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Well, tall people stick out. No pun intended. Is the average height taller? IDK. I've observed the same thing in various places. But I'm not sure that I'm not noticing the taller women and ignoring the shorter women.
However, in my family the generational change has been mixed. My Mom (5' 7") had 3 sisters. My brothers and I are within an inch of Dad's height (5' 11"). Her twin sister (5' 7") had 4 boys and 1 girl. The daughter at 6'0" is the "runt". All the "boys" grew to be over 6'4". My uncle is 5'10" to 5'11". Similar results from my other aunts. My cousins on my Dad's side of the family are pretty normal compared to their parents.
It does seem to me that each individual family has their own propensity to being taller, normal or even shorter. I've often wondered why the differences. But there are too many variables and too little actual data.
Yes, I've definitely noticed that, in general, women are taller these days than in the past. I'm in my mid-40's, and didn't notice taller women around that much until somewhere in the 200X's. Now, it seems everywhere I look many women are either my height or taller; I'm 5'10".
Lucy Lawless - i.e. Xena the Warrior Princess - is 5'10", which is tall for a woman. However, she seems to be bigger on the show than she probably actually is. A while back, she had a guest appearance on Larry David's show "Curb Your Enthusiasm", and didn't seem excessively tall - of course, LD is tall himself. It all depends on who you're standing next to.
Even 30 years ago it was still pretty rudimentary.
I'm 5'8 and the shortest one of all of my girlfriends.
We went into a crowded restaurant in Fort Lauderdale the other night at the hostess said she always recognizes our group because we are all so tall and gorgeous.
Not that I noticed this, but I noticed something similar.
As clearly a new race develops in the USA, as the result of continuous mix of races. Layman term - interbreeding.
So that new race is: tall, long and narrow foot, elongated head and, relatively to other races, ability to very wide open moth.
Otherwise, when do they start treating with steroids in the country? At age of 3? How many supplements does an average American take? Did you really think this won't reflect itself in phenotype?
I've noticed this...women, especially black women, are getting huge...and those who aren't exceptionally tall, attempt to make themselves so, by wearing high heels...I noticed now days the thing for these already huge women to elevate themselves over average height men by wearing high heels....its supposed to convey the illusion of enhanced power/superiority...and I noticed among these giant women, there is the increasing trend of laughing at and mocking short men in particular...oh but you had better not insinuate that you prefer fit women...then its "real men want meat not bones...and society & men put so much pressure on women about their body image" yada yada...but I hear these massive women ridiculing or parltronizing short men all the time...I've said this before, and I truly believe that these women confide in people like me their disdain for short men, because they think that since I'm tall, I will reflexively join in on the ridiculing of undersize (or often times, even statistically average size) men. Fortunately I'm taller than about 99% of women even when they're in heels...but there is a definite trend of physical growth among women today
Last edited by soletaire; 09-16-2015 at 09:15 AM..
Yes I've noticed it. When I was in high school (1967-1971), a tall girl was 5'6" or taller. Now that's about average, and there are a very large number of women around 5'10"-5'11", which would have been considered freakishly tall 50 years ago. (Love 'em.)
Exactly...a six-footer girl in my high school (1989-93) would have been a head-turner. Subject to calls of "Hey Stork" and "how's the weather up there" from other girls. And "Do you play basketball?"
Now six-footer don't even merit a second glance or any sort of comment. They are not noticed. And this change has occurred in only one generation. I for the the life of me cannot understand these posts who say they don't notice it. Wow. Where do you guys live? Small towns? Caves. Asian or Hispanic communities? Islands with pygmies? LOL>
My wife is 5'-11". Being 6'-4", this works for me.
I think if you look at the U.S. culture as opposed to Asian culture (for example) - there is a definite general difference in size. So I wouldn't be surprised if research found some reason in our food and water why this is the case.
hm.... I can't decide if this belongs in this forum, the food forum, the beauty forum, or "Current Events", or "Green Living" (critique of use of hormones in food). I don't think it belongs in Exercise and Fitness, though.
This didn't occur to me at the start of the thread, but now that I think about it I'm inclined to agree with Ruth4Truth. I don't see what this has to do with exercise.
However, the thread is still open, and remains on the Exercise and Fitness forum, so while we're on the subject, most people who agree with the OP's premise are basing this on their perceptions: how tall they remember women being some years ago versus their perception of how many very tall women there seem to be today. Subjective perception is not always accurate. How does this mesh with the several of us who say we have not noticed this trend?
Also, if you do a web search and read several articles about average height in the U.S., you'll find that statistics don't support the notion that there has been any dramatic increase in the height of either sex in the U.S. in recent times. Stats show that average height in the U.S. increased about an inch in roughly the first half of the 20th century and has remained approximately the same since c. 1950.
I suspect that there is some of this going on:
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Southpaw
Am I engaging in what they call "confirmation bias" when I see these tall women?
along with maybe some other flaws with drawing conclusions based on subjective observation.
I for the the life of me cannot understand these posts who say they don't notice it. Wow. Where do you guys live? Small towns? Caves. Asian or Hispanic communities? Islands with pygmies? LOL>
I dunno. Where do you live, in a town with a large community of Watusi immigrants?
As with a number of CD members' posts on this thread, both articles are based on the authors' subjective perceptions. The second article even seems as if the author could have some wishful-thinking social/political agenda rooted in the belief that women are headed toward equaling or exceeding men in height and in general being dominant over men.
The second article involves potentially controversial stuff that could really set off a firestorm if we discussed that further (and really would have nothing to do with the thread topic anyway), but the point is that the author of the second article not only has the subjective perception that women are getting taller, but even hints at wanting to believe this is the case. That's no basis for sound conclusions.
My wife is 5'-11". Being 6'-4", this works for me.
I think if you look at the U.S. culture as opposed to Asian culture (for example) - there is a definite general difference in size. So I wouldn't be surprised if research found some reason in our food and water why this is the case.
Interesting. Among the number of articles I've read about height in recent years, somewhere in there I read a study that determined that women are most attracted to men who are five inches taller than they are. I've never seen anything about men's preferences in the height of women compared to themselves, but in at least one direction you've got it exactly right!
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