We don't do stilettos. They're uncomfortable, cumbersome - and totally unnecessary. If you've ever towered over your middle school teacher, been picked first for every basketball scrimmage in gym class or looked down fondly into the eyes of your five-foot-five-inch prom date, you know what we're talking about. In a world where the average woman - and many men - only reach the height of our shoulders, the view of a tall woman provides several select vantage points not afforded to those of typical stature.
1. No Mercy Biologists say we achieve our status in three spurts: the first in infancy, the second between the ages of six and eight and the last in adolescence.
While we grow in three stages, tall girls know the last stage, adolescence, is always the worst. Even though girls grow at a faster rate than boys, being genetically destined for altitude makes you stand out even more. Throw in a few nicknames - "Jolly Green Giant" and "String Bean" ring any bells? - and you can understand why middle school was a living hell. You couldn't count on family members to be supportive during that time, either. Whether they weren't as tall as you or attributed your height to a fictional inherited disease, Mom, Dad and even Grandma Noreen weren't there to hold your hand - they couldn't even reach. Classmates and even teachers, however, were the worst. During a time when you were just trying to blend in with the crowd, comments like, "What are they feeding you in the lunch room?" and, "Did you get held back a grade?" didn't make the rocky transition into adulthood any smoother.
2. Hard to Get A survey of some 6,000 adolescents in the '60s showed that the tallest boys were the first to get dates.
This fact holds no validity for tall girls. When there's a total of four attractive guys of tall stature in eighth grade, it's slim pickings. Growth spurts took a considerable toll on your social life and popularity with the opposite sex. As you struggled to meet them personally, they struggled to meet you vertically. Although most college guys have reached their adult height by the time they get to campus, it's still hard to find one who's more than six feet tall. And it seems like even those who are tall enough take more of an interest in five-foot-three-inch, nubile lovelies they can dangle on their arm like an accessory. Oddly enough, men who are above the average height also have a hard time macking it. Tall girls run - no, flock - to guys taller than them, only to find that their male counterparts are often incredibly awkward themselves. Sadly, growing up with the same height issues made these guys more susceptible to being self-conscious.
3. Got Game? Tall women make great athletes.
Obviously, when you're six feet tall, those long limbs are going to work to your advantage on the basketball or crew teams. Those malicious girls who made fun of you in eighth grade can suck it when you get a scholarship to play intercollegiate athletics! Of course, not all tall girls are athletes - so please, don't ask every towering female if she's on the volleyball team, or she might spike you. Athletic ability can give tall girls self-confidence, but it doesn't automatically come with the growth spurts.
4. Long and Lean Paris Hilton wears size 11 shoes.
It's the weekend, and all of your friends are going out. Time to pull out the spiky
heels, right? Wrong. The only thing you'll be sporting is that trendy pair of flip flops from Old Navy. If we do decide to wear heels, tall girls are faced with the inevitability of grazing the ceiling while crammed into a house party or bar and leaning down to talk to their friends. Finding shoes to fit your feet and still look cute is equally perilous. Paris surely feels our pain. While she can afford to rock designer duds, it can be nerve-wracking to pick over the "sizes 10 and up" rack at TJ Maxx or DSW. In addition to being fearful of heels, jeans and shirts that don't expose our ankles or midriffs are hard to come by. Some stores, however, have responded to the fact that "regular" length jeans won't cut it - the Gap and American Eagle both carry longer lengths in a variety of sizes.
5. The Air Up There Bottom line: The average woman stands at five feet, four inches. Use your height to your advantage.
All those awkward moments you endured in grade school don't matter anymore: being a tall girl in college is a plus. Sure, you stand out on the Quad, but maybe that's a good thing. In a school of 14,000, your height could be the one thing that sets you apart from the masses. Three parts leg and one part torso, our distribution in inches allows for some leniency when it comes to weight gain. After years of being labeled "lanky," you can sit back and watch your friends put on the infamous freshman 15 as you comfortably slam down one Keystone after the next. Guys might be intimidated by a girl who has to lean down to make eye contact, but those who can get past their insecurities are the ones who are really worth it - your stature can help you weed out the duds. Other women have used their commanding presence to succeed in the world: think Uma Thurman, Julia Child, Eleanor Roosevelt, Gabrielle Reece and every supermodel imaginable. And don't worry, tall girls aren't alone at Syracuse University: the Facebook group "I'm Taller than all the Boys" has 29 members, and all the discussion board messages are from guys who dig tall chicks.
And no matter what anyone tells you, good things come in tall packages.
is a member of the 
