“I have been mocked and bullied since fourth grade as I was the tallest in a class of 30 boys and nine girls. I was labelled the ‘tall girl with long hair’ and I am sure my teachers still recognize me by that. Stepping out of my house also became tricky as I invited a lot of stares.
When I wore my first pair of wedges in fifth grade, a group of boys thought it was funny to mock my height, slap my back and casually laugh it off. It broke me and I vowed to never wear a pair of heels again.
It bothered me how everyone thought it was okay to judge and lash rude comments because I looked different. I was barely 15 when relatives started taunting my parents about how it would be a challenge to find me a suitable groom. It took me a lot of time to understand that the only thing that mattered was love. Had it not been for the constant love, support and encouragement from my mother, cousins and husband, it would have been difficult journey. My mother being a tall person herself, made sure I never let the pressure get to me!
I learned to give it back to people. Once, I even asked a boy to start drinking Complan to become taller! The bullying I went through led to trauma and insecurity and left me with physiological and psychological problems. All the hunching I did in a vain attempt to fit in, hurt my back. I had to take a break from work and the self-blaming only made things worse.
When I was about to get married, people told my fiancé to wear heels so that he looked taller than me in pictures. But he was someone who gave it back and told them how he “looks up to me.” When we have set unfair standards that require women to be shorter and men to be earning more than their partner. It’s not just unfair for the girl, but also adds undue pressure on men.
We, as a society, do not realize the damage we cause by commenting on people. It breaks them and causes self-doubt. I hope we stop trying to fit people under stereotypes and instead celebrate the individuality of every person!”

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