BYE Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Probably because people think "female models = unusually tall; male models = average-tall height is fine." I personally think it's a stupid thing to say (as if every tall woman should aspire to be a model? no thanks!) but I don't think it's strange that it only gets said to girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 It doesn't seem strange to me. People comment because they are surprised when they see others of unusual height , not because they think those people should be limited to the careers that are associated with being that size. Very tall girls are asked about playing basketball and may be described as "model tall." Very short men could be considered "jockey small." I wouldn't read into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 I would take it as a compliment, no different than if someone had anything else remarkable about them and it was commented on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 NM. This is just too ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 What would equal footing sound like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Would you take offense if someone called DS "basketball player tall"? Welcome to TWTM, BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 I don't think it's any different from tall boys being told they should play basketball... which happens to girls, too. I hit 5'8" just before high school, and have long legs even for that height. I've heard them all. And still never felt compelled to become a model, lol. (I did play basketball for one year!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Oh for the love of Pete! Sometimes a compliment is just an innocent compliment. Every time someone says something to a woman that even vaguely hints at her being *gasp* a woman it doesn't mean that they're trying to take away her vote and keep her pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen! :banghead: Sorry. I shouldn't be playing along with the trolls. I didn't get any sleep and haven't had my tea yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BYE Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 I guess I should have prefaced this with I was called "model tall" as a child. Actually at about 12. But I knew enough about models at that point to know I wasn't "model thin". So what was meant as a compliment was actually pretty harmful. I still carry that comment with me. I don't believe "basketball tall" is the same. And thanks for the welcome! And then also for being called a "troll" in the same thread. Yay! That last part is kind of funny, lol. In many cases, I don't think it's fair to blame our baggage on innocent people. I don't blame people for in-the-moment shock about my having 5 kids, my homeschooling, or the fact that my kids have all gone through growth spurts recently. Humans speak. Words come out before they're fully processed. I might "accidentally" call a little girl pretty or notice a little boy is tough. That's because many little girls are pretty, and many little boys are tough. Nothing more, nothing less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 I guess I should have prefaced this with I was called "model tall" as a child. Actually at about 12. But I knew enough about models at that point to know I wasn't "model thin". So what was meant as a compliment was actually pretty harmful. I still carry that comment with me. I don't believe "basketball tall" is the same. And thanks for the welcome! And then also for being called a "troll" in the same thread. Yay! Still not quite getting it -- model tall is not a compliment, basketball tall is a compliment? Or the fact that it's model for girls and basketball for boys? Or is it that many boys like being tall and many girls don't? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Just accept the compliment and move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Is this a regional phrase? I've never heard it before. (And dd has been approached to play basketball!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Is this a regional phrase? I've never heard it before. (And dd has been approached to play basketball!) I've never heard it before either—but I'm 5'2" and the comments I heard growing up were at the opposite end of the height spectrum. One of the nicknames for me was "Mini." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 People have told my ds that he has great bone structure, but it is too bad that he's too tall to be a model. Tall isn't a compliment or an insult. It is just an aspect of our appearance that we don't control. I can't take something as a compliment or an insult if it is something that I couldn't change even if I wanted to. It is the same category as saying "Oh, you have a head." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BYE Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share Posted September 20, 2013 Still not quite getting it -- model tall is not a compliment, basketball tall is a compliment? Or the fact that it's model for girls and basketball for boys? Or is it that many boys like being tall and many girls don't? I would take "basketball tall" for a girl as simply pointing out she's tall. "Basketball tall" implies she's tall enough to get a ball in a basket. "Model tall" implies she's a girl who's tall who fits the height of women who are objectified by society. I don't like it. She's 7. I just don't like it that already I'm seeing how society treats my dd different than my ds. But never did I think the woman was implying she should be barefoot and pregnant like a pp suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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