Height advantage: The tall women who are embracing their stature

Standing at 183cm, with size 13 feet, I am well acquainted with the “tall” label.

According to statistics I’m a rare breed, falling in the upper 99th percentile for height for an Australian woman.

There have been times when this has felt a little isolating.

But I’ve noticed something: there are more of us out there than I first realised.

Recently I discovered a social media group for tall Australian women, and felt overjoyed.

Growing up, I seldom met another female as tall as me — perhaps if I had, I wouldn’t have felt the need to stoop down to try to “fit in”.

I want my young daughter and other girls to grow up feeling empowered and confident about their beautiful stature.

Rather than feeling awkward about what makes us stand out, we should embrace it.

My six-foot stature has led to some amazing experiences, like being randomly talent-scouted for a rowing program at the South Australian Sports Institute based solely on my height (not so much on my rowing abilities, as they later discovered).

There’s a lot I love about being tall — not least that I get the best views in crowds, have a natural advantage in sports, and rarely find anything out of my reach.

I find it empowering and I quite enjoy looking eye-to-eye with tall men — who often exude confidence and status — and giving them a bit of a run for their money.

So, I decided to speak to other tall women to find out what they love about being above-average in the height department.

Shakira Onwuka, 181cm

Medical researcher Shakira Onwuka is no stranger to turning heads wherever she goes.

As a teenager, she was discovered by a modelling agency in the United States.

“Being tall has opened so many doors … [because] people notice me, and I stand out,” she said.

“It adds to my ability to be seen as a leader.

“I do a lot of public speaking for work and it helps me to command a room.

“I feel like it goes with my whole personality, being a bold, courageous sort of personality. It’s like a full extension of my internal being.” 

Ms Onwuka said she grew up feeling “out of place” and apprehensive about her height, before finding her confidence through modelling.

“I reached six feet tall at 14 … then I was approached by a modelling agency,” she said.

“I just started to embrace being tall, I was around so many other tall young women who were very confident, which added to my confidence, so I felt that, ‘Wow I can just be who I am’.

“I started to see it as something that was very beautiful and an advantage in life.”

Penni Lamprey, 184cm

Penni Lamprey is the founder of Australian tall clothing label Miss G and Me, which she named after her daughter Grace.

She wants her clothing to empower women to feel comfortable and confident, something she embodies.

“Society shows us and tells us that our husbands should be taller — they’re not always, they don’t have to be,” she said.

“If you want to wear the heels, wear the heels.”

Ms Lamprey said she experienced many natural advantages as a tall woman.

“[I love] my ability to cut through a crowd very well. Whether it’s a buffet, a sale, a concert, I’m a little bit of a busybody and I will be at the front — and I get there quite easily,” she said.

When it comes to unsolicited height-related comments, Ms Lamprey has some sage advice: random remarks, she said, merely “highlight” the “insecurities” of the people who make them.

“You’re not intimidating; they are intimidated,” she said.

“Your height doesn’t define you, and you certainly are not responsible for how others feel about their height.”

Lucy Austin, 190cm

Lucy Austin is a powerhouse in the goal circle for the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

“I did lots of one-on-one sessions to help get up and use my height as my advantage,” she said.

The 22-year-old’s intense training regime has not only shaped her game, but her confidence too.

“It took a long time for me to learn to love being tall — I think I learnt that through netball, it just helps me to thrive and use my height as my strength and that’s helped off the court as well.”

Ms Austin also wants other girls to feel comfortable in their bodies.

“A big thing I want to tell young girls is to really own your height and, as hard as it may seem, don’t compare yourself to others, you can get really caught up in that,” she said.

“Just own it, everyone is different and has their own strengths and abilities and yours is your height, so it’s awesome because you get to stand out in a crowd.

“Use it as a positive rather than a negative and that will help you thrive and flourish … really be empowered by it rather than shying away from it.”

Blue Van De Cruze, 182cm

Blue Van De Cruze has lived in Melbourne, Germany, and the United States.

“I can’t help but stand out a bit,” she laughs.

The diversity and inclusion project officer loves the practical advantages of being tall.

“My partner and I are both tall and when people come over they always note that we’ve got things in the kitchen cupboards high up that we can take advantage of,” she said.

“One thing I really love is the sense of presence that being tall gives me and just feeling like I can really have ownership of the spaces that I’m in.

“I just have this innate sense of confidence that comes with being tall, it’s really grown with me into my womanhood. It’s kind of an inner strength.”

Ms Van De Cruze said that, growing up, she was lucky to have positive role models who helped build her confidence.

“There are a lot of tall women in my family, so I had that modelled from other beautiful, strong, powerful women that were also really tall, so it didn’t feel foreign for me,” she said.

“I really grew up noticing that I stand out — and it being a really positive thing.”