Tall Women Can Be Lovely
 

     Many tall girls and women write me that they have complexes, are self-conscious and have developed poor posture because of their height This always makes me sad because it seems such a shame to measure living in how tall or short one is. And also because the woman who is above average in height can be so stunning looking!

For your comfort let me_ tell you that tall women marry, have careers and jobs in the same proportion others do, and that in some instances, their height is an asset. Extra height is a requirement for clothes models and photographer's models and for show girls. Most employers prefer tall receptionists and many men find tall women attractive. This proves how good looking tall women are. Nevertheless the tall women should realize that her height does make her stand out in any gathering, but that this too can be an asset. After gaining attention with no effort, she should make the most of it. Lovely posture and the right kind of clothes are essential for success. 'You are doomed to failure if you try to look cuddly, whack off your skirts just below your knees, because somebody told you that this would minimize your height, and pull your chin down to your chest and your ribs down, toward your tummy, in an attempt to look shorter than you are. A queenly, graceful carriage and clothes that suit you will allow you to make an impact on others no shorter woman can achieve. I had the most interesting talk in New York the other day with Peg Newton, who opened her shop "Tall Gal's Haven," about 13 years ago. Often the most successful and certainly the most interesting businesses, start because of an. individual need and grow naturally because many others have the same need.

Miss Newton herself is six feet tall in heels, five feet, ten inches tall in stocking feet. By the time she was 13 years old she had gained her full stature. You can imagine the problems she had in buying clothes to fit her correctly. She began making her own clothes: However she discovered that even patterns are wrong for the tall gal, and learned to make her own patterns. I think this is an interesting fact which few women realize. The tall woman is taller all over. Peg found that a tall girl's bust line is an inch lower than average, and that her maximum hipline is one inch lower than average. When an inch or so are added at the wrist of a sleeve, the dart at the elbow is too high. In other words, she solved her own problems of dress so successfully that friends and acquaintances that were above average in height began asking her to help them.

By Josephine Lowman
The Charleston Gazette
November 2nd, 1952

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