The CDC charts show the 95th percentile for grown women to be just a smidgeon underneath 5’9", and 97th percentile is just over 5’9". If you have a legitimate 6’ woman, you’ve got someone who is likely in the well over 99th percentile.
I’ve found, as a below median height guy that I like being around tall fellows. They don’t care that you’re below average, because to them you’re just the same as everyone else…shorter than they are . The guys who “care” most about your not being above average height are the ones who are about an inch and a half taller than you.
The CDC charts assume barefoot measurements that are accurate. You seldom get those. Most guys who say they are 6’2" are actually closer to 6’ barefoot. Shoes add an inch, and all males seem to tend to add one more inch, and then round up. Maybe that’s what tall guys are asking each other…its more like “how tall do you say you are”.
I am 5"9" and I hated being tall in HS. That is how people would describe me, she’s the tall one. I hated how I looked in photos with my 2 best friends, who were both petite, I felt like a giant. At one point I had a boyfriend who was 6"6" and that was a good height for me I thought
I have not worn heels too often because I hate the idea of being so tall. Until recently, when my (5’6") D told me, well, all the other ladies are wearing heels so you are still the same proportion. And many friends have said to just own it. I find that some styles look better with a small heel or wedge. I’m not talking a 5" stiletto but a 2.5" wedge with a dress.
I definitely would prefer to be taller rather than shorter. I agree that shorter people are unfairly penalized in some jobs, as some people have noted up thread.
My H is 6’1" and our S is 6’3" which I think is a great height for him, although I do get a lot of people asking me how tall he is. He’s tall but he’s not that far out on the bell curve.
I’m literally a foot taller than my 4’ 9" mother-in-law from India (I’m several inches taller than my H). She needs the stepstool when visiting as I prefer upper to lower cabinets in the kitchen so I don’t need to bend down. We have opposite problems. Very hard for her to find adult clothing that fits her older body since girl sizes are cut differently. Likewise my thin H has trouble since they don’t often make his size and boys’ clothes lack adult sophistication. It is hard to be tall and overweight- short, fat people can wear regular sizes but plus sizes are still for shorter people. Sleeve lengths in bigger sizes ought to be longer…
Had known about the 5’ 9" and 5’ 4" heights years ago. Used to being eye to eye with most men. Moved to Tampa and feel tall compared to men here versus in Wisconsin. I feel kay asking heights in stores when it seems as though a very short woman is my MIL’s size. When giving a reason like that it hasn’t offended, especially when I’ve added how the poor lady needs to deal with my high placement of things in the kitchen.
Medical school classmate was 5’ 1" and qualified for the Boston Marathon.
In college I either walked too fast or too slowly. When with the 6’ 2’’ guy and almost 6’ girlfriend I had to move faster than with the 5’ 2" friend who kept telling me to slow down. Am the middle kid, +/- 5" taller/shorter than my older sister, younger brother. Never could share clothes with my sister… Also harder when needed far more calories than my sister and neighbor girls near her size. How to feel fat when you’re not because you outweigh them by so much.
My height- and longer torso- makes me in between tall and regular sizes, sigh.
I wonder if really tall women have a harder time with clothing than even really tall men have. My sister in law (wife of H’s brother) is about 6’3" but I just have never asked her about how she gets her clothing. She always looks nice so she obviously has made things work for her. Probably the type of thing that if I were similarly tall to her, I may have been more inclined to get into the nitty gritty with her about being that tall as a woman. But since I’m average height , I just don’t get into it. One of my kids dropped by last month with some friends. One was a young woman,a very bright computer scientist , very attractive , confident, and quite tall (definitely over 6’). She was striking. I was tempted to ask her how tall she actually is but bit my tongue. She probably gets asked that enough already!
My husband has had good success with L.L. Bean . He gets a lot of his clothes from them as they have tall men sizes. I don’t think they have similar tall sizes for women though
LL Bean’s Talls are not very long. The longest that the most of their womens’ pants come in is 32" (which they call “medium tall”) only a few come in 34". My legs have a 35" inseam barefoot and I prefer 36" or even 37" inseams because I like to wear at least a bit of a heel.
@nottelling , You are indeed very tall, then, for a woman! That sounds difficult in terms of finding things to fit… I pulled up an old order with L.L. Bean for my husband, who is 6’7" and his inseam is 36". If I recall correctly, my 6’5" and 6’6" kids have more of a 34" inseam. They are both slim so don’t need the “big man” sizes on top of the tall sizes. It does make shopping more difficult ( and sometimes more costly).
@nottelling:
“LL Bean’s Talls are not very long. The longest that the most of their womens’ pants come in is 32” (which they call ‘medium tall’)"
The last batch I bought (buying up the colors) made a point to note that the length of the Tall for this pant was longer than the normal tall. Could be why I had to watch the screen everyday to see if other pairs populated among the returns - these were just too long for the normal tall wearer.
My little niece is staying with us this summer while taking a class at a local u during their summer quarter. She is 5’ 10 1/2" or so, so not exactly a tall girl, just a bit on the taller side. She has not had a problem with clothes - her main problem is shoes. She almost cried when she tried a pair of fancy designer shoes at the downtown Rack, and they were too big! Usually, nothing fashionable even remotely fits her size 11 wide feet.
I’m a shortish 5’5" but I have disproportionately long legs. (I look VERY short when I’m sitting down, but average when I stand up.) I always get “tall” or “long” pants. My tallish 5’11" daughter has a horrible time finding pants that are long enough. Her legs are longer than her 6’3" brother’s were.
I was not familiar with Long Tall Sally, definitely the best selection I’ve seen anywhere. I might use it as a resource to buy pants for work. But $68 for sweatpants? I think I’ll just buy off the men’s rack.
. The guys who “care” most about your not being above average height are the ones who are about an inch and a half taller than you. 