″ and wear a size 19 shoe.

  30. I killed myself laughing at this post – it’s great!!!
    I am 6’2″ mom and my kids are 6’11”, 6’7″ and 6’1″ respectively. We have been called Team Large by some, although only in the vertical sense. I can relate to every one of your points – even the basketball one. Even now people STILL ask me if I play.
    We all love being tall although it did take a few years for some of us to appreciate it.

  31. Hey there, I’m 6’9″, I used to hate it, especially when I was younger, but one day I realized that my height makes people happy and most people would love to be this tall. So I accepted it and now I don’t care when people ask me my height or if I play basketball (I don’t).

  32. I’m about as tall as my mom (I’m at her nose and shes 6’5″ or something :grin: ) so every one thinks that I’m 13 or 10 or 11! But I’m just 8 (About to turn 9!) And I have to tell her\him: “No, I’m not that old. Just 8.” So yeah. Thanks for this cool post! (I’m a big fan of your blog!)

    -Elizabeth

  33. I’m a girl who’s 5’8″ which I’m told is tall, I don’t think it is tall at all! Hearing from girls who are 6’7″ I now know it is true.

    P.S. Tall guys are hot. The taller the better! ;)

    1. Well then I think I could get used to being 6’7″…

      But finding pants is still a living hell…I have a 38-40″ inseam.

  34. Not empathy, sympathy. If you’re empathetic, that means you’ve been there and can see their point of view. Thus only Really Tall People can feel empathetic for other Really Tall People.

    I hate myself.

      1. Oh, wow. That has got to be the most embarassing thing ever. I love how I was talking about how E*ducational english class is but I skipped a letter in the word. I’m sorry, it was truly an honest accident.

        =)

  36. “Hard to date people. Well, not hard, but complicated. I mean, would you date someone really, really tall? If not, you see the problem here.”

    I am 5’7″ and my boyfriend is 6’10”!!!! We’ve only been together a week, but lol. We’ve figured out so many ways to kissing without being my tippy toes, and him being slouched down. #1-I stand on the drivers side door thing, and kiss him. #2-I sit on top of my car #3-He sits on the hood of my car, and I kiss him #4-We both sit down. haha. It’s really tough. But yeah, thats my story!

  37. I’m 5’9, and I’m only 13. I was 5 feet tall when I was 9. Even funnier is that my friends are about as old as me, but they are both 4’7. My mom is also 5′, but my dad is 6’2″.

    1. now then chris ,, you are tall ,, i was about 5 foot at 8 lol ,, i am 12 now and i am 5 ft 10 ,, and i have size 14 feet lol i love being big i have a 50 in chest haha so yh i am big for my age my mum is 5 ft 8and my dad is6 ft 3 but i have bigger handss and feet lol

      in a bit ,, :)

  38. “Hard to date people: Well, not hard, but complicated. I mean, would you date someone really, really tall? If not, you see the problem here.”

    This isn’t really true for guys, my brother is 6’7 and girls love his height.

    But for girls, this really sucks! I’m 6’1 and it’s weird an awkward to date a guy that is shorter than you, and hard to find a lot of guys that are taller.

    And finding clothes is terrible! All my pants are too short and if I wear shorts or a skirt that look good on a “normal” sized girl, they look waaay too short on me.

    1. I feel your pain, and I’m 5’11. Clothes are difficult. Everything is made for women who are around 5″6. At least they do sell ‘tall’ length pants now, though.
      I did date a very tall man once, about 6’7, and everywhere we went people stared at us like zoo animals. It was a little unsettling and took some getting used to. My current boyfriend is the same height which is fine with us. I’ve never had men complain about my height. Only insecure men would make a big deal of it and need a tiny little waif to make them feel masculine.

  39. I’m 6ft tall and for a girl, its incredibly tall. I hate it when people flat out tell me “you’re tall”. Woah! When did that happen? Finding shoes can be incredibly hard since I’m a size 13 and pants are impossible to find since I’m quite lanky. Guys are a whole different story. Living in Miami, all the guys are tiny cubans. Thank you for finally understanding us :]

    1. Oh, don’t you love the “you’re tall”? How ignorant! I certainly wouldn’t go up to somebody and say “you’re short” or “you’re fat”.

  40. I’m a 6ft tall girl, and they should add “can never find long enough pants” to this list! The basketball thing is so true though, and with a 7 foot tall dad, the height questions NEVER stop! haha

  42. i know a guy who’s super tall, and he has a custom made shirt that says “Yes, I know I’m tall.”

    it makes me giggle.
    tall people rock!
    although when 5’4″ me tried to dance with a 6’5″ guy the other night…yeah, not so awesome. silly though :-)

  43. I am 6 foot 7 inches tall.
    And this is all very true.
    Don’t forget that people will always always ASK just how tall you are, and if you play basketball.
    And if you don’t play basketball? People will actually get MAD at you for wasting your tall-ness on other walks of life.
    Apparently tall people like me are just not allowed to pursue literary careers or the ministry.

  44. Dating tall people isn’t that bad! I’m 5′ 5″ and my ex was 6′ 5″ and my current bf is 6′ 4″. 6′ 5″ felt a bit too tall but for some odd reason, 6′ 4″ feels just right. Seriously, it’s not awkward at all, and it comes with the added benefits of always being able to wear high heels an always having to book the seats with leg room if you’re travelling together. Dating tall people is pretty awesome. :)

  45. Too funny and too true. Even if you were a model, people ask if you play b-ball. Even if you are wicked skinny. ;-) It’s taken a long time for me to understand this,….but they are just trying to make a connection. Most of them anyway. I’m 6′ 2″ and have been over six foot since I was 16. I am only just recently starting to feel like I am crazy tall….and now I’m in my thirties. I guess the more normal you are trying to be (work, social, public) the harder it is. And by the way, my boyfriend is as tall as me….but I think it’s also AWESOME when a guy is shorter than his girlfriend/wife. Even if it takes highheels. ;-)

  47. I am dating a guy who is almost 6’7″ and I am only 5’4″ tall. You do have to get creative sometimes but we always find a way to get some kisses – even if I have to go on tip-toe and he has to bend way down. It is so worth it! My tall guy is awesome!

  48. Recently bumped into a a very very tall friend of mine, haven’t seen him in a while. Couldn’t help but blurt out something stupid, like: Man, you’re so tall, I’m dead envious! – and felt dumb for saying it even if I meant no harm. When people point out that I’m really quite short, it gets rather annoying. Should have kept my gob shut. (He is tall in that lovely, well-proportioned friendly giant way, I AM actually envious for real, or maybe I’m just in awe.)

  49. Its good to be crazy tall if you play volleyball, too! not just basketball. I wish I was 4-5 inches taller..

  50. Im 13 6 feet 2 inches and 165 pounds size 14 feat. And yeah people use to ask me if I played Basketball and I dint until like 2 years ago I really started practicing the practiced the hole summer now I am the captain of my team. I figure I would take advantage of my hight and use it in Basketball and also Volleyball.

    1. I´m 6´4, with a heavy athletic build and wished all my life I could get over 2m. Every cm I add when dressing up for special occassions, gives me more confidence. As a man in the business world, this is advantageous :)

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