I’m 5′ 11″. When anyone asks how tall I am, I say, “Right around 6′ tall.” It’s just easier to say that.
I love my height!
In high school, I wasn’t so sure. I was taller than most of my classmates, and I felt a little self conscious about it. But then college came, and I found myself embracing my height more and more.
Today, I wear high heels just like any other woman. I love my height. I love celebrating it. And I am not afraid to wear high heels.
So all that said, last night was the first time I actually snapped at a patron while I was bartending. But this woman just finally pissed me off enough that I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
She kept telling me stand up straight. Put my shoulders back.
This happened probably five times over the course of the time she was there.
I finally just walked away. I was done with her. Right as they left I didn’t have much choice but to go past them and once again she tells me stand up straight. I went, “Look. I’ll stand how I want to stand.” She said I should be proud of my height. I should be proud of “the girls” and get them out there.
“I’ve been where you are. It took me years to be proud to be tall.”
I went, “I AM proud to be tall. I wear heels all the time!” (Her husband went, “Yeah!” And fist bumped with me at that. Ha!) “I love my height and I embrace it!”
I was going, “HOW DARE YOU!?” Oh I was angry by the time she finally left. I finally shook my head and walked away. Her husband was SO nice, and he sorta tried to smooth things over, but I was done. I was glad they were leaving, because I was just DONE.
In hind sight I wish I’d told her she wasn’t my mother. In hind sight I wish I’d said, “Thank you for your advice, but you don’t know me. And I don’t appreciate your ‘advice.'” In hind sight, I wish I’d walked away a lot sooner and ignored her blatantly the entire time.
My husband got to hear me rant after they left. I pointed out I never talk back to patrons, but she’d pushed my button one time too many. My husband finally went, “She doesn’t know you. You ARE standing up straight. You DO love your height. She is clueless.” I nodded in agreement and eventually let it go (until I started to write this.)
Do I have perfect posture? No… I admit that. But I love being tall. I know that in her mind, she was giving me some sort of epiphany. In my mind, she was a meddling little “thinks-she-knows-it” all that needed to get off my back.
Literally.
Yay, Denise, go girl girl and tell Craig I said so. If you were in the office right now I’d have a blog for you to go with this one. But of course that is another story. Yes, we don’t talk back to our clients/customers. Although I’m not sure why people chose to push our buttons. Yes, they probably don’t realize it isn’t any of their business. I know you do a good job and you keep your shoulder high. Be proud and continue to do. Love you!!
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Oh my! I think I’d have given her a LOOK and been like, “Excuse me?!” And then I’d probably ask her where on earth she got it in her head that I needed to be told that. Ugh. Soooome people. Good for you for standing up for yourself (LOL pardon the pun).