Almost everyone loves the attention they receive from the public. A woman from Britain becomes the focus of the crowd wherever she goes. Why not? 26-year-old Katie Woolls has a height of 6’7”, which is definitely a head-turner. At home, she has a cardboard statue of WWE champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s actual height, and she seems to be towering over him.
Katie likes wearing shoes with heels, which adds to her towering height. In the United Kingdom, where the average height of men is 5’7” (1.73 meters) and the average height of women is 5’3” (1.62 meters), Katie’s tall figure is impossible to ignore. When she goes around town, all heads turn her way.
Passersby inevitably look at her from head to foot, and some whisper about her. Katie faces these gestures calmly, but she admits to being troubled back in the days when she was in school.
Katie’s parents’ height may also be above average – her mother is 6’2” (1.88 meters) tall, and her father is 5’9” (1.80 meters) tall. However, they did not expect Katie to possess extraordinary genes, making her grow to 6’2½” (1.9 meters) during her teens. This made her stand out from her peers.
Katie’s towering height has affected some aspects of her life, such as buying clothes, which may be a problem. Ordinary knee-length skirts are miniskirts for her. She has difficulty purchasing a pair of jeans with legs over 1.22 meters long. Additionally, Katie’s feet are size 46, and she can only find a pair to fit her in the men’s shoe section. Katie admits to feeling envious when she sees other girls wearing fashionable clothes or beautiful casual attire every day.
Her tall figure affects her daily life as well. When she is at home, takes a shower, or cooks in the kitchen, she often has to bend over, which makes her feel uncomfortable at times.
Her bathtub was not long enough for her to sit in, and she had to buy furniture that was larger than usual. When she stays in a hotel, the bed is never long enough, so her feet can be seen hanging at the edge of the bed.
Taking public transportation can also be quite a problem for Katie. Oftentimes, she couldn’t fit into the seats, and she usually bumps into other passengers. Once, she was criticized for “taking up too much space and being selfish.” The same goes for when she is in the cinema. Even when she is seated, she is very tall, which inevitably blocks other people’s views.
However, compared with these inconveniences, what Katie feels more uncomfortable about are the “unfriendly” or “malicious” looks people dart her way. When she was still a student, her classmates would always make snide remarks, give her several nicknames, and laugh at her. Additionally, her teacher did not feel any sympathy for her. Instead, she blamed her skirt for being too short.
Growing up, she still had to endure the impolite stares of others every time she walked around town. She would often hear people laughing behind her back and would secretly capture her in photographs. There was a time when she hated socializing. She hoped that she had an ordinary height so she could blend in with the crowd.
One aspect of her life made Katie feel miserable – she could not find a boyfriend. Her height was always a hindrance, and boys never dared to pursue Katie. She used to lie about her height on dating apps because she was afraid of being rejected. It’s not that she had never been in love. However, she has had a few relationships, none of which left her with lasting memories.
Katie dated a boy less than 5’3” (1.63 meters) tall but left her after the first date and said he no longer wanted to go out with her. When she reached her 20s, a boy refused to introduce her to his friends since he was “afraid of being laughed at.”
All these height disadvantages made Katie very sad. She felt like an outcast for some time. She has still not been able to completely get rid of that strange inferiority complex until now. Fortunately, she found a way to use it to her advantage. About 7 or 8 months ago, she started to run an Instagram account and shared photos and videos of her daily endeavors. She soon garnered over 870,000 fans and became a well-known online blogger.
Katie’s followers gave her a lot of encouragement. She gradually accepted her height and started to walk the streets with her head held high. She has begun focusing on the advantages of her towering height. “I am very useful at home. I don’t need a ladder to change light bulbs, and I can easily reach the top shelves in supermarkets.”
She has decided not to compromise herself in a relationship. “I don’t want to find someone who will hide me but someone who will be proud of me,” Katie said.
Katie strongly believes that people should be proud of what they possess and not focus on their disadvantages. “Everyone should embrace themselves and be proud,” a beaming Katie said.
Images credits: © Olivia West for The SUN U.S.
