My whole life I have been tall. It is something I have hated and has been something I have loved (later down the road) about myself. It has made me absolutely hate my body and it has made me love my body more. It is something I have struggled with and it has been something I have accepted wholeheartedly. So, here is how I really felt about being the tall girl my whole life.
Ever since I can remember I have always been the tallest in my class, not to mention being the tallest GIRL. Taller than the boys and always taller than the other girls. I always felt like I was a little out of place in elementary school. I hated myself for it. I always remember telling everyone I just wanted to be “normal height.” I HATED IT. I hated the attention it would bring to me. I hated how everyone would assume I “played basketball”. I hated that people would give me funny looks in public. I hated getting asked “how tall are you”. I hated just about everything about being tall which later on turned to me hating my body. I remember in middle school I was always taller than the boys in my class and I would always think to myself how weird that was just because it was supposed to be the other way around. There were times I just felt like I just didn’t quite fit in. When I was in elementary school, I was already wearing junior-sized clothing and adult-sized shoes, but all my other girl friends were barely even into the girl sizes. It sucked. Every time my girlfriends would ever take a picture, I looked like a tree next to them or just out of place, I HATED IT. Not to mention I played hockey my whole life and NEVER played basketball and strangers would constantly assume I played basketball just because I was tall (to this day I still constantly get asked this question.) Why was I hating myself for being beautiful and unique in my own way? I absolutely HATED myself for it.
As I reflect back on all those negative thoughts and emotions, I had dating all the way back to elementary school, about being a tall girl, it makes me sad. It makes me sad that at such a young age I didn’t feel beautiful in the skin God had blessed me with. It makes me sad that I didn’t see it as an advantage. It makes me sad that I was already comparing myself to others. It makes me sad that I thought being different than the other girls was an awful thing.
Fortunately, I now have accepted it and LOVE being tall (for the most part unlike too short of clothes). When I ponder the positives of it, I see a girl that was able to use her height to her advantage in her hockey career, a girl that has some long legs and can ROCK them, a girl that can get stuff from the top shelf for herself and others. I see a girl that struts with confidence. I see a girl that no longer compares her height to others. I see a girl that makes a statement when she walks into a room and I see a girl who loves her body now more than ever. It took me a long time to fully love my “tallness” and not always feel defined by the title “The Tall Girl.” I no longer compare my height to others and I no longer say “I wish I was just normal height” because there is no normal height!!! We are all beautiful and uniquely made.
If I could go back and tell my younger self anything about being tall, it would be to love your height and ROCK IT with the most UTMOST confidence because you are more beautiful than you ever think, you DO fit it, you are unique and you are YOU!
So, to all my fellow tall or short ladies out there, LOVE YOURSELF FOR ALL YOU ARE WORTH!