“You’re so tall already! And you’re wearing heels too. Come on you don’t need that extra height. Why are you wearing heels?” the random woman on the street shouted. “Does it bother you?” I asked. She responded with, “Well it’s not fair. I’m the one who needs to be wearing heels NOT you,” she laughed. “Why do you think that?” I asked. She looked at me as if the answer was obvious, “Because I’m short.”

Yes, I wear heels and nothing a random stranger, or close friend says is going to change that.  I am 1.85 metres tall; that’s 6’1”. I’ve been this tall since I was a teenager; 15 to be exact.  In those days I was an awkward teen not yet comfortable in her height. I never wore heels and sometimes even slouched to try make myself look smaller than I was. I wanted to be the “cute and small” girl.  Not towering over everyone.  It wasn’t until I pursued modelling that I learned to embrace my height as beautiful. With people telling me how fantastic my height and long legs were it felt amazing. Wearing heels on the runway and in photoshoots was also another aspect in embracing my height.

Occasionally I did have bookers tell me I was ‘too tall’ which, seemed strange in that industry, but I quickly understood it had more to do with fitting the garments than anything.  But of course there is always an exception to the rule because after all there have been some hugely successful models who are 6 feet or taller including Monica Schnarre, Jodie Kidd, Brigitte Nelson, Uma Thurman, and Karlie Kloss.

I wear high heels on most days and why the random woman, and many other people, think I shouldn’t be allowed to wear shoes that I like and spent my hard earned money on is something I used to spend time thinking about.  I’ve come to embrace that it’s all a normal part of a tall girl’s life.

People often think I shouldn’t wear heels just because I’m tall.  They assume the purpose of wearing heels is to become and feel taller.  I do agree, there are plenty of short women I have met who have told me they wear heels to feel taller.  I also won’t dispute the fact that many tall women prefer to avoid wearing heels because of being self-conscious about towering over everyone. My thought is, I’m already tall and a few extra inches really isn’t going to make a big difference – except when I’m walking through the doors of the subway  – haha.  If I like the shoes and they fit, I’m buying them whether it’s 1 inch or 4 inches.

Let’s take a moment to analyze why women wear heels in the first place.

First, heels have a way of shifting a woman’s posture forcing her to walk in a way that makes her feel more attractive. Yes. When we walk in our heels we embody an energy that comes from the way we’ve been instantly shifted off balance.  It forces us to walk in a way that alters the movement of our legs and hips giving us that sense of allure and an air of sex appeal.

Secondly the shape of high heeled shoes are like works of art.  Just think of designers like Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Giuseppi Zanotti and many more.  They create some of the most beautifully crafted shoes that are worth admiration,  but they are not usually the most comfortable to walk in.  Despite that fact women still choose to wear them.  Just think of the many times a woman bought a pair of heels that looked good, despite how uncomfortable they may have been.  We love how they look.

Third, A great pair of heels is the finishing touch when it comes to completing an outfit.  A woman could be wearing something so simple, but the moment she puts on her high-heel shoes it’s like magic.  The shoes take a plain look and transform it into something completely different.

A lot of people say to me, “It must be so hard to find a man because you’re so tall.  You shouldn’t wear heels too, it’s just making it more difficult.”  I will admit that being a tall woman means it limits my options because let’s face it, most men are intimidated by tall women.  Even tall men are – I see men over six feet with very short women all the time.  The important thing for any tall woman who chooses to wear heels, is to know that you’re eliminating the men who aren’t confident enough to be with you.  I always say a man who is proud to stand beside me in my heels and doesn’t mind me towering over him from time to time, deserves to be in my company.  He isn’t afraid to let his ego down to let my light shine.

Yes, I’m tall and no I won’t stop wearing heels. If it makes you uncomfortable, please step aside as I continue to strut down my runway of life to my destination in my 4-inch heels.