Is being tall a good thing?

[simon.r]

Thread prompted by a conversation with my cousin’s daughter, who is exceptionally tall for her age (10), shows every sign of being a 6 footer when she’s fully grown and seems to be a bit uncomfortable about it.

As a relatively tall man (6’2”) my immediate reaction to her question “what’s so good about being tall?” was a lacklustre “I like it”. Followed by “I never have problems getting things off the top shelf in supermarkets”

I *do* like being fairly tall, but I can’t quantify why.

In practical terms it’s often a bit awkward - getting into tight spaces, finding clothes that fit (although that’s less of a problem now than it was a few years ago), cramping back seat car passengers because I have to push the driver’s seat all the way back...

What are the positives?

 

[Dave 123]

As a stumpy legged short arse I reckon clothes probably hang on your frame more gracefully than on mine.

 

[potsy]

I've always found it a burden

 

[Andrew_P]

you don't see many tall old people...

 

[Milkfloat]

Great at concerts and the cinema, although I do feel conscious about it when I block other people’s view. Great for bargain bikes and clothes at the upper end of the size range, although it does make clothes shopping tricky as sleeve and legs are generally too short.

 

[Old jon]

I do not give in to temptation often, but, for once,

How would I know?

 

[vickster]

you don't see many tall old people...

My dad is 6'4.5 and about to turn 76

My grandfather born in 1914 was 6'2. Unsurprisingly both played rugby in their younger years

My aunt is 5'10ish and in her 70s

I'm 5'10 too...my mum however never made it to 5'2. To be honest I'm quite glad she isn't tall too... my feet are big enough, I dread to think if I were 6' or taller!

 

[Drago]

192.5 and 260 checking in.

Being tall - and broad - means people generally don't give you lip, and gobby little boys keep their opinions to themselves. This is good, because I like a quiet life.

The downside is I'd been in the Army for about 60 seconds when I was press ganged onto the boxing team on the sole basis that I was a "big f*****", which was not such a good thing.

 

[simon.r]

My Grandad was 6’2” and got a job, in 1926, as a policeman. By all accounts, the Chief Constable wanted 3 new constables and went along the line of applicants and picked the 3 biggest blokes!

 

[gaijintendo]

I believe the extra cardiovascular strain supposedly shortens your life expectancy.

I noticed my mother-in-law leaning over a counter, holding a wooden spoon and prodding it at a wall switch that was out of her reach - so I count my blessings.

That said, there have been a couple of bikes on here where they were just a bit small for me, otherwise they would have been mine!

 

[Drago]

In t'old days you had to be 5'10 to join the dibble, or 6'0" for the City of London. They did way with that requirement in the early eighties, on the basis that there were no small criminals left.

 

[Andrew_P]

My dad is 6'4.5 and about to turn 76

My grandfather born in 1914 was 6'2. Unsurprisingly both played rugby in their younger years

My aunt is 5'10ish and in her 70s

I'm 5'10 too...my mum however never made it to 5'2. To be honest I'm quite glad she isn't tall too... my feet are big enough, I dread to think if I were 6' or taller!

it 'twas a joke, but something my colleague always used to say, and it stuck with me. The other one was about kids, he had five the youngest at the time was 30 he always looked me in the eye and said "they don't get any easier" and to be honest he has been spot on with that one!

 

[Hugh Manatee]

Mrs Manatee is just over six feet tall. Our twins are 15 now. The male half is 6'2" and his sister is 5'10" and lovingly referred to as Stumpy. She will I'm sure get the last laugh, grow another 5cm or so and make me the shortest in the house.

 

[vickster]

it 'twas a joke, but something my colleague always used to say, and it stuck with me. The other one was about kids, he had five the youngest at the time was 30 he always looked me in the eye and said "they don't get any easier" and to be honest he has been spot on with that one!

It's not untrue though, you see a lot fewer tall old people. My dad is very tall for his generation

 

[ColinJ]

Thread prompted by a conversation with my cousin’s daughter, who is exceptionally tall for her age (10), shows every sign of being a 6 footer when she’s fully grown and seems to be a bit uncomfortable about it.

One of my nieces and my stepdaughter both experienced big growth spurts in their early teens and were forecast to get close to 6 feet tall. They both suddenly stopped growing at about 5' 7" tall. My nephew grew what seemed to be 5 or 6 inches in a couple of years and they thought he would end up 3 or 4 inches taller than me. The same thing with him - he stopped suddenly at about 6' tall, an inch shorter than me.

As a relatively tall man (6’2”) my immediate reaction to her question “what’s so good about being tall?” was a lacklustre “I like it”. Followed by “I never have problems getting things off the top shelf in supermarkets”

I *do* like being fairly tall, but I can’t quantify why.

In practical terms it’s often a bit awkward - getting into tight spaces, finding clothes that fit (although that’s less of a problem now than it was a few years ago), cramping back seat car passengers because I have to push the driver’s seat all the way back...

What are the positives?

Funnily enough, I was standing in Lidl the other day close to another man about my height (6' 1") when we heard a little voice from between us. We looked down and there was a sub-5' woman standing there looking up at the top shelf. She announced that she needed the services of a tall man to
get some things from the top shelf for her. (There are several 6'+ women in this area, but they didn't happen to be standing there at the time!)

I say to people that I used to be tall. I didn't see many people taller than me 45 years ago but there are lots of teenagers around now who are several inches taller than me. I am only about the average height for 20 year old males in the Netherlands now.

you don't see many tall old people...

That's because there were not a lot of tall people in the past, but as I mentioned above, that is no longer the case. There will be a lot of tall old people in the future.

One disadvantage of extra height that I discovered is that tall people are more prone to developing DVTs in their legs! Obesity is a well-known risk factor, but being 6'+ also more than doubles the risk relative to much shorter people. Being tallish and fat (as I was in 2012) is a bad combination with a more than 5-fold increase in risk compared to shortish, slim people.