Don't call me Tall

How would you react if you were going about your life, minding your own business and a complete stranger butted in with "Wow! You're really fat has anyone ever told you that before?"
Or what about if you were having coffee with some friends and someone came up to you out of the blue with "Whoa, that is one huge nose you have there! It's like really HUGE!" or even "Jeez! Look at your freckles! You have so many freckles! That is like a seriously large amount of FRECKLES!"
It is quite plain that commenting to someone unrelated and unknown to you about their large ass, their huge honker or their overly spotted skin is completely inappropriate and downright rude. It is entirely unacceptable for complete strangers to comment on someone's physical appearance in such an intrusive and confronting manner.
And how would you react if these sorts of thrillingly un-insightful and unwelcome comments were thrown at you every time you ordered coffee, in the supermarket, at the bus stop, in the change room while buying clothes, in the line while buying popcorn for the movies, while out having drinks with friends, on the dance floor, on a date, in the office, in the elevator, at the bookstore - in a word EVERYWHERE everyday of your life?
How do you think you would start to feel about your large ass, your huge honker or your overly spotted skin? A bit self-conscious? Just a bit!
I am 6ft tall, darling. 185cm.
How do you think it makes me feel that every time I go anywhere the public feel it is permissible for them to interject with a dim-witted dialect on how tall I am.
I am aware I am tall.
I have been tall all my life.
I am not responsible for my tallness. This is how I was born.
It is a physical feature that I am not 100% comfortable with and don't appreciate being made to feel like a freak every time I grace the public with my presence.
I went to a concert and the girl standing behind me was bitching in a loud voice to her equally dull friend about the "big tall freak in front of us! People like that should be made to stand at the back".
I turned around and articulately reminded this short person - I was born tall. I have been tall all my life. I didn't just this afternoon decide to grow tall just to annoy her at a concert. My tallness is out of my control. Her bad attitude, bitterness and general waste of space are, however, totally within her control. And perhaps she should work on amending her bland personality instead of trying to change the colour of the sky.
It has reached the point where it is shaking my ability to make a party. Name me one pair of respectable Jimmy Choos, Peep Toes, Manolos or Louboutins that don't have a decent stiletto? It is as if I, as someone of some stature, cannot don a delectable plimsoll without having to hire a bodyguard to block the barrage of abuse and criticisms about my height.
A message to the public : Don't call me Tall. If you must speak, try first to research and rehearse something vaguely thought-provoking to impart to validate your presence at the party.
I am Tall. That is how I roll.

2 comments:

  1. I get that all the time with being thin. Total sucksville. "Oh you are so thin!" "Oh you are so lucky to be thin" "You should eat more."

    Ummmm how about...yeah i know...no, I'm not lucky I want to bulk up like the rest of the gay male population...and why don't YOU eat THIS!

    Then some stranger had the nerve to say to me the other evening "Are you sure your partner is right for you? He's not really that attractive at all."

    Where do these people come from and how to we eradicate them?

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  2. A good friend of mine was born tall. Apart from being tall she is also known for being one of the sweetest, loveliest, most considerate and kind hearted people around.

    She has a story.

    Last year she went to the ballet - Swan Lake - she'd been excited about it for weeks. Unfortunately her excitement was dampened somewhat by the person seated directly behind her in the theatre.

    A malcontent female audience member felt the need to, at regular intervals throughout the first act, comment angrily and loudly about how she "WOULD be enjoying the show, if only [she] could SEE it", and how "the tall girl in front of [her was] RUINING the show".

    Meanwhile my poor tall friend, red with shame, was sinking lower and lower in to her seat, her enjoyment of the show completely overshadowed by the inconsiderate comments of the bitter crone behind her.

    However at interval, the tables turned.

    As the curtain fell and the lights rose, several audience members surrounding my friend stood and faced the angry woman, and began to berate her for being inconsiderate and extremely rude. The woman looked my friend in the face for the first time and noticed the tears beginning to form in her eyes.

    The woman promptly fled from the theatre and did not return, not even for the second act.

    So next time you are being harrassed for being overly tall, skinny, freckled or red-haired, rest assured that at least some of the people around you are feeling insulted and angry for you. Isn't it a nice world sometimes?


    P.S. I'm short. I'd honestly swap you any day of the week Eda. Be proud. xoxo

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