The online international fashion & lifestyle resource for tall girls and women

I’m sure it’s a question many tall girls have views on  – is my height hereditary?

Often when strangers first meet a tall girl, one of the first things they ask is “Are you parents tall?”. Well, yes my parents are tall – 5ft9 and 6ft2 – but they aren’t exceptionally tall, as I am at 6ft2. What’s also unusual is that my big brother is only 5ft11.  Personally,  I generally (jokingly!) attribute this to the fact that I grew up at home on a dairy farm whilst he was sent away to school – maybe milk straight from the cow does make you tall and strong?!

What is for sure is that I was always tall. I was a great, big, long baby at over 11lbs and throughout my childhood I was always the tallest child in school, until my teens when one boy overtook me.

As I started to consider what I thought about height in families, I realised I had always assumed that when I have children, they too will be very tall. But is this true?

There are lots of genes which affect height from those that produce growth hormone to those which affect bone growth  and many inbetween. What is that while height is partially hereditary a definite is that nutrition and environmental factors also play a significant part in how tall you become.

For instance, it is well publicised that if your mother smokes and/or drinks alcohol during pregnancy, this can affect the birth weight of the baby but according to research, it can also affect you eventual adult height. Nutrition is an important factor – for both the pregnant woman and of the growing child in their formative years. In developed countries such as  the United States, height is estimated to be 80% hereditary whereas in developing countries such as Nigeria, it is only estimated to be 62%. This is attributed to the overall better standard of living such as nutrition and healthcare which is found in the US.

So, it seems that whilst we are  born with a genetic  potential for height, it is the environment that we grow up in that will enable us to fulfil that potential or not. Maybe it was the milk after all!

What do you think? Are you from a family of giants or are you (like me) the odd one out?

Massive apologies for a few weeks of silence..  Amazona had to pack up her bags and move from wet and dreary London to live Down Under - Sydney, to be precise!

Now, did I move because the men are taller down here? Or because they ‘Work to Live’ rather than ‘Live to Work’ as we seem to in Europe? Or maybe it really was just the appeal of so much sunshine? I’m not sure that even I know the answer to this, but one thing is for definite – The Amazona Blog will only become bigger, better and brighter as a result.

I love beauty trends. As much of fashion is irrelevant for my ever-so-long-limbs, beauty trends are a fabulously affordable and accessible way for a tall girl like me to update my look.

Cast you memories back to the dim and distant past (Autumn 09 to be precise) and you may recall that Chanel’s limited edition Jade nail polish was ‘THE’ hottest beauty trend. It was so hot in fact that it alledgedly sold out in 40 minutes.

Well, they’re doing it again for Spring. Get ready to get those elbows at the ready on January 29th and get down to your local Chanel concession to pick it up on launch day.  The colour? Particuliére (top left) - a putty-shade of grey with a hint of violet. First seen on Lily Allen at the Chanel SS10 show, this is tipped to be seen on everyone come February.

Personally, I’m going to leave my mind open. I’m not sure whether this will suit my olive skin. But there’s also two other shades from Chanel this Spring (as above), Tendresse - a pale salmon pink and Inattendu - a warm nude.  I think I’ve fallen for Inattendu already. For only £16.00 each, you could even grab all three!

Here at the Amazona Blog we are always looking out for really great tall role models and we’ve just found out about two more great amazonian women: Tayyiba Haneef-Park (above) and Jennifer Joines Tamas (below) are both members of the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball team and know a thing or two about being tall: Haneef-Park stands at 6ft, 7 inches and Joines Tamas is nearly 6 ft 3.5 inches. They were recently interviewed by Dr Phil, the legendary talk show host and psychologist to discuss height and some of the issues surrounding growing up being tall.

“Being volleyball players, we are around other tall players all the time and have similar stories,” Joines Tamas said. “With this show, we finally had the chance to reach hundreds of thousands of people. It was an opportunity for me to celebrate being tall and offer tall, young girls advice as a role model who has gone through similar situations that they may be experiencing.”

Both athletes commented that they both had had great support systems to endure the challenges of growing up tall.

“I think it was a bit of a challenge,” Haneef-Park said. “I always knew I was going to be tall, so I embraced it. Other people had more of a problem than I did. I remember being 5-feet, 11 ½ inches in the sixth grade. It was at that point I knew I could take several opportunities to play basketball or volleyball, or modeling. Being tall is what you make of it.”

“I can’t say I never had any problems,” Joines Tamas said during on the episode. “In junior high, of course I was ridiculed. Thankfully, I had a family that was very supportive. You can still be sexy at 6ft, 3. I think both Tayyiba and I have lived a different life than most girls. Growing up, we had awkward teenage years, of course, taller than our peers, but with self-esteem shots from our parents…We’ve just embraced our height, and we would never take that back.”

Haneef-Park stated that some of the best advice she ever received was to simply stand tall.  “Growing up I would see other tall adults who were slouched over when walking, and now they were hunched over and in pain,” Haneef-Park said. “I learned from them to stand tall and be confident. To this day, I still get compliments on my posture.”

Joines Tamas grew up not being able to find clothing that properly fit her long legs and torso. She would have to cut the ends off of an old pair of jeans and sew it to the bottom of a new pair to add length as she outgrew available sizes.

“When I was younger, one of my early dreams was to open a store called “String Bean” that specialized in clothing for tall girls,” Joines Tamas said. “Now, stores such as Rock & Republic, The Buckle and The Gap exist that cater to taller women. However, I can’t just walk in those stores and buy something off the rack. I still need to go to their online stores to purchase my clothes, get it in the mail and cross my fingers that they fit right.”

Haneef-Park, who is expecting a child born in early spring, has also had a sympathetic voice from her husband Anthony Park, who stands an inch short of six-foot. Despite the eight-inch difference in height, Park has supported his wife’s significant height advantage.

“I think her height is awesome,” Park said on the show, “I encourage her to wear heels. I want to see how tall she can be. I think it’s beautiful.”

Unlike the height difference between Haneef-Park and her husband, Joines Tamas is shorter than her of husband of four months, Chris Tamas. At 198 centimeters tall (6-6), he was a standout collegiate volleyball setter who has trained with the U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team.

Looking into the future, neither couple would explore the possibility of stunting the growth of their offspring, even if the technology was available to them. “My husband is 6-feet, 6-inches,” Joines Tamas told Dr. Phil on the show. “We could potentially – genetics are funny – but we could have girls who are well over 6ft 5 or 6ft 7. Who knows? And I will celebrate that with them. Every inch they get taller, there will be a party!”

If she and her husband have a baby girl in the future, Joines Tamas indicated her daughter would be brought up feeling good about who she is regardless of her height. “We would want to make sure our daughter feels confident in her height, and part of that would be building up her confidence through her peers,” Joines Tamas said. “We would find other tall children who she could be around, and put her in activities where height is an asset and advantage. Sports would definitely be part of that equation.”

Haneef-Park agreed that confidence is a key in overcoming the stigma of being tall. “Everyone goes through a tough adolescent period regardless if you are tall, short, big or skinny,” Haneef-Park said. “I would just encourage my daughter to be confident during this stage, and as she gets older, everything will be fine.”

Now that one dream of opening her own clothing store has passed, Joines Tamas indicated that she has developed a new ambition that could influence the lives of young, tall girls.

“I absolutely want to be a volleyball coach after I am done playing,” Joines Tamas said. “I love the sport and love talking to people, which is great for the recruiting side of coaching. It would also be another avenue to share my experience with other tall girls.”

Joines Tamas and Haneef-Park appear truly committed to spreading the message that growing up as a tall girl is cause for celebration and shouldn’t be subjected to the painful ridicule that often is associated with being different.

What brilliant role models these tall women are to the rest of us, on so many levels. We can’t wait to see this episode of Dr Phil when it reaches Europe!

If could could speak to yourself at 16, what would you say? What wise words of advice would you have to tell yourself, hoping to make your youth easier?  The Amazona team asked Holli Jennings, the reigning ‘Miss Tall International’ to do just that - write a letter to her 16 year old self.

Letter to My 16 Year Old Self
By Holli Jennings
Miss Tall International® 2009

Dear Holli,

Happy 16th birthday!  I’m sorry everyone forgot your birthday this year.  It’s difficult when your younger sister’s birthday is 2 days before yours.  It’s also summertime and you have 3 other sisters.  There are softball games, swimming lessons, driving lessons…but your grandmothers all remembered!  Don’t forget that.  You got a wonderful party with your family all around you so there’s really not much more that you need.  And they did remember by dinner-time…

How lucky you are!  You have 3 sisters who drive you crazy all the time yet each one would stand up for you at a moments notice.  You don’t know it now but these 3 amazing women are your lifelines.  They will stand by you when you are at your weakest.  You will turn to them whenever you have a problem, a joyous moment, or simply to tell them that you miss them.  In fact, one of them will give you 3 amazing nieces and 1 devilish nephew.  Your youngest sister will give you another precious niece.  You will love them unconditionally even when they have problems you can’t fix and issues that you can’t understand.

Your parents are quite possibly the world’s greatest parents.  You don’t believe me now but in about 8 years you and your sisters rent a billboard to let them know just how wonderful they are.  Don’t worry about your dad, he’s a little shy and he might seem like he’s mad about the whole billboard thing but you’ll find out later that he’s so moved and proud he can’t talk about it because he might start crying.

You are already so tall!  6’1” and still growing.  It’s a little tough finding slacks and jeans right now but don’t worry, it gets better.  The fashion industry does start catching up in about 6 or 7 years.  Start buying items that fit you now.  Don’t waste your money on cheap clothes that don’t fit right.  Spend the money on a nice pair of classic black pants and some crisp white shirts.  Buy a classic black coat that has sleeves long enough to fit your arms.  You will be so glad you did.  Believe me, you are getting a pretty great job in a few years and you will look back and wonder about some of the clothes you used to wear.  You’ll feel better too.

Work harder at your sports.  I know you really don’t enjoy playing basketball but it does pay for some of your college later on.  It probably could’ve paid for more if you would’ve worked harder.  You love being on the team and the whole social aspect of basketball but a few more hours of practice wouldn’t hurt.

You are going to succeed in your career.  You think you are going to go to school to be a teacher but somewhere you are going to figure out that it’s not the right path for you.  Good for you!  I loved it when you first started your career.  It was so fun figuring out how to use your height (and your humor) to your advantage.  It really throws people off.

Don’t lose that sense of humor!!!  You’ve got this sarcastic wit about you that people seem to connect with.  Keep that as long as possible and continue to see the good in everyone.  You’ll try out for a comedy group…and you’ll fail.  But that’s okay, you’ll have a great story to tell everyone (like you always do).

You won’t believe this but you will learn that just because you are tall, you don’t have to date only tall men!  Grandma is a little old-fashioned when she told you that you had to find someone taller.  You can date anyone you want.  In fact, there’s a guy that you’ll meet in about 10 years or so who you’ll only date for a few months but he’ll teach you that height is not (and should not) be a requirement for dating a tall woman.  If you limit yourself to dating men that are taller than you, you are severely limiting your dating pool.  He was so right!  And he was 5’6”.  His personality was so much bigger than his actual height.  You were lucky to have met him and conversely, he was lucky to have met you.  You’ll remain on good terms with him because he’s a great guy and he’ll teach you a lot about yourself.

Being tall is going to define much of your life and it’s going to be grand!  You’ll love the attention (and you do get noticed in both good and bad ways) and you’ll use it in anyway that you can.  Right now it’s a little tough being tall since your friends are all so much smaller than you but you are so lucky because you’ve got your sisters right there.  Your dad is 6’6” and your mom is 5’7” (well, we never really know how tall mom is because she changes her height all the time.  When you get a little bit older you will truly embrace your height.

Oh…so much to tell you but I probably should hold off.  I wouldn’t want to spill the beans on too much.  You are going to have a very interesting and fun-filled life.  It’s filled with ups and downs and twists and turns but you are so much stronger and more resilient than you know.  If there’s one thing I can impress upon you more than anything it would be to always remember to love yourself.  Regardless.

Love me,

Holli

I think I’m missing something. It seems as if the ENTIRE world has gone crazy for Twilight and the Totty Two-some that is ‘Edward’ and ‘Jacob’.  Every day my Facebook updates are full of new converts with friends statuses proclaiming their love for for one, or both, of the hot, young men after seeing New Moon. I’m lost - what is it about the films and these two that have women from 14-40 yrs old behaving as if they’ve got a teenage crush?  I’ve got no idea.

I am told it’s because ‘Edward’ embodies some of the ultimate desirable traits in a man such as romanticism, strength, gentleness but with a dangerous edge. Er.. ok. Maybe I’m just still in my bad boy phase but I like a man to be buff, dark  and sporty - not all pale, dead and lean.

Well, maybe Robert Pattinson is just a little bit more interesting to me following the recent revelation that he only used to date tall girls. The British heart-throb  is 6ft 1stated in a recent article that he used to only be  attracted to women the same height as him.

“I used to go for these tall Amazonian girls but now I like anything! …”

Robert is rumoured to be dating his Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart and has said that, obviously now more mature at 23, he is more interested in intelligence than good looks.

“I like smart people like Tina Fey, she is the sexiest woman. I always thought I would get more girls after I got involved in movies. And it never, ever happened! I thought, ‘I’m going to be a big movie star and I want to go out with some models!’ ”

Uh huh… “want to go out with some models” ? Seems like young Pattinson is dipping his toe into the average-height girls pool but is holding out for one of us lovely, tall women to sweep him off his feet.  So, sorry to my friend Michaela who’s only around 5ft2, but I think this will make my friend Liz (6ft), a massive Twilight fan who got to meet the lovely ‘Edward’ the other day, feel like Christmas has come early!

Hmm.. Flats…For me they are something akin to tweed mid-calf skirts,  school PTA meetings and suburbia. They’re all comfort and no style. No glamour. They are what librarians wear in mid-Wales.

I think my aversion to flats could be due to my inability to get heels in my size (UK 11, US 13) until my early 20’s. It felt as though I was the only girl in the world who was forced to be frumpy. You know how it is – as a teenage girl, heels are the epitome of glamour, sophistication and most importantly – adulthood. I remember feeling completely excluded from what I saw as one of the main transformations from girl to woman.

Well, after several years of seeking out heels of all sizes and shapes from all over the world, my collection is now extensive. So extensive in fact that is has excluded any flat shoes at all. I may have some low heels  (couldn’t tell you when I last wore them) and several pairs of mid-heel wedge boots (which I live in) but flats? Proper, flipper-style flats that make my feet look like their size 18? Nope, not a pair.

My thoughts on why women (and particularly tall women) should wear heels are well known (see here), but even I have to acknowledge that many style icons, particularly the young Hollywood crowd are flats-fanatics.  One of the UK’s most popular young celebrities, Alexa Chung, is rarely seen in heels - supermodel Agyness Deyn and actresses Emma Watson and Sienna Miller are also huge fans of  this practical chic trend.  But is it really practical if you are anything other than a size 6? I rarely look a woman and believe she looks truly amazing in flats. The way she walks, the angle of her posture, her perceived confidence  - they’re all improved vastly by the addition of a heel.

Maybe I have to concede that flats are here to stay but even if Vogue broadcast that heels were ancient history in the fashion stakes, I don’t think I’d ever consider slipping on a ballet pump in place of an eelskin, cone-heeled boot.  Maybe I’m just truly flat-phobic?!

(For you flats lovers with big feet - check out a selection here, or if you’re with me as a ‘flats facist’, then check out some fabulous heels here.)

Silver Chevron Clutch £35 Amazona Style

It’s week two of my mission to find clothing for tall women relevant to this season’s trends and this week, I am tackling the 80s. Yes, big hair, big even bigger shoulders and lots of sequins! Check out the monochrome clutch above from Amazona Style - perfect for storing your essentials on a stylish night out!

Tall Black Cowl Neck Jumpsuit £38 Dorothy Perkins

Or, even better, you can pretend that you’ve walked straight out of Dynasty with this amazing black jumpsuit from Dorothy Perkins’ ever-faithful Tall range. Team with a pair of killer heels, a clutch just like the one above and a perm for the ultimate in 80s chic! Or try this fantastic tunic with a pair of leggings for an equally stylish look!

Tall Silver Belted Tunic £30 Dorothy Perkins

Brogues are the perfect androgynous look, yet adding heels make the look more feminine. Team with big shoulders and wide leg trousers for the perfect casual 80s sports look.

Black and White Heeled Brogues £111 Amazona Style

When we saw this in the Amazona office, we all went seriously crazy! Sequins? Check. Shoulders? Check. Body-con? Check. Suitable for tall girls? CHECK!! Topshop have reigned supreme here with this absolutely gorgeous sequin tunic. If you’ve got fab legs, team with heels and deniers for a sexy 80s siren look!

Tall Sequin Shoulder Pad Tunic £45 Topshop

If you’re noticing a lack of colour here, don’t worry - so are we! Luckily black and white monochrome was oh-so-hot in the 80s, so you’re not missing out this time! Though, we do agree that it would be nice to see some brights on the tall racks soon! And, no! Plain t-shirts do not count!

Amazona has set me a mission: To search the high street and online retailers and to find clothing for tall women that is actually relevant to the current season trends. It seemed an easy task at first, but not any more. Tall ranges are boring. There is no denying that. They are useful if you need a longer pair of black trousers or a longer polo neck jumper, but what if you’re 6ft tall and are fed up of dressing like a frigid office worker? What if you want to be cool, trendy and follow the trends? Well, I have scoured (and I mean scoured - for hours…) various well known retail websites and shopping centres, but to no avail. There is little out there. And that is hugely disappointing. But if you are 6ft, then this is probably not breaking news to you, so I have tried to pick the best options to hint towards the trends.

First up this week? The grunge trend. From Kurt Cobain to MK Olsen and Pixie Geldof, everyone loves a bit of grunge and here’s Amazona’s guide to rocking it out Nirvana-style for AW09:

THE T-SHIRTS:

Jersey Marl Longline Crew Neck Top With Snood Stripe Scarf £14 Next Tall

Tall black splash paint t-shirt £18 Dorothy Perkins Tall

Blah Blah top £8 New Look Tall

Tall purple gingham shirt £25 Dorothy Perkins Tall

A simple t-shirt or top is a simple way to follow a trend, and as tall ranges tend to be pretty simple, this is probably your best bet! Team a rock t-shirt or tartan shirt with some skinny jeans, biker boots and a oversized beanie for the ultimate in grunge chic!

Tall black skinny jeans £20 Dorothy Perkins Tall

35in Foil Leggings in Blue £24 New Look Tall

These foil leggings are a little daring, but pared down with some Doc Martins and a simple t-shirt, they could look pretty damn cool. And given that they are not black and boast an inside leg of 35in, they’re a great find too! Add a leather jacket for a tough edge or an open men’s shirt for a more dressed-down look.

Next Week: The 80s trend becomes a tall order for us here at Amazona!