The Unspoken Reality of Being A Tall Black Woman

Being tall comes with a bunch of stereotypes athlete, model, intimidating, masculine, aggressive, authoritative, and the list goes on and on. And there are other physical characteristics that, when combined with height and being tall, can kind of double down on these stereotypes. So being tall and thin, for example, people like to associate that with being a model. Being tall and plus size, many people associate that with aggression and intimidation. Same if you're tall and have more of an athletic build, people even associate that with masculinity. And then there's being tall and black as a woman, which we're going to dive into in today's episode, especially after a comment about Michelle Obama. And know this is nothing political. We're not getting into politics or anything. We're more so just discussing the comment that she received and how that kind of represents the tall black woman experience. 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 is tuning in today is 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 on Instagram, takes out and Pinterest, so that you can say up today on all of the latest podcast episodes can catch a glimpse of my everyday life. Also, feel free to lea mer review and let me know how tall you are. I'm genuinely curious. I also have the monthly news that makes you subscribe to that. Everything is going to be linked in the description. I hope everyone who is tuning in right now is doing amazing. Today we are going to be talking a little bit about the tall Black women experience, which was This episode was inspired by a comment that Michelle Obama received that I'm going to get into that in a sec. But before I get into it, I really just want to say that this is nothing political. I'm not talking anything politics. Who's right or wrong here, whatever, Everybody has their own opinions and so forth. We're strictly talking about the comp that she received and basically how that kind of symbolizes the tall Black women experience. One thing about being a tall woman is that people will decide your entire personality or identity before you even speak, like they'll assume that you're intimidating or aggressive or dominant or whatever because of your height, and that basically affects how people treat you. And as I said in the intro, when height is combined with certain physical characteristics, it can kind of double down on the stereotypes that are placed on us. And in terms of combinations, the one that we're going to be talking about today is being tall and black as a woman. Now back to Michelle Obama. I actually did a TikTok video on this just to see how people would react to it and what they would say and just get comments or whatever type of commentary for them, and the video flopped. Wait. Actually, while I am thinking about this right now, I'm gonna go check my TikTok video to see. I don't know, maybe if somebody said anything under it or commented under it. Nope, still no comments. The video did flop. Oh no, one person actually did comment. It was just hidden. One person said, yes, it's annoying. I was called a boy in middle school for being tall and skinny, and looking at her profile picture, she is also a black woman herself, so the video. I still think the video did flop because I do get more engaged by my TikTok videos now, but hey, somebody responded at least and said that she agreed that someone you know called her a boy, and you're probably like, what like, because there's no context. So I'm just gonna explain it for starters if he didn't know. Michelle Obama is an attorney, author, and former First Lady of the United States. As the wife of Barack Obama. During her time in the White House, she was known for leading initiatives focused on education and healthy eating, and advocacy for girls education and health equity. Also very important detail here. She is a tall, girly standing at five eleven, making her one of the tallest women to ever hold the title of First Lady, and recently she has been called a man UFC fighter Josh Hookits I think that I pronounced that correctly. I don't know, but Josh called Michelle Obama a man after winning a match at the White House a few weeks ago, and then a few days ago he actually defended himself and tried to make it out as a compliment to reports say and tried to do a spin on it and show how wonderful of a country this is because of freedom of speech. Now, this isn't the first time that Michelle Obama has actually been called a man, especially during Barack's presidency. Throughout Barrock's presidency, when she was especially in the media, whether it was like YouTube videos or YouTube lives or other forms of online media, many people have made similar comments to the UFC fighters comment about her. Something like this doesn't just happen to Michelle Obama. Even as I read the comment under the TikTok video that even that tall girly, the tall Black girly, even her, she was also called a boy during middle school. This happens too many tall Black women. Many tall women often have their femininity questioned, and for tall Black women in particular, there could be this added layer of racialized stereotypes like being seen as strong, loud, or aggressive even and over time, these comments and this messaging can shape how these women see themselves and how they show up in their day to day Let's listen to a few experiences. It's hard being a tall woman, but like it's hard being a tall Black woman. I don't think that's talked about enough because Black women were looked at as you know, strong, We have this stereotype of things like this, But imagine being tall on top of it, I remember I needed help move into some heavy you know this man say he's an AULDREYM Like, you got it? You strong? Okay, I'm still a lady, you know what I'm saying. I just feel like you get maskalized more when you're a black woman. Were my fellow girls that have been called mature since they were children, called mature in every capacity, not just the body wise by like creeps, but mentally. And I've always felt mentally more mature than my peers, especially in like the lower years in school. And I always wondered why that is, and why is it that I am more mature? Is it because I'm black and I'm tall? And I almost feel like that's expected of me because I remember specifically a time when I was in primary school and I was at a party. I don't know if I've told the story before, but I was a little party. All these white girls. I think was that black girls that as well. My primary school was predominantly black, but somehow I ended up at this white girl quiety. But anyways, they're all like in a circle, yeah, jumping around holding hands. They're jumping, jumping, jumping, And I remember thinking to myself in my head. Yet I can't jump with them because that's quite childlike. And I'm big. I'm big and tall, and I stick out like a sore thumb. I can't jump with them. It's gonna look weird. It's physically going to look weird. So I had to like kind of do something else to, like, you know, just so I don't look childish. I actually did an episode on the history of stereotypes that are associated with black women and how that, in conjunction with the tall stereotypes, affect how people see and treat us. So definitely go check out that episode. But as a summary, black women's stereotypes in the US have roots in slavery and colonial era ideas that dehumanize black people to justify their exploitation. Enslaved black women were portrayed as physically strong, sexually available, and emotionally resilient, and the stereotypes are even named Jezebel, Mammy, strong black women. These shapes long lasting narratives that still influence how Black women are perceived today. I definitely think that a lot of these stereotypes show up in the media and what's popularized in reality tea TV shows movies, social media, even where black women are often portrayed as loud and aggressive and dominant and promiscuous. When people see this in the media, they take this into real life and how they talk about and talk to black women and how they treat black women, similarly to how in television shows and movies and so forth, how taller women are often portrayed as villains or the bad person or authoritative, dominant, etc. And even when we're talking about like romantic partners and so forth, and how they show up in television shows and movies and all of that, the female romantic partner is often shorter than the male romantic partner. So because we're seeing that the male romantic partner is often taller than the female romantic partner, we carry that into our everyday lives where we want our If we're into men, we want our male partners to be taller than us. And similarly, how many men would want there are women partners to be shorter than them. So, just like how that is often played out in reality, in everyday life, people will see and treat black women based on what they see and what's popularized in the media, and some people I'm not saying all people do this. Black women are often masculinized in the media, so when you add height to the mix, because tall women are also often masculinized, it's almost like a double whammy for tall Black women, and this leads many people to question our femininity and even our gender. It also leads for some people to act aggressively towards us, and there are so many stories on Reddit from tall Black women sharing how they have to deal with racial microaggressions on top of the tall women issues I've discussed in other episodes, which include dealing with transphobia and being misgendered, and the tall stereotypes that are out there, and when all of these things come into play, the stereotypes of being tall, the stereotypes of being black, how that's portrayed in the media, and how people rea to that in their everyday lives. A lot of the actions towards us, a lot of the actions towards tall Black women are often heightened and even more frequent, and honestly, it can be exhausting and it could be very very scary as well. And I just want to let the tall Black women out there who are watching this know that your feelings are valid. Also, if you're a tall black woman tuning into this right now, have you ever felt as though your height and race shape how people perceive you and treat you. We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments or in my dms, at a Tall Girls podcast, literally everywhere on social media. All of those are going to be linked in the description. And thank you so much for tuning into this episode. I really appreciate it, and I appreciate you as always. Feel free to hit me up on my socials and let me know what you thought about this episode. Have you heard about Michelle Obama being called a man? Have you heard throughout Barack's presidency about her being misgendered and being called a man and so forth? What do you think about the stereotypes of being black and the stereotypes of being tall, and when that's combined a lot of the issues that we experience, a lot of the behaviors and actions that we receive from other people, and the thoughts that we received from other people. What are your thoughts on those things. The heights, the comments to behaviors, etc. Being heightened and even more frequent because of that double whammy of being tall and black. And the stereotypes that are associated with each of those things. Let's have a conversation on this. This is a safe space to talk about it here. Okay, there's no judgment for the most part. Please keep it respectful. Thank you, and until then, until you hit me up or comment or whatever, I will catch you guys in the next one. Good night and goodbye.