Social Question

RedDeerGuy1's avatar

Why do tall women get ribbed on while man get congratulated, for being tall?

Asked by RedDeerGuy1 (24473points) June 12th, 2021

I’ve been teased a little in grade 5; Being called skinny long necker of asked if I was fed miracle grow; Or what the weather was like up there.

Its rare for me to find tall women in real life, and would find them a plus not a beauty flaw.

My grandpa said a common phrase from his era; “you are a growing boy” and made healthy tasty food available that I can cook whenever I was hungry. I believed that having access to good food helped my growth spirt.

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25 Answers

Nomore_lockout's avatar

Nothing wrong with being tall bud. Think on your feet. People talk shit to you, come right back at them. “I was born that way, what’s your excuse?” “Did smoking stunt your growth, or are you trying get a job as Dwarf Jester at the local palace?” You’re welcome : )

kritiper's avatar

Man or woman, I have never heard of such a thing. I am tall, but since I didn’t have a choice in the matter, have no reason to be congratulated. Some women are tall and I for one have no problem with that.

Demosthenes's avatar

When I was in 5th grade, I was the shortest boy in my class and I got called things like “small fry” and “mini man” D:

Since men are taller on average, tallness is seen as a masculine trait. I’ve come across tall women who are insecure about it (and men who hate the idea of being the shorter one in a relationship).

ucancallme_Al's avatar

Because people are, mostly, stupid.

JLeslie's avatar

On average men are taller than women, so that is what we are accustomed to. Height is a masculine trait. It’s also a supermodel trait for women, although very tall women are sometimes referred to as Amazons and it has a mixed message of negative and positive.

I’m in the US and most women I know under 5’3” feel short and wish they were taller, and seem to think being taller is more attractive, more useful, and that they would be taken more seriously if they were taller. Maybe men under a certain height feel that way too? I have no idea about the men who are say less than 5’9”, although for me personally there are a lot of men in my family and friends who are less than 5’9” and I don’t think about their height at all.

I’m 5’6” and would not want to be taller. As it is I’m sometimes much taller than other women I’m with and it can feel uncomfortable to tower over other women. I remember being in a zumba class several years ago and there was a mom and daughter and the teenage daughter didn’t stand up straight. My guess is because she was much taller than average. I wanted to tell her mom to put the girl in dance class. I didn’t say anything.

Do men sometimes wish they were shorter? I guess being 7 ft tall would feel outside of the norm also, and being closer to average is where I think most people feel most comfortable.

In the Midwest I am average. In Southeast Florida I’m tall, especially if I wear shoes with a heel. It’s because of the nationalities that live in the various places.

stanleybmanly's avatar

Why on earth tease tall women?

Mimishu1995's avatar

I’m tall and I’m praised for that, so I’m not sure I can answer the question…

LostInParadise's avatar

There is only one time I can remember being struck by women’s heights. I attended a meeting celebrating an anniversary (I forget which) for our local NPR station. Susan Stamberg and Terri Gross were standing next to each other to greet people. Susan Stamberg is about 6 feet tall with broad shoulders and Terri Gross is short and petite. It made for an interesting contrast.

JLeslie's avatar

@stanleybmanly I don’t know if women are teased, it’s usually in school. There’s usually one or two girls in elementary school who are much taller than the rest of the girls. I’m pretty sure they hate being so tall whether teased or not. They often don’t wind up very tall in high school when the other girls catch up. When I hit 5’5” I wanted to stop growing. I’m 5’6”.

seawulf575's avatar

My niece was very tall for a woman (5’11”). She was worried about being able to find a guy as she got older because she was taller than most of the guys around her. We told her that being tall was just fine…she’d be able to see the guy she wanted above the heads of everyone else.

Inspired_2write's avatar

5’11” is the height that models are to be to get hired by most agencies.

Not sure but perhaps there are short models required for petite fashions.

I suppose the same applies to male models too.

There is a place for everyone , so look around for a better fit.

Basketball players, Football, Soccer players and so on are best for big guys.

ragingloli's avatar

The Patriarchy expects women to be subservient to men, inferior to men, in physicality, too.
As such, a woman being taller than men, shows physical superiority, which is then frowned upon, as men see their fragile masculinity threatened.
That is also why female bodybuilders are hated by insecure males.
See for example the sexist backlash by pathetic incels to Abby, the secondary protagonist, who dared to have muscles on her.

gondwanalon's avatar

Exceptionally tall women stick out of the crowd. And as such are unusual and therefore a target for the idiots that walk among us.

A man or woman who are 6’4” or greater have my sympathy. They suffer in a world design for short folks. I’m just average height for a male at 5’11”. My legs seem longer than normal for my height and It’s a real pain for me on airplane flights.

elbanditoroso's avatar

When lying down on a bed, short women and tall women are all the same height.

jca2's avatar

I’m 5 foot 9 and I never really got teased for being tall (I’m a female).

AK's avatar

It is an insecurity reflex that bubbles up in people and they try to pass it off as if it is some kind of a funny statement. Not just women, it happens to guys too. I come from a family of tall people, which is an anomaly in my country…where the average height for men is 5’7” and women is 5’3”. I’m 6’3” and my height has always been a topic of ‘mirth’ to my friends. Yes, I’ve been asked how’s the weather up there….and I’ve been asked what I eat….they laugh at me when I struggle to fold myself into tiny bus seats that were made for regular people. It took me a while to understand why I was being teased for something that wasn’t in my control. The day I realized it (courtesy, a real friend who actually confessed that he was jealous that I was tall and he would never be that…), I started teasing them back for being vertically challenged….and when I saw that they weren’t taking my jokes as ‘sportingly’ as I was expected to do…I started teasing them even more….anyway, it is just a reflection of their own insecurities and has nothing to do with tall people.
My cousin is 6’1” and she’s tall by any country’s standard…and she tells me that many guys have told her that they are intimidated by her!....lol….So yeah, I thought it was only in my country but looking at your question, I see that this tall people syndrome is universal!

JLeslie's avatar

@jca2 When I was younger (age 15–40) I was always 5’9”-5’10” because I was always in heals.

Nomore_lockout's avatar

I hate people who bully other people, for whatever reason. Tell ‘em to go jump in a lake. But put a pair of cement shoes on first. ; )

Jaxk's avatar

Any noticeable difference will be the subject for comment. Especially for adolescents. Fat, skinny, short, tall, glasses, all attract attention. Sometimes it comes across as teasing but sometimes it’s just a way of making conversation. Being tall is not a bad thing. Neither is being short.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Just guys feeling insecure, as usual.

elbanditoroso's avatar

I’m tall – 6 feet 4 inches.

I wish that I could have found more tall women to date and hang out with in my youth. I usually ended up with 5’6” women and below, meaning that they were talking to my shirt buttons and I was talking to the tops of their heads.

Why would any man be afraid of a tall woman?

Kropotkin's avatar

I’m 6’4” and can’t find pants that fit.

I don’t get praised. I used to get inane quips like “Is it cold up there?”. I’ve no idea what most people think of my being tall. One girl once told me that I was “too tall”, but most don’t really mention anything, so I’ve no idea what the median opinion is.

Growing taller than everyone else at school was annoying, and I was mildly teased for my height and sometimes called “giraffe”.

It’s handy for reaching up to high shelves.

Dutchess_III's avatar

My son is 6’ 4”. He’s very handy.

jca2's avatar

@Kropotkin: Re: your shelves comment, all the time when I’m in the store, people ask me to reach things on the top shelf. If I see someone struggling to reach something, I’ll offer to get it for them haha.

gondwanalon's avatar

I think 5’ 11” is a great height for a man or a woman. Not too tall and not too short.

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