[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: Life as a tall girl

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
Life as a tall girl
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1206466415.shtml


   Link [1]thanks to Bruce, a tall girl's Dad

     Sometimes, one of the toughest mental health challenges we face is
     simply learning to feel good about ourselves. We can all learn
     something from Rebecca Thomas, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
     senior who wrote the following essay for her journalism class. â
     Tara Parker-Pope

     By Rebecca Thomas

     Everywhere I go people stare at me. At the grocery store children
     gawk at me wide-eyed, craning their necks and pointing as they tug
     their mothersâ shirts. When I pass people on the street, I hear
     them mumble comments about my appearance.

     I am not deformed or handicapped, Iâm not a circus attraction. I
     have strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. What makes me different
     is that Iâm 6-foot-4, and Iâm a woman. ..

     ...I was healthy, but incredibly shy as a child and into my teens.
     Iâm from a small town, and I grew up and graduated with the same 50
     people. I started playing basketball in third grade every Saturday,
     but I didnât have any control over my awkward, gangly body. (I
     didnât even score a point in a game until many years later.) I was
     5-foot-10 in fourth grade. I had a small group of friends in
     elementary school, but sometimes the boys picked on me, calling me
     a bean pole or the Jolly Green Giant. I still remember my
     embarrassment when they taunted me, and how badly I wanted to be
     invisible.

     In high school I got more involved in sports, but I spent most days
     in the art room. By this time everyone at my school was used to my
     height (by ninth grade I was 6-foot-3), but if I went out of town
     people would gawk and comment about my appearance. They acted like
     I couldnât hear them.

     âWow! That girl is tall!â

     âOh my gosh! Look at that girl, sheâs so tall.â

     I was forced into the spotlight wherever I went.

     With high school came more confidence. I had success in school, the
     arts and sports. I played basketball, but my true passion was track
     and field. My senior year I was the conference champion in high
     jump and the 400-meter run. The friendships I gained through my
     involvement in high school boosted my confidence and helped me
     develop a sense of humor. Now when a stranger told me I was tall I
     would smile and nod or, if I was feeling feisty, I would feign
     shock and thank them profusely for telling me. I had no idea!

   That's a cute response. I wish I'd thought of that.

   I'm only 5' 11", but most of this rings true. I'll bet my daughter,
   who is over 6 ft.+, can empathize. It is difficult, especially when
   you're a teenager, to always stand out, whether you want to or not.

   But when you do want to grab attention, just dig those old high heels
   out of the closet.

References

   1. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/life-as-a-tall-girl/