I'm tall. At some point in early childhood between telling everyone on the playground that I had Britney Spears' phone number (I didn't) and stealing sequins from the art room (I did), I had a maximum-strength growth spurt. I was almost six feet tall by the time I was 13, and ever since someone called me a "six-footer" in early high school, making me feel like a human Subway sandwich, I've gotten used to people commenting on my height.
A couple months ago, I was getting my nails done when a woman sat down at the table next to me. We chatted for a while before I got up to leave. When I stood up in my heels, she looked me up and down, gasped, and said, "Wow, that's amazing." Amazing. As if I were a walking episode of Planet Earth. Hip-hop dancing prodigies on Ellen are amazing. But me wearing heels? I started to walk away, but the easily amazed lady continued her speech. "You're just so brave for wearing heels," she said, "and don't worry, you'll find a guy tall enough for you eventually."
It was at this point that I was extremely thankful for the quick-drying magic of gel manicures and proceeded to slap her across the face. Just kidding. I didn't hit her. But I was angry — and not necessarily at her, either. People have made comments like that around me for years; strange compliments that never ever sound like compliments, which discourage tall girls from having the confidence to wear heels.
Those types of comments were the reason that I refused to wear heels with my prom dresses in high school. I was so afraid of standing out that I wore flip flops instead. Flip flops... what can I say? It was a dark time. However, shortly after I began college, I started my own fashion blog. I would dream up outfits to showcase on my blog and 100 percent of them were sans flip-flops. At first, I would wear an outfit with heels for blog photos and then take them off before I had to go anywhere in public. But, eventually, I started to wear them everywhere else too. Before I knew it, I was in a committed relationship with a pretty serious heel collection.
I slowly realized that life is too short not to wear whatever I want. After all, I love fashion. I go to sleep planning what I'm going to wear and I wake up excited to put my outfit on. I write about fashion, I read about fashion, and it's my creative outlet. Not everyone gets it, but that's okay. I don't get Sudoku or people who wear Crocs.
So, yes, I wear heels. And, yes, I am taller than most everyone in any given room when I wear them. But, here's the first rule of dressing yourself: dress for yourself. I love clothes and shoes and accessories. I will forever love and appreciate the art of putting together a good outfit, and I will probably be forever overpaying for shoes. But I'll be damned if I let anyone else's opinion stop me from wearing exactly it is what I dream of wearing.
So to all tall girls out there: stop looking, dreaming, imagining, wishing you were shorter, and BUY THE SHOES. Oh, and wear them. Wear them to dinner or to the grocery store or just around your house while listening to Beyoncé (pants not mandatory for last option). Wear them everywhere. Standing out is beautiful, and so is being tall.
And, yes, nail salon lady, I will absolutely find a guy who is completely content with me in heels or not in heels. And if I don't? Then I will be more than okay. Why? Because I'll have dozens and dozens of glorious, beautiful, high-heeled shoes. And that's even better.
Images: Getty Images; Olivia Muenter
