# How tall are you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2007, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639 "2007-09-10T02:37:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/81 "2007-09-10T17:21:32Z")
For a good long while now, I had been thinking that I was 5’2" (I am a male, age 46). I don’t know how I got that number in my head! One of my friends was over about a week ago and he said that he was fairly certain that I was at least a bit taller than that. I had myself measured, and lo and behold, I am two inches taller than I thought! A strapping 5’4"! It is always fun to add two inches to your height with no effort! Has any one else ever been confused about their height? I achieved my current height pretty early, maybe by sixth grade, because I do not remember growing at all during junior high! It was rather distressing to go from being one of the bigger people to one of the shortest in those years. I kept praying for a growth spurt, but it never came! ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/82 "2007-09-10T17:25:14Z")
5’10" 195 lbs. I stopped getting taller when I was about 18. Last week I saw the tallest person I’ve ever seen in real life. I was standing in line to pay for some gasoline and I felt someone come up behind me. I casually glanced over my shoulder and was looking at a belt buckle. I did a sort of double take thinking someone had moved a display behind me to block the line and then realized it was a person. I didn’t turn around but her a little girl say, “Wow, how tall are you?” The answer - 7’ 4". I finally did see him when he came out of the store and he was …big. There isn’t another word to describe him. He was just big. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/83 "2007-09-10T17:46:30Z")
Female, 5’5.5", stopped growing (taller) at about 15. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/84 "2007-09-10T17:49:59Z")
[QUOTE=plnnr] Last week I saw the tallest person I’ve ever seen in real life. [/QUOTE] Where were you? ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/85 "2007-09-10T18:09:04Z")
6’5" @ 220 lbs. I spurted up 6" in one year. I went from being pretty athletic to pretty much too clumsy to walk. That was when I was 14. I grew 2 more inches over the next two years. I’ve been this height since I was about 16. ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/86 "2007-09-10T18:24:50Z")
I’m about 6’ 3" and I’m a guy. I reached 6’ 1" when I was around 15 or so, then grew the other 2" my freshman year of college, when I was around 19 years old. It was a bit of a surprise. ---
**Author:** ![shamrock227](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@shamrock227](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shamrock227)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/87 "2007-09-10T18:33:05Z")
I’m just scraping 5’2". I’m going to say I stopped growing around 13-14ish. But my feet stopped growing much earlier, I was a size 7 shoe by the time I was 11 and I am still a 7. Female, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/88 "2007-09-10T18:58:21Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Where were you? [/QUOTE] I live in Richmond VA. There aren’t too many 7’3" tall people walking around here. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/89 "2007-09-10T20:45:42Z")
5’11". Female - I guess I was about full height at 17 or so. I live in the land of tall people though so while I do feel taller than average, I don’t get that “wow I am tall” feeling unless I travel. A good number of my female friends are my height or taller. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/90 "2007-09-10T20:54:02Z")
[QUOTE=plnnr] 5’10" 195 lbs. I stopped getting taller when I was about 18. Last week I saw the tallest person I’ve ever seen in real life. I was standing in line to pay for some gasoline and I felt someone come up behind me. I casually glanced over my shoulder and was looking at a belt buckle. I did a sort of double take thinking someone had moved a display behind me to block the line and then realized it was a person. I didn’t turn around but her a little girl say, “Wow, how tall are you?” The answer - 7’ 4". I finally did see him when he came out of the store and he was …big. There isn’t another word to describe him. He was just big. [/QUOTE] Ralph Sampson? He’s from around there. I played against him in a HS tournament. Our coach had one guy play with tennis rackets in his hands to simulate what it would be like. Guy was huge. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/91 "2007-09-10T21:03:02Z")
I’m 5’9", female. I stopped growing for the most part by the time I was thirteen. It seemed that I was relatively tall in Nevada. Not remarkably so, but certainly on the “striking” end. Up here in the northwoods, though, it seems like I’m bordering on short. I’m so shocked by how often I have to crane my neck up to look another woman in the eye. And this isn’t the younger generation, either, but middle aged women. Oddly, when I went to Kentucky it felt like everyone I met was half a foot shorter than me. If this isn’t too much of a hijack, has anyone else noticed surprising height differences between different parts of the US? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/92 "2007-09-10T21:08:44Z")
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane] Ralph Sampson? He’s from around there. I played against him in a HS tournament. Our coach had one guy play with tennis rackets in his hands to simulate what it would be like. Guy was huge. [/QUOTE] Heh, that was my thought exactly. 7’4" + Virginia = Ralph Sampson. The reason I originally asked is because when I lived in Salt Lake City, Mark Eaton sightings were very common. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pithy\_Moniker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@Pithy\_Moniker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pithy_Moniker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/93 "2007-09-10T21:15:48Z")
[QUOTE=fachverwirrt] All right, I need some more short men to post here. I’m feeling insignificant. 5’5"? Anyone? [/QUOTE] 5’6’’ male @ 165 lbs. I stopped growing around age 14. My two brothers are 5’10’’ and 5’11’'. It’s not fair. ---
**Author:** ![wendigo1974](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@wendigo1974](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wendigo1974)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/94 "2007-09-10T21:18:05Z")
6’3" at 17 6’5" at 19 My older brother is 6’2" and younger brother is 6’7", I think Mum had some serious growth genes going on. She’s 5,6" and dad is 6’1" My sis is 5’9" ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/95 "2007-09-10T21:55:11Z")
Am I the only weirdo who was still growing in my 20’s? This is something that has been pointed out to me as odd (especially for a female) and which I always have wondered about. I know that I grew those last 2 inches sometime between August of 92 (age 20) and December of 99 (age 27) – any medical dopers have insight here? ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/96 "2007-09-10T21:57:40Z")
I’m 5’9 and female. I remember seeing in an article about the 23 year old college student who was recently told by Southwest that her clothing was inappropriate that her mother said she was ‘tall’. The article listed her height at 5’5". I thought to myself ‘that’s not what I’d say is tall.’ Also I remember thinking at first that her outfit wasn’t so bad, and that Southwest was out of line. And then I saw the video of her interview with Matt Lauer. When she sat down, they had to blur her crotch. Then I thought perhaps that outfit was a bit inappropriate for wearing in public. \ ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/97 "2007-09-10T22:30:41Z")
[QUOTE=catsix] I’m 5’9 and female. I remember seeing in an article about the 23 year old college student who was recently told by Southwest that her clothing was inappropriate that her mother said she was ‘tall’. The article listed her height at 5’5". I thought to myself ‘that’s not what I’d say is tall.’ Also I remember thinking at first that her outfit wasn’t so bad, and that Southwest was out of line. And then I saw the video of her interview with Matt Lauer. When she sat down, they had to blur her crotch. Then I thought perhaps that outfit was a bit inappropriate for wearing in public. \ [/QUOTE] I hadn’t heard of this before, but is [this](http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/braun/20070905-9999-1m5braun.html) the woman in question? According to the article, that outfit is the same one that Southwest objected to. It’s a bit trashy, maybe, but no worse than what you might see at your local mall. Southwest was way out of line. Anyway, I’m male, 5’10.5" barefoot, although my driver’s license says I’m 6’0" because I didn’t think to take my boots off when I measured my height for the application. I reached my full height sometime around 18, maybe a bit later. I was average height for my age up until 16. When I started my junior year in high school and saw some of my friends, they looked shorter than I remembered. Then I realized I must have grown several inches over the summer. I didn’t notice my clothes not fitting, because I bought them a bit large and tended to wear them out before I grew out of them. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/98 "2007-09-10T22:44:02Z")
Yes, that’s her, and I agreed with you when I only saw the picture of her already seated. When I saw the video of her interview with Matt Lauer, where he has her stand up and sit back down and you can actually see her crotch as she sits down, I thought ‘well maybe they weren’t so evil for telling her to wear a little something more, but they could’ve handled it more tactfully.’ Perhaps they could’ve said ‘Dear, your vagina’s sticking out. Coverage, please.’ ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/99 "2007-09-10T23:33:42Z")
[QUOTE=Pithy Moniker] > [@fachverwirrt](#): > > All right, I need some more short men to post here. I’m feeling insignificant. 5’5"? Anyone? 5’6’’ male @ 165 lbs. I stopped growing around age 14. My two brothers are 5’10’’ and 5’11’'. It’s not fair. [/QUOTE] Thanks. Of course, now I feel fat (owing largely, probably, to the fact that I am, actually, fat). ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639/100 "2007-09-10T23:38:20Z")
6’3" by 17. Male. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-tall-are-you/418639.md?page=6)