#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”

  1. To all tall people,
    Being rather short, just 5’0, it is quite an awe factor to look up to you. I never think about how lucky I am that getting in and out of cars is easy, or that I never have to duck. I’m grateful to all the wonderful people that get things down for me or lead me through a crowd.

    Thanks, great post.

  2. There’s only a few things a woman can do for dating when she’s over six feet:

    1) Find the handfull of taller men than you and have really tall kids

    2) Become anorexia and make money as a model

    3) Date for the person inside the body, and you might end up with an “odd couple” look

    I was with a man that was 5’2″, so I was able to get a piggy back ride with my feet dragging. Everyone mentioned how weird it looked. Then we had kids. Cute and average sized.

  3. Being tall is actually really great. We go through many hard things but there are positives that more than make up for it. Tall people are the best.

    And height differences are awesome, too. ;)

  4. Add ‘unnecessarily complicated show shopping to that list’!
    I’m an 18 year old girl and 175cm (I think about 5′ 8″?) which I always thought was tall.. Apparently not! My hands and feet are slightly disproportionate, my shoes are all size 10.
    I don’t have any tall female friends though, so feel quite out of place if I wear heels when we go out..
    My younger brother is also quite tall. No one knows where we get it from, as our parents are both average male/female heights. Ah well, I’ve learnt to live with it :)

    1. Hey, another 175cm girl! I seem really tall in my school, though now I hear the stories of girls being over 6′, I feel better. It’s annoying enough being my height though, but my brother’s two metres tall and he has it much worse.

      Though it is funny when a gang of little midget girls walks past him, and one’s been walking backwards talking to her friends and suddenly turns around, and there’s my brother, and she looks up… and up… and up… XD The look on their faces is awesome. The surprised shrieks of “Did you see that guy?!” are not.

  5. My sister is 6′, her husband is 6’8″, her daughter is 6’4″ and her son is 6’11”. Impossible to lose in a crowd.

  6. I am very short,(only 5’2!) but i know a guy who’s 6’7. At church he can touch the ceiling! Whenever my friends say he’s tall, i say, “No, he’s so short! He’s shorter than me!” He embraces it though. Although it’s not fun to high five him though, no one can touch his hand! ;)

  9. I’m on the edge of being considered really tall: 6’4″

    If you don’t want to play basketball, try rowing – great sport for tall people! Most of my friends are as tall or taller than me.

  11. I was out recently and saw a very tall guy (close to 7 feet I would guess) and do you know what his T Shirt had on it? A freakin’ giraffe! Ya, he was amazing.

  12. Hello, 6’1″ woman here. And that’s when I’m flatfooted; Put me anything from flip flops to a tame pair of heels and the stares get even more intense. I remember when I was in first grade I went to the school’s family fair. I walked past what looked like this huge, towering woman. I remember thinking “Oh geez, I hope I don’t ever get that tall. She’s scary!”. Whelp, I’m THAT woman now and gotta say, I love it.

  14. I am 6’7″ and lovin it.
    True I hit my head a lot, people resent being behind me, I’ve got back pain, I have to reach things for people, and every new person I meet asks…”do you play basketball?!?!?!,” and clothes and food cost a lot of money, but it’s still fun being tall.

    What really sucks is being tall and REALLY thin!
    If I manage to find pants that ACTUALLY FIT ME!, the waist is 2-3 times my size!!! (belts…)

    Oh and news flash… not all people like playing basketball!

    Well… I’m 17 years old, still growing fast, and loving looking down on people. (joke not intended)

  15. I’m 6’8, and lemme tell you; EVERYTHING this guy said is true. Another word to the wise though: when someone tells you how tall they are, for the love of God, don’t come back with something like “Oh, well I have a cousin that’s 3 inches taller.” We really don’t care; its not a contest people.
    Another thing that sucks is trying to put on weight. I’m up to about 250 now, but its taken a fortune worth of protein products and eggs. Can I get an amen, tall football players?

    Awesome post though, about time we tall people got a shout out haha

  16. If anyone ever says “You’re tall, do you play basketball?” a totally appropriate response would be, “You’re short, do you play Minigolf?”

  17. I’m 5’6” and love my 6’5” boyfriend but sometimes I get neck pains from kissing him when we’re both standing!

  19. Next time sumbody hit you witha “do you play basketball”reply with a “do you play mini golf”.That should teach em.

  22. At school a couple days ago, two ridiculously tall guys high fived each other over the swarming sea of us average-height people.
    Yup, they just reached right on over us.
    Mad props for tall people, you guys are AWESOME :)

  23. Jacob – bravo for embracing your tallness and making the most of it.

    To all tall people: Tall is Sexy.

  24. The Friendly Giant and Mr. Dress-up were my best friends when I was little.
    Although they were polar opposites in height, they were exactly the same in my heart. They left this plain very shortly after sept. 11, 2002…they had such big hearts, they knew they could help more with the wings they grew for me and for all of you’s.
    There’s a giant who lives in the valley nearby. He has a lonely look in his eyes. With this post you’ve inspired me next time, rather than just drive by… to muster up some courage, stop and at least say hi! Thanks:)

    1. correction: Friendly Giant passed away 2000; Mr. Dress-Up, 2001; Peace.

  25. I’m a 6 foot tall girl. I’m uncoordinated and horrible at basketball so when short people ask me if I play basketball I comeback with “No, do you play mini-golf?”
    And sometimes if the person is awesome, they understand and we give eachother a silent, respectful, touche-type nod.

  26. I’m about 5’9″, but for some reason have always wanted to be 5’10″… I’ve always been told that I’m tall, for a girl.

    What I hate about being relatively tall is when I’m on a crowded dance floor, or just a really noisy crowd with friends who are all shorter than me. I can never hear anything because the conversation is going on a foot below my ears! I can’t imagine how much worse it would be if I were really tall!

    Also: tall guys are almost always super hot. The only guy I ever really thought I would date was 6’5″.

  27. Next time someone asks the unavoidable “do you play basketball?” question, just ask if they play mini-golf.
    and no, i don’t play basketball, i play volleyball….so there.

  28. Being tall can be a challenge sometimes, but we have to learn to make the best of it. I think in the end, there are more advantages than disadvantages. Loving yourself is the most important thing you can learn to do. It may take time, but it’s so worth it.

  29. Im about 5’9 and i was the best player on my volleyball team and had an advantage becuz i was tallest 2. its incredible bcuz when i was way younger people use 2 call me shorty all the time…but i surely should them who were the short people

  31. my boss, a co-worker and her husband are really tall. my boss has a buggy for a car so it’s funny to see him pop out of his tiny car. :3

  33. im 14 ans 6,5 ft… i’ve never met anyona of my age taller then me. i don’t know if i shouls be proud or sad.

  34. “You are forced to play basketball.” is absolutely not true. It’s insulting to portray that as an immutable fact. The only basketball I ever played was years ago in gym class, where EVERYBODY WAS FORCED to play. So no… Tall people don’t “just have to play”. Seriously, what kind of moron would think that? It is aggravating.

  38. I’m 5’11 and 19 yrs of age. I don’t know whether its tall or short but I’m perfectly happy w it. I feel for ya tall people but be positive about it. Height is just something we can’t change.

  39. im 6’11 and im 19 years old. Its fun being tall i love it. Im good in basketball too so watch for me. i’ll be at Seattle. look for me next year. Ali.

  40. I am 7 foot 2 inches tall. I have bad back pain and i am only a 19 year old male. I have played basetball and was good at it, but hate the sport. The questions and stares are terrible. Sometimes i wish that i wasnt so tall. One good thing about being tall is that i get alot of attention from the women. My girlfriend (who is 5 foot 2) really hates it. I cannot go out to a store without someone snapping a picture of me when i am not looking. I feel like i am a freek and belone in a circus. Any suggestions for confidence? Thank You, Alex

    1. Alex, confidence comes from a spirit within shining out of gratitude.
      There are many examples in the world of people with no arms and no legs and many other such differences who are confident.
      “The only disability is a broken spirit.” Do not be broken.
      To be grateful for all we have vs don’t haves, builds confidence!
      Living the awesome way is a part of this…authentic confidence:)

      1. Aimee Mullen said that and I couldn’t agree more! Although I imagine many of us are more than we think we are, or the critics may say, but we need to be grateful for what we have and the “good enough” here and now!

  41. I am 6′ and people are always coming up to me saying “wow, you’re tall” or “I feel so short next to you!” I never know what to say back to that.

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  43. Hello, im 13 years old and im 190cm tall, it’s not very very tall, but it’s pretty annoying when you are 13 years old.

  44. I am 6’8 about to be 24. When I was in school people always stating the fact that I didn’t play basketball like this one kid said to me a few years ago “its a shame someone as tall as u doesn’t play basketball” to which i replied “its a shame someone who has a brain can be so stupid”, heck i dont even watch or know anything about that sport i consider it a glorified kids game because i like sports like baseball and hockey. people often don’t get how much that can hurt someone basically making them feel inferior cause your not doing what they think you should do. I constantly get stared at, i can’t go to rock shows without getting gawked at, most of the time in public I feel like a ogre. Haven’t shopped in a normal store since I was like 12. Tall people get treated like they are from another planet. Its so annoying with people saying those stupid jokes we have heard more then normal sized people can’t imagine. Its nice being tall except someone telling u are 10 times a day.

    To any young tall people or older don’t let the “average” people put you down it’s not your fault that the ones who make fun of tall people had to sit in a booster seat till they were 15. Just a side note I am friends with legitimate little people and that was not hate remark towards anyone such as myself genetically different in size, just saying it to clarify so people don’t start a hate speech argument.

    Tall people are forced to live with a burden only other tall people can understand. Such as cramped cars and plains seats, having to sit in the back at a movie so people don’t berate them, people trying to make u move to the back of a show/concert cause they can’t see and are too lazy to get there earlier, snide remarks that they think they are not offensive, asking to personal of questions that cross the lines of decency, and one for me that happens far to often pointing out your physical attributes and making some feel like a leper.

    I apologize for any grammatical error on my part, no spell check.

    Sincerely Jason

  46. hi all, agree with most things people say.. im about 6ft8″ and it seems some people find it so much of anomaly its like your height either belongs to them ( they finds its appropriate to comment _ not too bad ) or they go the other way and dont comment on it at all ( but by their actions you know it is an issue for them ) , happens alot more in the UK ( IMO british people are very reserved unless they are drunk and find anything different weird ) , americans just embrace everything and are way cooler about it . planes suck , cars suck and i was awesome at basketball ( read professional next level badda man )

  47. hi guys love reading this blog,,,,,am a guy who is 5ft 10 my girl is a shade under 6 ft she does call me shorty alot now my children call me shorty ,my daughter is just turned 11 and stands at 5 ft1 my lad is 14 and is ony 5 ft 2,,,all the girlfriends brothers and sister are taller than her .her middle bro was 6,7 …….i love her to bits she is awesome

  48. I’m sick of these 6’1 guys complaining seriously I was 6’1 when I was like 11 deal with it people now I’m 6’10 and 15 years old and still growing do don’t complain because you could have it worse

  49. This post is hilarious. Coming from a super short mom and super tall dad, I can’t relate but I’ve seen it all before xD I have a cousin that’s 5’8 and only 12, while I’m 5’3 and 15, and he’s been taller than me since I was 9 ;P But I have big feet for a short girl so it’s ok ;) Plus I have a brother who’s 6’7. Had to duck under doorways since forever xD I wanted to be tall as a kid but I’ve learned to accept my height (and it’s really funny cuz I can’t walk in heels for my life!). But tall people rock. So do the short people. Greta post :D

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