Famously Tall

By Jenee Jemison

Famously Tall is a novel allowing others to view the world from the perspective of a six foot or taller individual. Sharing in life's experiences from the Author and other Six-foot and taller individuals. Exploring day to day living, shopping experiences, dating, and the many advantages and disadvantages of being Six foot or Taller. Not only does it allow others who are living this life daily to relate it also brings awareness to others that are not six foot or taller. Famously Tall also instills confidence and understanding in those who take the opportunity to read it. Promoting and supporting TALL Excellence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667875316

Book preview

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© 2022 Jenee Jemison

ISBN: 978-1-66-787531-6

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is dedicated to my son, Malachi G.

Table of Contents

Introduction

My Why

Don’t Allow Others to Define You!

What It’s Like to Be an Above-Average Person Six Feet and Taller in This World

Shopping They Never Fit

I Prefer the Entire Row

Don’t Talk about My Baby’s Shoes

Advantages and Disadvantages

There Is More to Height Than Basketball

Love & Relationships

Relationships

Confidence: Don’t Shrink Yourself

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Quite often we walk through life unaware of how we may make others feel due to the lack of knowledge we have about other individuals who differ from us in any way.

Why do we do this? Because it doesn’t personally or directly affect us. For instance, a man may lack knowledge of a woman. He may in turn ask questions or say things that seem quite ignorant to her. This may leave the woman wondering what made him even think to say or ask such a thing. 

Is it just me? Are you ever approached by someone who differs from you in some way and decides to make a comment or ask a question that wouldn’t necessarily classify as the most thoughtful? And when you walked away from that conversation, did you pause and ask yourself Did that really just happen? Believe it or not, this happens all too often to people of tall stature; many people lack awareness when it comes to individuals who are six feet or taller, to be exact. Maybe you’re not six feet or taller and haven’t experienced such a thing. Maybe you are guilty of being the person who approaches us tall people and stops us from completing our urgent errands on time.

Maybe you’re guilty of making a funny or trying to hit on a tall woman with a basketball pickup line or even putting pressure on that tall young man or lady to play basketball when a tall individual has more to offer than a post-up move or outstanding defense.

When you are an individual of great height you are often approached no fewer than five times a day by strangers who ask, say and do as they please, sometimes leaving you baffled and wondering Did this person really just say that to me? We think it more times than not. Imagine getting out of your car and someone stops and stares.

Man, please tell me you hoop.

Now that I have learned to not allow this to phase me, I say, No, I was a cheerleader and on the top of the pyramid because it is easier for me to climb up there. I can never hold it together because it cracks me up how disappointed others get when I say that as if I am not supposed to do anything outside the sport of basketball.

The consensus is that we hardly ever react to these situations negatively because somewhere in the book of height there’s a rule: No matter what people say or do or how they make you feel, keep smiling and be polite. When this conversation comes up with other tall individuals this is what we feel we must do. Why? Because throughout our entire lives we have been prejudged and labeled before we even spoke or entered a room.

To the world we are scary and mean and just too much to be around. So, to do away with that stereotype we come in our sweetest form and speak to others as if we wouldn’t rather be doing something else. I believe people forget we are human too and have feelings as well—we are not an artifact for their amusement. Sometimes we would love to go just one day without interruption and get our errands run or enjoy a time-out. We don’t want to hold a seminar every time we leave the house on how tall we are, if we play sports, and if we don’t, how dare we waste our height. We can’t have a bad day or look rough because every day we get up and decide to leave our home we have an unscheduled and unpaid press conference to attend.

I am Jenee’, and I took it upon myself to dive deeper into my experiences as an individual six feet four inches tall in a world made for average-height individuals. I have included in this book a few conversations I had with other men and women six feet and taller from all over about their experiences. I wrote Famously Tall so someone who may lack knowledge of what it’s like to live in an average-height world as a six-footer may gain understanding. For the young man or lady finding it difficult to embrace their height, I hope this will help you find the confidence others did not have at your age. To the parent of a tall child, I hope this will help you better prepare to speak to your child about their height and to ignite