January 18, 2007
From the desk of Jane Galt:Brooke Oberwetter takes me to task for my post on being tall:
. . . most people find it in slightly poor taste to blog about your empowering liberation from your angst over being tall and stunning, and to do so in an adorable self-deprecating manner where you go on and on about how funny and weird it seems to you that people stare at you and find your tall stunningness attractive, and oh, by the way, you skipped the first grade.As a tall stunning woman who repeated the second grade because she couldn’t tie her shoes or “play nice with others,” I should know: it’s tacky to mention how tall and stunning and smart you are, even in a self-deprecating way, which is why you’ll never catch me doing it. Believe you me, no one wants to hear about my ravishing beauty on my blog, even if I make it funny.
I am tall. I have no reason to believe that i am particularly stunning; I manage to make it through my daily toilette without even a vague feeling of faintness. And interestingly, though I for years assumed that I had skipped first grade because of early brilliance, it turns out that the reason I skipped first grade was not from any positive personal attribute. I skipped first grade because--wait for this--I was tall.
I wasn't one of those petite kids who suddenly shot up in tenth grade; I was big from birth. At least, I was long; my mother describes me as having looked much like a noodle. I was so long that the pediatrician flatly told my mother there was no such thing as an infant that long, resulting in shocked surprise when he actually measured me. So in that respect, at least, I was stunning.
I continued to grow faster than everybody else. I was asked to leave playgroup because at 1.5 years of age, I was no nastier than other toddlers, but big enough to enforce my will on those around me. By kindergarten I looked as if I was starring in a community playhouse production of "Snow white and the seven dwarfs". My parents thought I would stand out less in second grade, where I would be roughly the same height as the others.
You can imagine the sequel: by third grade, I was once again bigger than almost everyone in my class. I was five-foot-something in fifth grade. I reached my full height, all 74 inches of it, in seventh grade. In my entire school, there was not one person as tall as me until my senior year, when a 6'5" sophomore transferred in. Had there been surgery to reduce me to a manageable 5'7 or something, I would have mortgaged my grandmother to get it. So it's not entirely weird that I should be surprised when shorter women say "I always wanted to be tall". If there were girls around me who wanted to be a full five or so inches taller than all the boys in our class, they sure did hide it well. And I find it particularly weird to conflate "tall" with "stunning".
Obviously, though, I have no idea what terrible things short women went through to make them wish they were tall.
Posted by Jane Galt at January 18, 2007 2:46 PM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound linksPay no attention to that silly woman who doesn't even know that the correct phrase is "long drink of water." Saying "tall drink of water" puts you in the same league as those who say "could care less".
Aside from that, posting a picture of your 6' 2" seventh grade self would be appreciated.
How is it that reporters turn an opinion article into a news article? Quote someone else saying it?
I'm 5'7", and my big sister is 6'1", so this is something I can speak to, envy-wise. While I fully appreciate the downside of being gigantic -- I've been hearing it all my life -- there are benefits. Of two reasonably pretty people, the average height one isn't terribly noticeable, while the outsized one will stop traffic (literally -- I've seen men get out of cars at traffic lights to hand my sister their phone numbers). The combination of pretty and being somehow otherwise remarkable in appearance gets you a lot of attention.
On the other hand, I understand that buying shoes is a bitch and a half.
I don't quite see how "long drink of water" and "tall drink of water" are actually that different. After all, both are colloquial expressions that don't make any sense from a logical standpoint.
I second Kyle's motion- I would like to see a picture of the 7th grade Megan towering over her schoolmates.
6'2" in 7th grade. That's completely insane. No kidding that you weren't being thrown in the pool during the key 13-17 years.
LB: Yeah I'm pretty sure that at that height you're looking at the brands that are catering to the "Queen" business. Lots of Adams' apples and stubble in the fellow clientele.
We can all agree that Brooke is "rich".
As a teenager, my sister once attempted to buy a pretty pair of boots on 8th Street in the Village. As she was trying them on, a man sat down next to her, looked her up and down, and said "Girl, you are convincing!"
On reflection, she decided to be flattered.
Yes and no, Karl. Written with a joking air, but with a genuine criticism.
And in my part of Texas, the phrase is most certainly "tall drink of water," though a little poking about seems to suggest that "tall glass," "long glass," "long drink," and "tall glass of lemonade" seem to be acceptable variations, depending on your location. People like Kyle are ruining regional colloquialisms.
How about some of World's Tallest Roses as a condolence?
I'm 6'5", but the only thing that gets me down is legroom in coach class. All my 6'-6'2" aunts wished they were shorter.
I've seen men get out of cars at traffic lights to hand my sister their phone numbers
hahahahahaha!
Yeah, that's a great strategy!
::)
Catfights between 6'+ women are hot.
Sorry, it had to be said.
We get it. You were very tall growing up.
However, to what extent did it impact your social development?
Were you teased in cruel ways? Did the other kids shun you? In gym class, when the kids were divided into two groups for some athletic competition, were you the first one they picked? Did the female class bully seek to establish her rep. by taking a shot at you (the biggest kid in the class)?
After puberty set in, did you have trouble being asked out by boys who seemed normal, but also attracted the short geeks who had an obsession with taller girls?
It seemed you turned out okay.
(Did you ever think of adding a life-size cardboard cutout of yourself to your Cafe Press merchandise?)
In gym class, when the kids were divided into two groups for some athletic competition, were you the first one they picked?
Depends. Basketball or dodgeball?
Ok, so you're a mutant. In time, perhaps you'll also reveal any special powers your mutation is linked to.
When the comic...er...illustrated paperbond novel is published, I want a copy.
In the mean time, ask yourself this: "Are these compact fluorescent lights making me look taller?", maybe that's the real reason you don't like 'em.
I have seen your picture, and a very short video snippet.
You are stunning.
Not so much in a "paper doll/fashion model" sense, but in a more meaningful way.
After the Communists took over Russia, the royal families were deposed and kicked out of power.
Once in a while you would see them mixed among the peasants. They might be in humble surroundings, but you could tell that they did not "belong" there.
You are like the deposed nobility, forced to live among the hoi polloi, but never AS one of us.
You are a swan among geese. People can sense it instantly. It unnerves many, but intrigues most.
Jane Galt Facts:
Jane used to be average height, until she convinced half the women in America that it was logically impossible for them to be taller than her, whereupon they immediately shrank ten inches to today's sizes.
Jane Galt does not need to use compact fluorescent bulbs. Her incandescent bulbs decrease their power and increase their luminosity out of fear.
Jane Galt's souffle has never not risen, ever.
. . . although I really want to be the one who can always start her chain saw on the first pull.
Speaking as a "short" woman (5'4"...but it's the median, so I'm really just average) who used to wish to be taller, it was more for practical reasons than any self-esteem reasons.
I had a tough time viewing parades and getting things off the shelf. And I have a hard time finding pants the proper length without getting them tailored, even the "petite" sizes, because I've got relatively short legs and a relatively long torso (which makes people think I'm taller than I am when I sit down). Also, it was easy for my much larger friends to literally drag me around in P.E. That wasn't fun. And I was on the crew team for a very short while, because at the time they needed 8 rowers. I was the least fit for it (short legs), so they put me in the weakest seat.
The fashion part may be the biggest aspect now for wanting to be taller. I've always wanted to look elegant, but I'm built like a peasant so that's really tough.
After the Communists took over Russia, the royal families were deposed and kicked out of power.
Once in a while you would see them mixed among the peasants. They might be in humble surroundings, but you could tell that they did not "belong" there.
??????
Weren't they, like, shot?
Google images reveals that you are SMOKIN!!!
...and those are just headshots. :)
Peter, the Russian royals were shot, but not right away. First they were moved around while the various factions within the revolution tried to figure out what to do with them.
Interesting juxtaposition between Peter's comment and a reader, i.e. "headshots"...
But I am left pondering what Mutant Megan's secret power is...
Tall women are hot, so that's why it's not polite to brag about being tall.
Although it is commonly assumed that Jane Galt has special powers, this cannot actually be confirmed, because of the two people in history foolish enough to ask her, one did not survive, and the other was imbued with such a profound respect for privacy that he cannot be made to speak about it under any circumstances.
. . . although I really want to be the one who can always start her chain saw on the first pull.
You have the advantage of a full-length pull going for you. Learn the correct use of the priming pump, and do a short pull, which doesn't count, to bring the motor onto a compression stroke.
this is such an insight into the world of 'half full/ half empty' glasses of water.
I'll tell you what it really says to me: women are catty about each other's appearance- -whether by complimenting them, or being snide about it. It doesn't quite work that way with men-- we're catty about the appearance of each other's wife, girlfriend, car, annual bonus etc. Mike Bloomberg may be short, but if I were Jane Galt, I wouldn't turn down a date with him-- he is worth *billions* and he is *Mayor of New York*.
(this actually happened to a friend of mine. She is an OK-looking woman with a doctorate in applied science. And she has wound up married to a guy who is a very senior (and rich) player in the media industries who obviously likes brainy chicks. Geeks Rule! OK?)
There is *nothing* enobling about being chucked into a pool in high school. Nor about being a shrimp.
Height is good, Jane. You get noticed.
As one poster points out, in certain contexts you might get mistaken for a transsexual/ transvestite (I knew a 6'4" gorgeous black woman who had that problem constantly). C'est la vie-- they often have great dress sense, so it can be a compliment.
PS thanks for baring your soul to us-- I've learned so much.
I'm 6'5", but the only thing that gets me down is legroom in coach class. All my 6'-6'2" aunts wished they were shorter.I'm a 5'8" guy... ok, ok. That's what I tell people. I'm actually 5'7". Whatever. I take some level of comforat in being shorter than the average male, in that I fit into things (sports cars, coach class, etc) sometimes with room to spare. It was not much consolation before I got married (*). But it's fantastic consolation now.
Before getting married, I would have given just about anything to have been 5-6 inches taller. Now, I wouldn't mind being a couple of inches taller, but I'm really rather content with the situation. I suffered for 15-ish years of being burdened with shortness in the ability to attract a mate. But now that I've had one for 14 years, I'm almost to the breakeven point. Everything after next year is gravy. I get to fit in things for the rest of my life. I can buy a sportscar when my mid-life crisis hits full stride and not look ridiculous. I can ride on airplanes on the cheap. I can avoid bumping my head on just about everything protruding from the ceiling.
All things being equal, the frustration from being short, lasted a short time in comparison to how long I will gain advantages from being short.
(*) My wife loves to tell the story about how, when she met me, she thought to herself, "Cute, but too short. I'll never date him."
...I actually like my wife's story, too. Because I almost always follow-up with, "Right, but I was so irresistably charming that I overcame her first impressions!" It's not true, but it makes for a good story.
"You are like the deposed nobility, forced to live among the hoi polloi, but never AS one of us."
Wow.
Can we tone down the wierdly obsessive lavish praise a bit here?
Megan, sorry to say - you're average, and plain at best.
I think a few of the hunchbacks who post too often around here need to get outside and see actual live people a bit more.
Oooh, I got some!
-The dot-com crash was a direct result of Jane Galt quitting finance for blogging.
-As an infant, Jane Galt intimidated Ayn Rand into giving up the intellectual property rights to what would later be her blogging name.
-There is no Atlantic Ocean. Just a list of spellings Jane Galt prefers to use.
Megan, sorry to say - you're average, and plain at best.
What the hell is wrong with you? That would be uncalled for even if it were remotely close to true, which it isn't.
I'm assuming Matt always struck out with tall chicks and now he's kinda bitter about it.
Jane's comments about the downside of being a tall girl child hit home. My beautiful daughter was much taller than all her peers for years. Girls are supposed to be petite and cute, and children in general are suspicious of deviations from the physical norm of their peer group. The other problem is with adults: they expect tall children to be more mature than they really are, because they look older. Now my daughter is learning to appreciate the advantages of height for a female, but it was no fun in the elementary years.
What the hell is wrong with you? That would be uncalled for even if it were remotely close to true, which it isn't.
It's the pendulum swinging back the other way.
Jane is pretty. Jane is better-looking than average. But the legions of fans in the comments section need to get out more.
Seriously. "Weirdly obsessive" is right.
Perhaps it's an automatic reaction -- when one sees someone who seems to be fishing for compliments, the response is to give the opposite.
The contrarian instinct -- which libertarians ought at least to be sympathetic with.
That said, if TCS bio pics are representative, the blogger here would at the very least not shatter mirrors with her gaze.
Perhaps a tall women and short men club would allow said sufferers to commiserate with each other -- all those who wish that nature had dealt them a slightly different hand.
Yeah, Matt's being pretty unfair to Jane with his comments, but very kind to the insane Mumblix. Geez, why don't you offer to lick Jane's shoes?
As for Jane's comment on Oberwetter's blog: "How could I fish for compliments from people who’ve never seen me?", I think that's a bit too evasive. You certainly do have a number of posters who like to be a bit effusive about your brains and looks. Yeah, both are impressive, but there's a lot of weird obsessiveness about you in your comments (comments from your readers, I mean) from time to time. And it doesn't seem that you don't encourage a bit of it. It's not so awful...you wouldn't be human if you didn't enjoy it on some level, but I'm not sure I buy your denial.
Clearly it is time for a separate thread to discuss whether "Jane" looks taller and prettier or shorter and plainer when viewed by compact fluorescent lights installed by undergraduates who write editorials about marginal utility for the Lancet...
No one has mentioned the one thing that bugs me about being a 6 foot tall woman - shoe issues! I wear 11 1/2 or 12 and finding shoes I like is a major pain. Plus I have to pay a lot of money for my hard to find size and feel pans of envy when my size 8 friends say they found cool pair of shoes on sale for $40.
Right, I understand. When you're an attractive woman in an environment that is heavily a) male and b) unusually socialized, you're going to be worshipped. I have a friend who tried to sit in the middle of a Sci Fi con reading "A Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" as a 22-year-old and was mobbed by fanboys. Ditto for women sysadmins, and apparently, in the heavily male realm of objectivist politics.
Brittain33
In undergraduate engineering in the early 80s there were (roughly) 1 woman for every 10 men: maybe 20% women in chemical engineering (is that because it is most like cooking? ;-) or 1 in 50 in engineering physics.
It was not a healthy situation and led to the competitive dating behaviour you describe.
*however* one factor you haven't mentioned is women of asian (oriental to us Brits) extraction in science and engineering.
The geek bar doesn't seem to apply there. For whatever cultural reason, you were likely to find lots of those women in technical disciplines.
The result is a disproportionate fraction of my friends have Chinese wives.
Your comment about Objectivist politics is an interesting one. The two blokes I knew well who were Objectivists both came from enormously wealthy families but weren't particularly unsocial.
It always struck me as the kind of philosophy (see Robert Heinlein) that infected you when you were 14 and you left behind when you were 22. Maybe there is something about Peter Pan in all of this.
"I'm 6'5", but the only thing that gets me down is legroom in coach class. All my 6'-6'2" aunts wished they were shorter."
It's also a bitch trying to fit into certain rides at Disneyworld.
Like Space Mountain. My knees still haven't recovered.
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