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People Divulge The Sad Truths About Being Tall

People Divulge The Sad Truths About Being Tall
Andrew Neel/Unsplash

My editors were absolutely being shady in asking me to write this article.

I am 4'9".

Yes, four feet and nine inches. That wasn't a typo.

I know no truths about being tall, sad or otherwise. These people know how tall I'm not.

I know they did this on purpose—and I kinda love it.


Reddit user Zealousideal-Yam6806 asked:

"What is the sad truth about tall people?"

So since I know absolutely nothing about tallness, I guess we're all going to learn here together.

Filthy

"You can see the top of everyone’s fridge. The top of everyone’s fridge is filthy."

- HopelessEmu

"Except for tall peoples fridges. We can see it, so we clean it."

- BlondSunDoll

"So my mom is 5’2 and is an absolute clean freak (everyone who comes into our house says it’s the cleanest house they’ve ever seen) and the rest of our family is 6’0 and above."

"She was so mad at us that we never told her that the top of the refrigerator was filthy and that the wall behind it was a different paint color than the rest of the kitchen."

- limblambleam

Giphy

No Bubble Baths

"Bathtubs are worthless."

- Tedy_KGB

"My 6'3" husband is a plumber. We are remodeling our bathroom and found a 6 ft. bathtub, and the overflow is set higher so you can have more water in it."

"We haven't tried it, but he claims he'll finally be able to take a bath."

- Louloubelle0312

"I can either have my legs in the water or my top half, but not my whole body. Baths are not relaxing for tall people!"

- smida23

Concert Guilt

"My wife got us front-row-center tickets for an Erasure concert."

"My knees were touching the front of the stage, and I could have grabbed the mic stand we were so close. When they started to play, everyone stood up."

"(Relief from being squashed in there)"

"My head was level with the singers crotch. I stood very still, and let everyone adjust around me, but I'm sure everyone's photos of the show have the back of my stupid head in them."

- Jef_Wheaton

"I stepped on someone at a concert. Didn't see her."

"Luckily I was able to avoid falling on top of her. Would have been like a cow squashing a chihuahua."

- [Reddit]

"What's worse than stepping over someone is me reflex gripping that person to make him/her not fall down but ending up having harassment looks in return because I end up posturing like I'm out here groping women."

- aBadBug

Carts Of Doom

"Shopping carts constantly destroy our shins because our naturally longer strides force us to kick the under basket."

- Thundersalmon45

"And doubly true if you also have large feet. I kick everything."

- K0rbenKen0bi

"I’m 6’4”. My feet hit the bottom of the shopping cart, so I either have to walk on the side of the cart, or I will have to take really shallow steps."

- Chaz_Cheeto

"Dear gawd…. And I have had to stop wearing sandals to the grocery store because that f*ckin shelf will rip a toenail right off!"

- Cabrona818

Giphy

Pants

"Pants."

"Plan on spending some time finding a pair long enough, and when you do, you have to buy as many as humanly possible."

- BlackDiamond0321

"Women's pants especially. They either fit in the hips and hit my ankles like waders, or they're long enough but wide enough to fit another person in the waist."

"And don't get me started on the fact I can be a 6 in one style and a 12 in another."

"Thank f*ck men's pants use actual measurements. Even if mine are still rare to find, at least I can expect some consistency from a 28x32."

- skandranon_rashkae

"YES! When I find pants that fit I buy like 7 pairs at a time lol"

- _lemon_suplex_

Head Injuries

"Banging your head on sh*t."

- trebuchetfight

"Once hit my head on an awning, lost a patch of hair and bled everywhere."

"It's awful constantly hitting your head, especially when it's a metal point or something hard."

- [Reddit]

"I hung out with a guy that is 6’10 a few times."

"He hit his head on almost all of my doorways. I don't know how he doesn’t have brain damage by now lol."

- unicornhornporn0554

"In high school I got a drum set for Christmas and proceeded to run around the house screaming with excitement. I jumped in the air right as I was approaching a doorway and hit the top of it and it knocked me out."

"Sh*t like that happens when you're tall …"

- isharted23

"Literally got a concussion last week playing airsoft because I was running and hit my head on a doorframe."

"It was the second time I’ve gotten a concussion from a doorframe."

- SebastianSilver

Leg Room Is A Matter Of Life And Death

"I knew someone who died after a flight."

"Because he was tall, he was forced to sit in a cramped position, and got a blood clot."

"It's a genuine problem. People think we're complaining about a lack of leg room because we're being divas."

"We don't need leg room or to be more comfortable. We need the seat in front of us to not leave a dent in our knees for a week after flying and so we maybe don't die."

- [Reddit]

"Honestly, it should be a health and safety requirement."

"Airlines should not be allowed to expect someone to sit in a seat without enough legroom. If that means they need to give free upgrades to extra legroom seats, so be it."

- Isogash

"Yes, this is a problem!"

"5”11 woman with a genetic blood clotting condition here. I wear compression socks on long haul flights."

"There are a couple brands out there now that look more like gym socks and come in lots of colors. Even if you don’t have a blood clotting condition, I highly recommend them to anyone who has a flight for more than 4 hours."

"Your legs and feet feel great even if you’re jet lagged to hell."

- RoxietheJRT

"It is a problem. I’m 6’4 with an athletic build and weigh 225 lbs."

"Normal airline seats keep me locked in and unable to move anything but my feet side-to-side. My legs go numb and feet tingle from lack of blood supply - it’s slow torture on a long flight."

"I take baby aspirin (thin blood) and try to stand up when possible to avoid developing a blood clot in my legs."

"To maximize the number of seats (read: profit) airlines seem to keep making coach seats smaller. Often exit row, business class, and first class seats are taken and only coach is available."

"To compound the problem some companies, like the one I work for, will not allow you to book an upgraded seat as they only pay for coach class airline travel."

"I travel for business 160 days out of the year and tiny rental cars and small airline seats make my life a living hell."

- whynott73

Giphy

Basketball Jokes

"We secretly hate basketball."

- 35Lcrowww

"My go to when I'm asked if I played basketball in school is, 'Were you a jockey?'"

- franktehtoad

"I grew up adamantly opposed to ever liking or watching basketball because of how frequently it was brought up as a comment about my height."

"Now that I'm in my 30s, love watching college basketball and occasionally think to myself 'Man, I probably missed out on having a lot of fun playing as a 6'7" high school kid'."

"All because of everyone's sh*tty jokes."

- blay12

The Way The World Is Built

"The world isn't made for us."

"Stuff you sit on like office chairs, toilets, bus seats or cinema seats are too low, which causes painful knees or back. Stuff is too small for our hands, so we can't really grip it comfortably."

"Handles or grips, and stuff like pc mouses, bowling balls or weights in the gym. Counters being low, have to take breaks for my back when doing the dishes on my low kitchen sink because I have to bend down."

"People think girls like it, but me being 2 meter tall, most girls are just too short for me. It has its pro's, but definitely a lot of coins as well."

- Zealousideal_Peak836

"My family is tall and my dad built the house I grew up in. The ceilings and the counters are higher than standard. I didn't know how nice all that was until I moved out."

- chememommy

"I make my own tool handles because of my large mitts. Everyone who borrows them asks how I use them and I just laugh at those tiny dwarves. Feels good."

"I have always wanted to build my own house to my dimensions with large doorways, high counters and a bunch of small step stools at the front door for my guests to carry around like toddlers."

- bigsnaps

Awkward

"Everyone thinks we feel superior or amazing because society equates the high ground with power. Secretly we often feel awkward and shy."

- AshamedDeparture

"Yes! It was awkward getting attention for being tall so I always wanted to blend in the background."

- curl_paper

"Yes. I was always so self-conscious about my height as a kid."

"Being put in the back was so nice as I didn't have to hunch over so others could see."

- collapsingrebel

Giphy

So here's what I've learned:

It turns out we micromachines DO have a few things in common with the mega craft, after all!

Pants that are the correct length are an absolute myth and a lie.

There is not a countertop in the world that is the correct height.

Airplanes are awful for everyone.

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