Does Being Tall RUIN Your Mental Health? | The Psychological Effects of Being a Tall Woman

Growing up tall is more than just the basketball jokes and the house of weather up there questions. I mean, it's still like a large part of it though. Don't get me wrong. From whe where kids in the playground and our peers call us a bunch of ridiculous names, to our teen years, when family members are commenting on our long limbs, to when we're adults and we overhear our crush saying they don't really like taller women, the struggle is definitely real. However, what we don't really talk about is how being visibly different from a young age can shape how we see ourselves and how we show up in the world. So in today's episode, we're going to dive deeper into how being a tall woman shapes our psychology, as explained by an organizational psychologist and fellow tall girly. So, without further ado, let's get into it. Good morning, everybody. You are currently listening to a Tall Girls podcast hosted by a tall girl named India. I hope everyone who's sitting in todays doing super fantastic. Before I get into this episode, I do want to say make sure you're following me on my socials at a tall Girls podcast and Instagram, TikTok and pintuer so that you can stay up todate on all of the latest podcast episodes and catch a glimpse of my everyday life. Also, feel free to leave me you and let me know how tall you are. I'm genuinely curious. I also have a monthly newsletter makes you subscribe to that everything is going to be linked in the description. I found a very interesting TikTok video created by an organizational psychologist and a fellow tall girly six' to two. Woman her name Is. Carrie she is at tall order mindset On, TikTok and AS i said, before she's six,' too and she basically explained how being a tall girly shapes our mentality as. We grow And what i'm going to Do is i'm going to play different parts of the video that kind of went viral on her account and explain IT as. I, go now before we get, into it an organizational psychologist studies human behavior in, The WORKPLACE but i feel like a couple findings in theories that you study in this field, can definite definitely apply to other areas of, your life not necessarily just, the workplace which she honestly kind of showed in the Video that i'm going to be explaining throughout. This episode so let's just. Get started how does being a tall girl actually shape? Your psychology because, trust me being noticeably taller than everyone else growing up does something. To you self awareness theory explains why so many tall girls. Grow up hyper aware of. Their bodies when you're the first one hitting six foot in high, school photos you don't get to blend in and you become aware of, every stare, every comment, every wow you're, so tall and that visibility makes you more intentional about how you show up in. The. World now, at first she mentioned this self, awareness theory which is when people focus attention, on themselves they compare their current behavior and feelings to internal standards or, societal norms leading to, self evaluation, self control and, emotional responses helping them align action with what they believe they should. Be doing, and honestly this often looks like hyper awareness in. Tall women so what does this awareness or hyper awareness look like in? Tall women it can look like being extremely aware of where your limbs are to avoid bumping into, other people maybe walking quietly to avoid, being loud and noticeable slouchin to appear shorter or even, less intimidating even the self monitoring of appearance and actions because you don't want to attract constant attention because your height already kind of. DOES that a major thing tall women experience is the fear of taking up too, much space seeming, too tall being too much even and if, you're tall really let me know if you've ever. Felt this but this hyper awareness can greatly affect how we show up in. The world, this slouching the minimizing of, your personality the softening of, your voice the lack of eating, too unfortunately, and yes the constant stares or the feeling of being constantly, stared at plays a role. In THIS but i will also say that the comments and reactions towards our height also play a big part. In this like there are some people out there who really feel the need to remind tall people that. They're tall it's, the wow, You're enormous oh, my goodness you're, So tall you're a tall drink. OF water i just, don't. Understand, y'all yes even comments like those can greatly affect how tall women show up in their. Everyday lives let's just listen to. One example i'm. Six feet tall and i've bet about that size since i was in, eighth Grade so i'm very aware of. This theory one of the THINGS that i do now makes you come off, as RUDE and i don't mean, to ever but like. IN public i avoid eye contact at. All Costs like i'm constantly looking over or past people because i know they're staring. At me you could be SOMEONE that i know in PUBLIC and i won't see you in everyone avoiding, eye contact avoiding catching. People's EYES although i do agree that there's a certain level of Confidence that i've Gained as i've grown, AND older i definitely realize the Things that i've carried from being tall at a very, young age. And this is stuff that we carry into. Our, adulthood next. Then there's social. Comparison theory when everyone around you, is shorter you subconsciously compare yourself and start ASKING am i? Too TALL do i take up too? Much space that's how some tall girls learn to shrink. Themselves, psychologically now the self comparison theory explains that people evaluate their, own, abilities opinions and worth by comparing themselves. To others fulfilling a fundamental need for self evaluation and. Reducing uncertainty and this is very important to understand that self comparison can negatively impact self esteem when comparing to. Unrealistic, standards now what does self comparison look like in, tall GIRLIES or i should say unhealthy? Self comparison don't is there even a healthy or a good form of, self comparison, you know because we always hear self comparison is a thief. OF joy i, don't Know but i'm just gonna say unhealthy self comparison intel girlies look like seeing yourself in photos next to your shorter friends and then comparing your body, to theirs comparing how clothes fit on your tall body versus how it fits on your friends or even family members, shorter bodies even comparing how much you eat or how much you weigh to your. Shorter counterparts and this one. IS huge I feel i've definitely done like an episode or two on this where, you know there are fitness influencers and health gurus that are on social media that share how many calories they eat in, a day or how many meals they eat in, a day or how much they work out and how many calories they burn or whatever. They do all, of this they even put, their weight but they don't put. Their height putting your height on there is. So important first, of all a lot of these videos are already misleading because there are creators, Out there there are influencers out there who have even admitted on social media, that, HEY like i don't put EVERYTHING that i actually eat or EVERYTHING that i actually do on. Social media these videos are so curated they only show you what they want you to see and not necessarily what they, actually do so it's already misleading in. That way and, number two they don't always put all of. Their measurements having your height on there is extremely extremely important because that is ultimately going to affect a how much. You weigh the taller, you are the more, you weigh simply because you have, more muscle you have, more bone you have. More everything but, also too it's going to greatly affect how much you eat and even how many calories, you burn because the taller, you are the more calories you're, gonna burn meaning you have to take in. More calories but because you see some five, foot two five foot three fitness influenza on, there, saying, Hey like i'm one hundred and ten pounds or one hundred and twenty, five pounds and this is HOW much i eat in. A day you stand and maybe at like five nine and weighing like one hundred and sixty or one hundred and eighty, or whatever one hundred, and ninety you're sitting, here, like, OH like i want to look. LIKE her i want my body to look, like HER so i have to follow. Her, protocol no that is. So dangerous so many tall women look at that and feel like they have to follow that or even going back into this hyper awareness of being hyper aware of their body and feeling like they're. Too large stuff like that can lead to eating disorders and tall women and it's so so dangerous and, so scary and it's so important to be careful when it comes. To that but constantly, being different constantly, sticking out constantly feeling like the odd, one out that is when the self comparison definitely, COMES in i feel like and it really starts making you feel as though there's something wrong with you and. Your body, and honestly THAT'S why i can't stress. This enough if you're a tall girly and. You're online it's so important to follow other tall women on, social media and if you have any tall creators, in mine feel free to tag. Them below seeing other creators, like you seeing other people with similar body types as you IS ultimately, I mean i know it's not necessarily the number, one THING because i definitely feel like there are a lot, of factors but maybe this is a top factor in what ultimately helps tall women fully embrace. Their, height now let's get back to self comparison in the health realm and the fitness realm and tall women comparing themselves to. Shorter women if. You're a, tall girl you have to stop comparing yourself to your friends that are trying to. Lose weight i'm sure you've been out to lunch with a friend that's tiny and, you're like oh, my GOSH am i eating? A lot, and no. You're not if you, are tall you require more food to maintain your way and to. Make progress and this is a HUGE mistake i made as a five Foot, nine gerarly it compared myself to my friends my. Entire life, i'm like oh, My gosh i'm eating. So much, in reality like that's what your body requires. To survive so all TOO often i see women that are tall that have shot metalw since because they've been eating like their, short frints and that. Is not a good cycle to. Be in don't feel bad, for it know that actually food is going to be the best sold to get, your goals not to keep them from. Your ROLE so i did ask you guys in a poll Over, on Instagram and i'm going to do a quick little. Plug here make sure you follow me At A toll girls Podcast on instagram so that you could participate in these polls and have your opinions heard on. These EPISODES but i did ask you guys in, a poll have you ever compared yourself or your body to? Shorter women forty seven percent of you guys said YES when i. Was younger forty percent of you guys said YES when i was younger and even, into adulthood and thirteen percent, said no. Not, Really see i'm not surprised by the amount of people that said YES when i. Was, younger however forty percent saying YES when i was younger and even, into adulthood that's actually a pretty. Large number, and yes many of us now are confident in our height. As adults but the self that really just goes to show that the self comparison doesn't. Really stop it doesn't really stop when we're in our. Teenage years we just it even happens. Beyond That and i'm sure that that definitely plays a big role in our, self esteem, our confidence how we show up in, the world and even in our own relationships with. Other, people, platonic, romantic familial. Very interesting let me know your thoughts. On this self comparison is super. Super dangerous it can be super, Super DANGEROUS and i just want to say to the person listening to, this episode to the person watching this, video episode to be, very careful be, very safe and take a lot of the things that you see on the internet with a grain. Of salt growing up tall pushes you. Towards resilience role identity theory shows that when people place an identity, on you like the, tall girl you either internalize it or. Rewrite it but here's the. Cool part recognition tells us that the way we move through the world shapes. Our mindset so over time that height you once questioned starts, reinforcing, strength presence. And groundedness you. Literally feel more powerful because of the space. You occupy, so yes being a tall girl isn't just a. Physical trait it genuinely shapes how you, see yourself how, you socialize and how you grow into. Your identity, and honestly it's one of the biggest glow ups psychology can. Explain now role identity theory suggests that our self concept comes from internalizing the meanings and expectations of many roles that. We play so when we're the tall girl as, she says or, the athlete or the protector or the, strong one this is ultimately what is expected. Of us that's part of the reason why we get, a lot, for example with the. ATHLETE stereotype i actually did a whole episode on. Stereotypes too look this we're making. Connections anyways going back to the, athlete stereotype that's why a lot of people, are like oh do you? Play basketball oh do you? Play volleyball? You? Play this boy played what sporty? You play da. Da da people expect tall people tell women to play sports to be some type. Of athlete so when we're not fitting into, these labels when we're not, an athlete when we're, not athletic if we have, other interests if we're, being vulnerable if we're trying to, be feminine if we're being sad or sensitive, or hurt people, are, like what, that's odd because it's not expected of us to act. That way it's expected that we're. The opposite people look at us like, we're weird or even if we're going back to the athlete, thing again, it's, like oh you're wasting. Your height you're wasting. Your height it's just one of those comments that annoy everything, In, Me like, I'M sorry i didn't know that the world was Over because i'm not some professional. International athlete after a, certain age we kind of have to tone it, down anyways because when you're like forty, fifty sixty your body can't do what it once did when it was in their teens. And twenties think about a lot of the major athletes that are out. There Nowadays no tino she, to him but a lot of people talk About check shaquille o'neo and how it looks painful for him. TO walk i definitely do think that his height plays a part, in that especially when you're playing such a strenuous sport at such a. High level being. That, tall yeah. It definitely it definitely takes a toll. On you that's not to discredit those who are professional. International athletes you, do you but if that's also not, for you then it's just not. For you and. That's okay if it's, for you it's. For you if, it's not It's not and that's just how. It is but stuff like this definitely can lower our self esteem and self worth because it's kind, of like if we don't fit into this, little box if we don't fit into, this stereotype will we be exc? By society what will we be accepted by, our peers by, family members? By OTHERS and i think that's kind of where the resilience, comes in the resilience that. She mentioned and, YOU know I found i saw another and see that's, the, THING guys i don't save these VIDEOS when i, see IT and i need to start. Saving THEM but i saw this video about how we're kind of like forced into having like a thicker skin or having like a backbone, or whatever because it kind of like applies here that like we're kind of forced into being resilient because with all of the comments and the stairs and the nitpicking and the and the jokes and the names and all. That stuff we have to endure that for years and years, and years, and honestly it doesn't. Even stop there are fifteen sixty year old tall women in my comments saying it. Doesn't end we endure this for much of, our lives but at some point, in time it's kind of like we have to just get to a point where it can't affect, us greatly it can't affect our self, esteem greatly and we learn to either clap back or just, ignore it or find happiness in, our height and kind of put tune two together that some people are just jealous of our height and that's why they act the way, they do or a lot of their actions towards us is simply because of them and their thought process and their insecurities more so than it is us and the fact that we're. Actually tall through all of, the comments all of, the, stairs everything even the, body dysmorphia a lot, of us many, of us almost all, of us maybe all, of us make it to the other side confidently and we embrace. Our height AND then i also want to make a comment on one of the parts that, she says she was like the way that we move through the world shapes, our MINDSET and i honestly think that that is true and honestly a very. Powerful statement our, physical presence how, we sit how, we stand how we, carry ourselves how we speak, to others all of that affects how we think. About ourselves our bodies and our brains. Are connected. You know so when we're slouching and where we're minimizing, our personalities softening, our voice talking quietly and, so forth our brains label ourselves as like, not worthy as not, being confident. Being insecure whereas if we're, standing tall if we're, talking assertively we're standing our ground and just like showing up how we want to, show up then our brain connects that to us being authentic. And confident, even so she's basically saying that something that once made us self conscious, being tall can over time be a source of. Self confidence, and honestly that's something that. Takes time it's not like one day our brain, is, like, oh like you, stand taller you're gonna. Be Confident, Like no it's, a long. Long process and THAT'S why i even stress earlier in this episode about finding, your community finding, other people other, tall women because that is just so so helpful in embracing, your head and HONESTLY why i started this podcast to like create that community and to, show hey there are so many tall women out there who love and embrace their height and you can do. That too, So yeah i'm gonna endn that. Episode here thank you so much for. TUNING in i really, appreciate IT and i appreciate you, of course, as always feel free to HIT me u about my socials and let me know what you thought about. This episode have you heard of any of? These theories what are some of the THEORIES that, i mentioned the role, identity theory the self, comparison theory the self. Awareness theory have you had, any experiences, you know regarding these theories or experiences in your tall girl life tall woman life with any of. These theories what do you think about what? She said do you find? It true do you agree? OR disagree i just want to hear your thoughts. And opinions we're all here to share our thoughts and just have open discussions about. BEING tall i think that we need to have more discussions about, being tall because there's not a lot of that. Out there there's more, now Though and i'm super grateful. For, that. Yeah my dms, are open my comments, are open and, you know until you hit, ME up i will catch you in the. Next one good night. And goodbye