I live the life of a big man, I’m 6’5" and weigh 280 lbs.
I can never find shoes that fit
I hang partially off the half desks in college class rooms
I duck out of fear as I go through doors with the metal pneumatic holders (the things which don’t let the door slam).
I struggle to fit on the dorm beds.
I have to aim far downwards into the wall urinal.
Pants are hard to find because I’m right on the edge between big and tall and normal stores
Did I miss anything?
This is not a rant, I love being big - perhaps my next post will be the good things about being big. I’m hoping to offer some humor here, however dry it may be.
Why is it that clothing manufacturers assume that with an increase in waist size they must decrease the inseam length? You’ll see 36x34, 38x32, 40x30, 42x28… but just TRY to find a comfy pair of 42x34’s in any chain store. Argh! For crying out loud, I’m not wider than I am tall!
AMEN!!! I went to Target to exchange pants that my mom got me that didn’t fit. I went 38x32… nope way too small. 40x32… nope still too short and a little tight. So then I dug through the back of the racks and pulled out the holy grail of pants for me. 42x34s, the shined like they were sewn of blue gold… Oh how I love thee my blue jeans that fit.
I’m far from big, but I do remember that Gene “Big Daddy” Lipsomb (300+) mentioned a difficulty that he had. He had specially reinforced chairs and other furniture in his house. Whenever he visited others he had to be careful about how he sat down. He couldn’t just flop in a chair the way many of us do because he might bust the damned thing.
I’ve given up trying to buy pants in stores. I get ‘em from catalogs. JCPenney, Eddie Bauer, Lands’ End, LLBean. Lands’ End also makes dress shirts in nearly every size and sleeve length.
The woes of being oversize are many. Gloves and socks are rare in my size, and I buy a bunch when I can find them. One-size-fits-ll simply doesn’t. Walking through the lighting and ceiling fan sections of home improvement stores is downright hazardous. Bus rides are painful. Sports events in many arenas are doubly problematic. Not only is there no room for my legs, but my knees intrude into the space of the next row down. Stairs must often be trod sideways, because my size 13 feet won’t fit the other way.
It’s nuts trying to find decent tall clothes for me. I can’t afford to go to the ‘specialty’ stores. So I usually end up in pants that are too short in the leg, and tops that are way too big because just to find the right length I have to buy plus size.
I don’t mind being tall all the time. But it can get annoying. Especially fun because I have to wait for my work uniform to be special ordered.
I’m 6’2" though only 180 lbs. clothes aren’t a problem but cars are- most of the vehicles I’ve driven/ridden don’t seem to be designed for someone six feet tall. I have to have my seat all the way back in my car and then lean it back just so I don’t have to crane my next down to avoid having my head jammed against the ceiling of my car. Even then brushing the plastic liner on the top makes static electricitiy which means my hair frizzes when I drive.
MY dad is a taller, thinner version of me- he’s 6’6" but weighs barely 130 lbs- He could stand behind a reed and you couldn’t see him ;). But my dad looks scary. He’s so skinny and emaciated looking that if he painted his body white he would literally look like a skeleton. :eek:
I work offshore and I have to regularly jam my big ass into helicopters for long flights to work (misery!)
I am going to Europe soon and I noticed that a coach seat is 17 1/2" wide, this is an all day flight! (can you say paralysis, I knew you could)
I am a motorcyclist and almost no one makes suitable gloves big enough (I use surplus army gloves with the removable wool liners).
My sock story, (athletic) socks come in size 10-13, which would seem fine but I wear 12 1/2 EEEE shoes and 10-13 socks fall apart quickly (elastic gives up and they bag out) so I go to the big and tall store (Casual Male) and buy the size 13-15 socks and things are much better, like you I load up when I go but I think that next time I am going up another size as they seem to shrink up, BTW, I have not bought a dress shirt off of the rack in many years (19 1/2" neck, 54" chest, long arms).
I ADORE PETITE WOMEN (5’ tall, 100 lbs, long hair, light or no makeup and I am all yours!).
unclviny
remember what they say about the hands and the feet girls (wink, wink)
Yeah, we know what they say about big hands, unclviny - big gloves!
I worked with a girl that was about five foot nothing, and her husband was over six feet tall. They could only afford one car, so it had to fit both of them. They had very few options for cars - I think they ended up in an Audi or VW. Makes me appreciate my husband - I’m 5’6", he’s 5’8". We don’t need to adjust anything when we drive each other’s cars.
Our last truck was purchased STRICTLY because he could sit in it without hitting the top of his head on the roof.
We replace our mattress more often than others because he wallows a hole quicker than most folks, no matter how often we flip the mattress.
He owns two suits. Tall man suits are expensive!
On the other hand, he’s easy to spot in a crowd so our kids rarely get lost. He can reach anything in our house without a step stool. No one can see the thinning hair on top of his head, but he can see everyones. Dusting our ceiling fans and changing lightbulbs are very easy for him.
It’s normal to look downward while walking, to observe one’s footing. As a result tall folk, like me, often hit their heads on obstacles of all sorts. We’re not morons, it’s just like I said, one looks at the ground to avoid obstacles.
The ceilings of automobiles generate static electricity too. Often our hair will look funny when we get out of a car or truck. It’s been attracted to the ceiling, that’s all.
I had a roommate in college who was 4’10". Her boyfriend was 6’4". They each weighed about 180#.
featherlou, I’m with you – I’m 5’7" and Mr. S is 5’6". I like being able to snuggle with him face to face. But I have proportionately longer arms and legs (my dad is 6’3"), so I’m the one who gets stuff down off high shelves, and I move the seat back when I drive the car. (Luckily the van, which we usually drive, seem to fit both of us just fine.)
unclviny-- on that trip to Europe, see if you can’t snag a seat in the emergency exit row. It won’t help on the seat width, but you’ll have a couple of extra inches of leg room.
Awww - the woes are not just mine. Thank you all for the moral support.
As for cars big people should not buy: The Pontiac Firebird. My friend owns one and for me to ride in it we have to take the T-tops off so the top of my head can stick over the windshield.
In classrooms I sit in the back or off to the sides so I don’t block anyone’s direct view ahead of me.
I’m struggling to remember the size for my dress shirts… I think I have a 21" neck… I don’t remember sure. But I remember the guy fitting me for my tux and how his eyes bugged out as he wrote my measurements. (Prom Tux, not wedding.)
As for ladies: I LOVE TALL WOMEN. I truly do… but then I love petite women too. However, I have had one girl friend who was 6’ and she and I didn’t last due to personality issues (hers not mine) but man it was nice not to dip my arm down to hold her hand…
Now to tell a story from my high school days. I was dumped by a girl who was about 5’4" because she claimed walking next to me and holding my hand made her feel like a little girl. lol - she turned out to be lesbian anyways.
Another big person question: Were all of you big when you were born? I was a beast of a baby weighing in at 11’5" and 22" long. My mom had a C-section (as well as another for my sister who is 6’ now, but was 10’ 11")… but then you hear about small babies who sprout like crazy in life.
My “little” brother just turned 16 last month - he is 6’5" and wears a size 15 shoe. And he probably isn’t done growing yet! Our family photo taken in October is hilarious because he is standing behind me, the 26 year old 5’4" older sister
I prefer men that are taller than me; I love a 6’ or taller kinda guy.
