Tall Girl – …on the B.L.

11… Struggles of Being a Tall Girl

July 20, 2020July 20, 2020 RaeAnna

I have finally found jumpsuits that don’t give me a 180 wedgie!

I’m really loving these jumpsuit pictures. | Shoes | Earrings

Average Height of All Men: 5’9 or 5’6” (depending on what source you choose)
Average Height of American Men: 5’10” (almost)
Average Height of All Women: 5’3”
Average Height of American Women: 5’4”
Average Height of Women Supermodels: 5’9″
My Height: 5’10”

To be considered a tall woman in the United States, she must achieve 5’7” in vertical talent. I’m three inches more talented than that. Also, I’m taller than a lot of models. Hello, Ford Models! I’m waiting for my contract.

National and international heights are trending upwards. Over the last 150 years, the average height for people living in industrialized nations has increased by FOUR inches. Evolution plays a part in the height increase because ladies like the tall guys, and tall guys usually make tall or tallish humans. However, evolution doesn’t play a big enough part in the equation to explain an increase of four inches in such a short period of time. Nutrition is the key component. For most of history, food was not readily available, and the first modern, one-stop American grocery store didn’t open until August 1930. Dying of hunger was a pretty common reason for death for a long time. If you wanted to eat, you had to hunt, gather, farm, or steal it. As food became more accessible, children started eating regular meals. Well fed children are healthier children, and those children grow the way they’re supposed to into non-stunted adults. Food isn’t just more accessible, it’s more nutritious than it was before because technology. There’s a lot of really interesting proof and resources on the subject, but back to me!

I guess my parents fed me because I’m a tall lady. The funny thing is I’m the short one on my dad’s side of the family. My aunt is 6’ tall and my cousin (her daughter) is well on her way. Growing up I was never tall for my age. When most girls stopped growing between 13 and 15, I kept growing for another six years. I started being “tall” my sophomore year in high school. By the time I was a senior, I was one of the tallest girls in school and there were 1,500 students. I stopped growing at 21. In college, my friends were shocked I was still growing out of pants for reasons other than I had an obsession with chocolate milk, candy, and cake. My feet stopped growing when I was 13… My body is and always has been confused.

I love being tall for so many reasons. I don’t need to ask people to get things off the top shelf. I have a great line of sight pretty much everywhere. There are some real downsides, though.

Jumpsuits!!! I hated on jumpsuits for a long time when they came back into style. Not because I didn’t like them, but because they didn’t like me. I was like the mean girl in high school when it came to jumpsuits. Being tall, jumpsuits are not usually designed with me in mind, and I don’t have the budget to buy jumpsuits designed for supermodels. Not only is it a wedgie in the back, it’s a wedgie in the front. 180° wedgie. Cute. In the last year or so, brands have started making jumpsuits for tall girls. Old Navy, Aerie, I’m looking at you. I can now enjoy them!!!! And they’re great. Ugh, finally I can stop being mean to jumpsuits.
I REALLY AM 5’10” This may just be me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m curvy or proportional or my personality or what it is, but people will argue with me about how tall I am… Even in person! Over the interwebs, fine whatever. I don’t care. But when I’m right in front of you! Ugh. I am actually 5’10”. I’ve had 5’8” (other heights too, but it’s almost always someone around the 5’8” range that wants to prove to me they’re taller. No you’re not. I’ll sit on you, stop.) men and women try to argue that I’m definitely shorter than them. When we go back to back and their hand comes halfway up my head, they eat shit! Because I am taller than them. Ha! I don’t know why this irritates me so much. It really doesn’t matter. Being tall doesn’t make me or anyone else better than anyone else, but some people really want to argue that I’m not tall because I don’t look tall… Sorry not all 5’10” girls look like Victoria’s Secret models. Which speaks to the fact Victoria’s Secret really needs to diversify their angels. Come on guys (and yes dudes, they’re in charge), it’s 2020.
Sometimes I want to feel small. I don’t know why, but sometimes I just want to feel little. Maybe this just has to do with sex. Watch TV or movies. Sexy scenes dudes are picking up girls and walking to the bedroom or pushing them up against a wall or a door or a whatever. It just doesn’t work with a tall girl. The legs go everywhere. Or maybe I need to diddle stronger dudes. You’re welcome for too much information.
Pants I am a vocal opponent of pants, but I wear them far more than I would like to. In order to wear them, I have to find ones that fit. I have curves aka an ass and hips. For some reason, most brands don’t make pants for tall girls with an ass in a size 4 or 6. It’s super frustrating. Where am I supposed to put this butt? Obviously not in these pants.
Dating… I’m taller than the average man in the United States (and world but I’ve not had the opportunity to date internationally yet), which means over half of the guys in this country are shorter than me by a little or a lot. I don’t mind dating short guys. Most of the guys I have dated are shorter than me. My current boyfriend and I are basically the same height (he’s actually shorter, but I’m sparing his feelings by saying we’re basically the same height), so when I put heels on, we’re in different elevation zones. It seems like the taller the guy the shorter the girl. My brother (6’2”) married a 5’½” woman. Look at professional athletes… Point proven. After dating a guy who was 5’5” – on a good day – it’s better for my back to date taller guys, which is why tall guys should date tall girls: I’M GOOD FOR YOUR BACK!!! THINK OF OLD YOU, PICK ME!
Dresses… Maxi dresses are my favorite because they make me feel like a classy lady even though I’m absolutely bonkers. Maxi dresses are not practical in most situations, but it’s hard finding short dresses that don’t also show off my labia. (Spanx are my best friend for this reason and the chafe.) Even maxi dresses are hard because they’re never quite long enough. I end up buying tea length dresses because it cuts down on the voyeurism. Just forget clubbing dresses. That’s a hard nope. I’ve seen strippers with less visible skin than me in a minidress.
Men get weirdly competitive. Sometimes when dudes are shorter than me, they get competitive about all sorts of random shit. Maybe they’re trying to prove their masculinity because I have somehow demasculinized them with my height. Whatever it is, it’s weird and usually mean and/or super disrespectful.
Economy on an airplane is really fucking tight. This is not exclusively for ladies. It’s inclusive for all tall people. It’s tight. It’s uncomfortable. I feel like I’m eating my knees. Also car rides in the backseat. Really any place with a minimal amount of leg room.
Gal pal pictures are weird. I love my girlfriends. They’re amazing, but almost all of them are significantly shorter than me. My very best friend is exactly my height. I have an Aussi friend here in Houston who is taller than me. A friend from college was taller. That’s it. Most everyone else is under 5’4”. Do I strike a sorority girl pose so we’re all the same height? Slouch and look lumpy and frumpilicious? Or do I stand normally and be super tall and have them use my boobies as pillows? I don’t have the answer, I’m genuinely asking what looks better.
Defined waistlines… I love them because they cinchy-cinch my waist and draw attention to my hourglass shape. Yay! …Except defined waistlines are put into dresses based on average height ladies. So almost all defined waists hit me in an unflattering space between an empire waist and the fourth and sixth rib. It’s not cute. It doesn’t even make me look like I have Amazonian legs… It just makes me look fatter than I am. It took me a long time to just put dresses back when the waist doesn’t hit AT my waist. Heartbreaking but the best choice for looking like I know how to shop for my body.
Barres are not made for me. I trained to be a ballerina for a long time. I have recently started taking barre and ballet classes again. I’m taller now than I was in my ballet days (remember, I kept growing until I was 21), and barres are not set at appropriate heights for tall ladies. While everyone else is enjoying their average height barre, I’m bending over trying to reach it, not getting any stretch, or just balancing on my own because it’s useless.

If you haven’t noticed, I didn’t put heels on this list because I don’t find heels to be a struggle. I love heels. I have always loved heels. I’m going to wear them even though they make me very, very, very tall. Even when I dated the 5’5” dude, wore heels! It’s not a struggle. It’s great! Many other tall ladies feel selfconscious in heels, and I don’t think they should be. If they want to wear heels, wear the damn heels. Because one day we’ll be old and have old lady knees, and we shouldn’t walk around in our orthopedic shoes saying we wish we would’ve worn those cute shoes.

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Books, NonFiction

Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer

March 31, 2020 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Yes
Length 291
Quick Review The closest thing to porn I’ve ever read for a word-nerd.

wp-1585270936862 — Posing with my friend’s flowers in a very writer like pose with Dreyer’s English. | Dress | Fascinator | Earrings | Lipstick |

I love everything about language. How it functions. How it changes. How it’s used. How it can be manipulated. I think it’s fascinating on every level. Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer is my version of porn. It’s an amazing book for language lovers, seasoned writers, author hopefuls, and everyone in between. We’re all writers; we do it every day in emails, text messages, proposals, and more.

Dreyer’s English is my favorite style guide I’ve encountered. It’s not as thick, all-encompassing, or menacing as the MLA, AP, or any other style guide because it’s for writers who want to write. Dreyer writes with a sense of humor. He simultaneously says his way is the best and also allows for every other writer/copyeditor/reader/editor/person to have their own preferences — outside of the Oxford comma — because, if we’re being honest, writing and language are an art and inherently subjective. Do not glaze over the footnotes; they are amazing, full of wit, side remarks, random tidbits, and even mentions notes his copyeditor jotted to him. Gold. Amazing quotes and excerpts from books and media of all genres and eras are used as good and bad examples throughout. Unsurprisingly, Dreyer’s vast vocabulary makes the book even more entertaining to read. It’s unusual I come across a word I don’t know, but I came across a handful I had to look up.

One of the first sections of the book speaks to breaking rules because that is exactly what artists do, and great writers are artists, “…Great Nonrules of the English Language. You’ve encountered all of these; likely you were taught them in school. I’d like you to free yourself of them.”. Dreyer wants writers to know the rules and break them. He also wants writers to know the stupid rules, which should have never been rules to begin with because there are a great many of those. I was lucky to have brilliant professors who told me a lot of the rules were archaic and stupid, and many of the other rules are breakable. The few things they didn’t teach me, I learned through trial and error as a writer typing, reading, editing, deleting, and retyping my work. One of the best pieces of advice I learned, Dreyer pointed out more than once, “One of the best ways to determine whether your prose is well-constructed is to read it aloud.” Learning is done through visuals, and Dreyer’s English is littered with bad versions and good versions of sentences. My particular favorite is the correction from: “A mother’s responsibilities are to cook, clean, and the raising of the children” to the much better grammatically and societally: “A father’s responsibilities are to cook, to clean, and to raise the children.” Another fun example mentions my home-state’s capital, “I think of the Internet as a real place, as real as or realer than Des Moines.” It may not be a totally fabulous nod in Iowa’s direction, but it is a nod.

There’s one thing I always look for in grammar guides: The writer’s opinion on the series comma, or Oxford comma. I’m a groupie of the comma, and anyone who disagrees is an idiot. Luckily, Dreyer is not an idiot and had my vote of confidence when he said, “I don’t want to belabor the point; neither am I willing to negotiate it. Only godless savages eschew the series comma.” Not only does he advocate for the appropriate way to write a series, his advice is spot on, in my humble opinion. I have told every. single. writer. I have ever worked with the same. exact. advice. found in Chapter 1 — and to delete “that” from 98% of their writing. The only thing I disagree with Dreyer on is using an apostrophe s to show possession after words ending in s. (I argue “Jesus’ fish” not “Jesus’s fish” looks better, Mr. Dreyer.)

Language and grammar are political. I took an entire college class on the subject. Dreyer does not come out and say so in Dreyer’s English, but through his footnotes, writing, side comments, and examples, it is clear grammar and language are political.

By the way… GET RID OF THE DOUBLE SPACE AFTER THE PERIOD. It’s been out for a very long time, but some people still do it. It drives me crazy. Benjamin Dreyer is copy chief of Random House. He is literally in charge of grammar at the publishing house. If you don’t want to listen to little old me, listen to him. Also use the Oxford comma. Benjamin Dreyer, the big boss, says so.

I loved reading Dreyer’s English. It’s my kind of porn, or as other people would call it, an accessible and entertaining guide to using the English language. Benjamin Dreyer is funny and smart, while also being relatable. He doesn’t mind letting his inner nerd shine through, which makes him even more relatable to me because I also do this: “Sometimes I’ll read old books as much for the pleasure of their old-fashioned stylistic oddities as for their actual content. We all have our own fun.”

Memorable Quotes
“Copyediting is a knack. It requires a good ear for how language sounds and a good eye for how it manifests itself on the page; it demands an ability to listen to what writers are attempting to do and, hopefully and helpfully, the means to augment it.”
“As much as I like a good rule, I’m an enthusiastic subscriber to the notion of “rules are meant to be broken” — once you’ve learned them, I hasten to add.”

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: Dreyer’s English; An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style
Author: Benjamin Dreyer
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780812995701

11..., Lifestyle

11… Books for Women’s History Month

March 16, 2020March 15, 2020 RaeAnna

Hanging out in the Iowa State Law Library in Des Moines, Iowa. | Skirt | Sweater | Shoes |

Every year, I like to read books dedicated to a few of the heritage months. Last month, I did not read as much for Black History Month as I’d hoped, oh well. I use the heritage months as a way to educate myself.

The one month I don’t celebrate through my reading list is Women’s History Month. I don’t need to. Not that I’m the most educated person on the topic, most of the books I crack are written by and about women. I find them more interesting. Gender studies is one of my favorite topics to read about. I tend to have to go out of my way to read books by and about men in the fiction genre – history is another story altogether. I just don’t care as much about the protagonists when they’re men. Sorry, but not actually. I have always thought a woman’s story, no matter who she is/was, is far more engaging to me than those of men. Men are great, sure, but I’d rather spend my time reading about my people.

I completely and full-heartedly support Women’s History Month, but I don’t make a point of dedicating my reading list to it. My entire reading list, all year long is a devotion to women, our history, our issues, our future. If you want to read more books about and by women, here are eleven of the books and authors who opened my mind and enthralled me as a young reader, as a student, and as an adult!

Rose in Bloom Louisa May Alcott
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Harriet Jacobs
The Awakening Kate Chopin
Funny in Farsi Firoozeh Dumas
All The Single Ladies Rebecca Traister
Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Reading Lolita in Tehran Azar Nafisi
Homegoing Yaa Gyasi
Herland Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Second Sex Simone de Beauvoir
To the Lighthouse Virginia Woolf

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

Books, Fiction

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

February 20, 2020 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Yes
Length 406
Quick Review Delving into magical realism and familiar themes of justice, humanity, freedom, and equality, the era of slavery is raging in Ta-Nehisi Coates debut novel.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates in Galveston, Texas | Dress |

Ta-Nehisi Coates’ writes incredible essays and nonfiction, which are entertaining and thought provoking. I couldn’t wait to see what Coates would do in a world he created himself. Set in pre-Civil War Virginia, The Water Dancer is an impressive piece of fiction.

Hiram Walker is the son of a slave and the Lockless plantation owner. His mother was sold when he was young, and he was taken in and raised by another slave on the plantation. The community is made up of Quality, slave/land owners, the Tasked, slaves, and classless whites. Hiram is an exceptional human because of his photogenic memory, but he also possesses the gift of conduction, the ability to travel across great distance through waterways. He eventually travels to Philadelphia through the Underground Railroad, where he meets Moses, a legendary Underground member.

One of my favorite parts about the story is the way it is framed and told. Coates introduces Hiram in a death scene in chapter one. It captures the readers’ attention and holds it. There are also breaks in the narrative, where Hiram speaks as an older wiser man reminiscing about his younger years and even to speak directly to the reader. There is a lot of dependence on mysticism and suspension of reality. Coates shows the evils of slavery through the eyes of a slave. He also shows the entire society was trapped in the horrific cycle. Everyone suffered. No one was free.

Story wise, it’s very interesting, well thought out, and thoroughly researched. Honestly, it’s rather forgettable. I’m having a hard time writing a decent or even remotely in depth review because it did not sweep me along. I read it and had to make myself keep reading. It’s not a novel I just had to know what happened. I remember the beginning far more than the ending.

The Water Dancer is a combination of intriguing, boring, and well done. To be honest, it’s really hard calling, the beloved writer, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ prose boring, but it was. I thought it dragged on and on at times. Maybe part of it is that I don’t really like fantasy. I’ve never been a huge fan, and this is very much a fantasy novel. Although, I don’t think that has much to do with it. The fantasy bits were interesting and did not overwhelm the plot.

Memorable Quotes
“She’d gone from that warm quilt of memory to the cold library of fact.”
“I was a man well regarded in slavery, which is to say I was never regarded as a man at all.”

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: The Water Dancer
Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Publisher: One World
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780399590597

11..., Lifestyle, Style

11… Holiday Outfits

December 31, 2019 RaeAnna

Happy Holiday Season and 11…

I’m behind because the internet has sucked EVERYWHERE!!! I’ve also been disinclined to work. So here are 11… Holiday Outfits I Love. I wore them all this year. They’re cute and festive.

1. Holly Jolly Pajamas
Okay… This Holly Jolly sweatshirt isn’t technically pajamas, but I love it! It looks so cute with the candy cane striped flannel shorts. Beau loves her jammies. And my socks kept me warm!

2. Green Turtleneck Sweater Dress & Red Flannel
I love comfy yet festive. I do live in my pajamas, so sweater dresses feel like an extension of that. This cute green turtleneck sweater dress is amazing. I love tying a red flannel shirt at my waist. Over the knee black boots keep my legs warm, and a chunky hat keeps me cute and cozy. A sparkly touch is a cute pear shaped sapphire necklace and earrings.

3. Vintage Burgundy Off-the-Shoulder Dress
I love this dress!!! It’s so cute and vintage. I’m always shocked when defined waist dresses actually fit me because I’m so tall. The green art deco earrings are gorgeous. Paired with silver heels and a rose gold watch, it’s perfectly simple yet classic and classy.

4. Casual Green on Green
I am super obsessed with casual jersey dresses, flannel shirts, over the knee boots, and chunky knit hats. Obviously I combined them into a Christmas picture!

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5. Sparkly Candy Cane Dress
I LOVE THIS DRESS!!! Who doesn’t want a ridiculously sparkly candy cane dress for Christmas? Pair it with rose gold sparkle shoes to be extra disco bally. I love my new black glasses. A cute velvet bow and dangly earrings make it perfect.

6. Backless Velvet Bodysuit & Taffeta Skirt
This was one of my favorite Christmas outfits last year. The burgundy velvet bodysuit is backless with black trim and it’s amazingly Christmassy!!! I also love the green taffeta skirt. Nude heels let the outfit shine. Pair with a cute rose gold watch.

7. Cozy Statement Outfit
I love this outfit. It’s festive without being blaringly Christmas or New Year’s Evy. This purple satin skirt is so cute and comfy. I love pairing it with a chunky over sized sweater. Sparkly bootie heels are the perfect glam factor. My black glasses are nerd chic. An understated pink scarf and cute snowflake earrings tie it all together.

8. Classic White
This is probably my favorite outfit ever. This white and black skirt is perfect, and it’s amazing to twirl in. I paired it with a simple white turtleneck. To make it festive and pop, red high heels.

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9. Vintage Green Dress
This is such a fun green, 50s style dress. It’s simple and comfortable. Paired with red high heels it’s very festive. Blue pear shaped earrings and necklace with a rose gold watch is elegant and cute.

10. Buffalo Plaid
Buffalo plaid flannel shirts are so wintery. I love tying it at the waist with a black jersey dress. Over the knee boots and my smart watch make it a casual look for the winter season, while still being comfy and warm.

11. Blue Tartan Wool Skirt
Wool skirts might be old fashioned, but they’re beautiful. I love this blue tartan wool skirt; it has pockets!!! A cute blue shirt, silver high heels, basic white earrings, and a silver watch make it wintery and festive without loud and obnoxious.

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bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

Experiences, Style, Travel

So Long, Jacksonville

August 28, 2019September 20, 2019 RaeAnna

At Bush International Airport bright and early to fly to Jacksonville. I DID pair a Spider-Man tee with a Pink Satin Pleated Midi Skirt! I’m so avant garde! | Shoes | Suitcase | Sweater | Purse | Belt | Earrings | Watch |

I love traveling. Obviously. I do it all the time. I last left Jacksonville a month and four days ago, so why am I back so soon?

Jacksonville, North Carolina is an interesting place. I was not immediately smitten. The process took a few years. Situated in swamplandia, it’s not much to look at. Their main claim to fame is the Marine Base: Camp LeJeune. Like most military towns, there is an abundance of strip clubs, pawn shops, used car dealerships, tattoo parlors, and barbershops because what else could a young military man want (and I do mean man, well maybe guy). The average age of the town can’t be more than 25 because the military is notoriously young. The natives are ambivalent towards the transient military community, but they manage to coexist in the dysfunctionally-functional way people trend toward. When a civilian finds out I’m in town visiting a guy in the military, their eyes glaze over and I receive a cursory nod and “Oh…” before they move on to more interesting clichés of life. Wealth is not evident, and the town feels like it would immediately implode if the military ever forsook them. There are pieces of history and beauty scattered throughout. A river runs through downtown on its way to the ocean, where you can find a wooden boardwalk sloping from age and water. A cobblestone block runs in front of a cute café. Historic buildings, Victorian homes with wrap around porches, and a white-steepled church make the area quintessentially small town cute. It did take me four and a half years to find this spot in town devoid of strip malls and other less than tasteful establishments.

All of that said, I have a warm spot in my heart for this hiccup of place. What the town lacks, nature makes up for. People are genuinely kind, whether I’m military adjacent or not. Many are far from home, hailing from every nook and cranny of the country. Where the city stops, the ocean and forest immediately begin. You don’t have to drive more than fifteen minutes to find a beach. If you’re willing to go a little farther, you can find lighthouses and islands and the North Carolina of postcards.

The small town cute in downtown Jacksonville.

I have no desire to live in Jacksonville. There is a HUGE chance, I’ll never be within city limits after this trip is done.

I’ve been a frequent and enthusiastic visitor to Jacksonville, Camp LeJeune, and MCAS New River because it has been home to my best friend for five and a half years. After finishing boot camp and his MOS training, he was stationed as a helicopter mechanic at MCAS New River. I visited him for the first time in Jacksonville exactly five years ago to the day for Labor Day weekend. We went to beaches and reconnected after eight months apart. My life has changed immensely in those five years. I quit my jobs in downtown Chicago’s corporate America, which allowed me to see him more often and for longer. I started freelancing – aka bartending to pay the bills. I moved to Houston and freelanced – for realsies, no bartending necessary. I began a blog. I started traveling even more. I adopted a dog. I rediscovered the fuel of my spirit. Alex and I fell apart and reconnected. It’s been a journey.

Throughout it all, I’ve been a regular visitor to Jacksonville, North Carolina. But this is my last trip. I’m not ditching Alex for a sparkly new best friend forever and always. He is leaving the Marines behind him. In a few days, he will be discharged after six years honorable years of service, three deployments, and a lot of sleepless nights to start his life a civilian somewhere in the world. I’ll have a new place to frequently and enthusiastically visit.

So this is a last minute farewell tour of a town I would have never gotten to know or grown to love if it weren’t for the Marines.

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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