I hate my height

[Purpledolphin223]

I’m 5’8, nearly 5’9 and I absolutely hate my height

Most of my life many of my friends have been shorter than me, dresses don’t cover my bum, cropped shirts are just a nightmare and have only had one relationship (I’m 20)

I just feel so unfeminine sometimes, most guys are my height and pay me no interest as I’m not shorter than them, I think I have a nice personality and I’m kind and friendly, but it feels not enough :((

I just don’t know how to get past this, I’ve always dreamed of being smaller. Even photos make me so embarrassed I stand out ridiculously tall from the others

Obviously heels are not an option

Sorry the rambling, just needed to get this off my chest, my friends say my height is lovely but I don’t feel happy at all

I’ve felt the same all my life and i’m 5ft 10 so i know how you feel, i’m 31 now and have very hunched shoulders from always trying to hide myself away!
I know it’s hard but try not to be like me and stand tall and proud instead, it looks much better and people will be drawn to you because of your confidence.

I'm 4'9" so no sympathy here I'm afraid!

I'm just under 5ft 10 & love it. Never felt conscious of it as we are hardly giants. My family & friends are tall so I don't feel conspicuous & my growth spurt was later so was never particularly tall in primary. I do get annoyed that high street skirts & dresses are indecent but I like having long legs.

I'm 5ft9, and while I felt self conscious as a teenager, nowadays I love my height. Tbh it's not exactly overly tall by today's standards, your post reads as if you are over 6ft, which is more unusual.

I think it may depend on your build as well - if you are a larger build then you will look bigger. It has never been any issue really. I'm 30 and have never not been able to find a romantic partner because of it. Occasionally I shop from the tall section if a dress looks short. I wear heels if I want to.

Wanna swap?

My 23yo DD is 5'9" too. She has learned to just embrace her height and I have to say, clothes look amazing on her. She does have an issue with skirts and dresses being too short so she has decided that midi is a better length for her. She even wears heel sometimes. She isn't an outgoing 'I've got it so I'll flaunt it' type at all. I think she has just learned to love being tall. This about your self esteem rather than your height I think. You can't change your height any more than I can so you will have to find ways to accept it and not dwell on it.

In fact my height and build is probably one of my favourite features!

Where do you live? I would say that 5ft 8 isn't really tall enough to stand out if that makes sense. Were you a tall child?

You have to own it and work on your confidence. The truth is you're not likely to shrink anytime soon. Yes there will be men who won't date you, but likewise they might not date you because you do this job, or you wear these clothes, etc. Aka, you can't win! But there will many men out there who won't give a flying monkies. What I'm trying to say is, it is what it is. You should follow Zanna Vandijk on Instagram if you have it. She's taller than you and wears what she likes and she's dating a shorter guy!

I'm the same height as you. I used to feel exactly the same when I was younger. Really self conscious. And I had size 7 (now size 8 - how?!) feet.

Then I met my partner at 20 he's 6ft 3, we are the perfect difference! He loves my long legs and never ever makes me feel big.

Try to see the positives, clothes usually look good when you're tall - there are plenty of tall ranges in places like topshop too, you will have lovely long legs like a model.

You will hopefully come to feel different about it.

Not now but when I was younger I had no qualms about wearing 3" heels.

I'd love to be your height! I'm 5'6 so pretty average and I'd love to be tall. You are taller than average but by no means ridiculously tall.
I guess this isn't much help as you say your friends have already told you the same.
Don't know what to suggest other than try and be happy with what you've got, knowing that lots of people are envious of you. Maybe trying some different clothes brands would help, if it's hard finding stuff that suits you.

I'll take a few inches if you can spare them

I'd love to be taller, I'm 5 foot 3 with big boobs. I feel I just look squat.
Unfortunately we live in a society where women are relentlessly judged on appearance and so very few of us live without insecurities of one kind or another.

Oh I know it is not particularly helpful but o hate being short and am very jealous of my five foot nine friend. When we go out as two couples with her dh and mine I feel like their child and I hate it. I also am very jealous of how even putting on five pounds in weight makes such a difference on my frame and she doesn’t look any different.

I suppose I am trying to say we all have this ga we don’t like about ourselves, we just need to try and ignore those feelings and feel more positive

I'm 5ft9 and love my height!

I can see further in crowds and at concerts. It's an advantage in most sports. I can reach things from high shelves

Dresses and crop tops can be silly, but I can find enough that fit me that it's not a big problem. Or I wear the tiny dresses as tops over leggings. I'm not a massive fan of heels, so although sometimes it would be nice to wear them without becoming ridiculously tall, on balance it's nice that I don't really need them.

Some men like short women but others love tall ones. I've had boyfriends tell me how attractive they find it.

I can perhaps see the insecurity about not feeling petite. I have a small build (size 6 feet) so have never felt like a lump but obvs I'm not dainty. However no one is happy with their appearance all of the time so you need to work with it.

Perhaps you need new friends! I used to model & out of those friends I'm the shortest 😆

My DD is 13 and 5'8 already. She loves it! Clothes look amazing on her. I'm a few inches shorter and just feel dumpy stood next to her now.

Like PP said above, I wouldn't say 5'8/9 is particularly extreme for a women, and most men are bigger than that.

I know it's easy for us to say, but I'm sure you look amazing. Most people probably don't register your height at all tbh. I have a close girl friend who is 6' and gets lots of male attention for that reason. She is actually married and her DH is a good few inches shorter

4.11 here. Cannot reach the top shelves in the supermarkets . Often ignored in places like pubs or places where you need to be noticed to be seen / served.

@tobedtoMNandfart

I'm 4'9" so no sympathy here I'm afraid!

That wasn't necessary! And was very rude

Are you in the UK? My mum is 5’8 and was considered very tall in the 60s... I’m several inches taller than you and don’t feel particularly tall these days. So many willowy young girls and women around! I wear heels and met my 6’3 OH on an online dating app that allows you to filter by height 😉 I did feel self conscious as a teenager and it used to be hard to find ‘tall’ clothes but no longer. And tall clothes are often too long for me! I’m sure your confidence will grow with age. I actually feel jealous when I see taller women now!

I’ve bed. 5’9’’ since I was about 12 so was always made out to be tall until some others caught up. I’ve never had any problem attracting mall attention and even had a few boyfriends slightly shorter. I used to wear heels (don’t now due to screwed ankles), I can carry a few extra lbs without it showing too much, clothes are a nightmare but you can find them. My DH is only an inch taller and it doesn’t bother us.

i'm 5'8"" and think it's on the slightly tall side of average, though there are lots of short people around! I suppose having tall siblings helps one's perspective.

It really isn't very tall though OP, it's not like you are 6'4' or anything.

OP, I'm 6ft so feel your pain loads.

I hated my height as a child. I was always taller than my friends, no boys wanted to go out with me, and I was very ungainly. I couldn't get clothes or shoes to fit. I was even told to wear men's clothes once!

I only felt comfortable when at home with my equally tall family.

During my 20s things started to change. Internet shopping helped as did meeting my 6'7 husband. I also just accepted that my height is me. There is a huge online community of tall women who all know how you feel. I also discovered Miranda Hart (my hero)

Now, I love 4 inch heels, I walk tall and own my height. I have 2 kids who are both going to be tall and I owe it to them to love my own height.

Sadly, it's still seen as acceptable to mock people for being tall. I remember clearly in a 'body confident' issue of Glamour them including a bit that was a 'joke' about making tall people sit at the back. They got tons of letters but didn't care (I've not bought that magazine since) Coca Cola ran an advert about tall people not being allowed in gigs. Their response to our complaint? The advert was aimed at men aged 20-30 so I as a women didn't get the humour .....

Dd is taller and doesn’t let her height stop her wearing heels or doing anything.
Her bf is the same height when she wears heels. I don’t think I have ever heard her complain that she wishes she were shorter.
She has embraced her height.