The struggles tall girls face at Xavier

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Tatum Dial

Mrs. Ward and junior Caroline Hink stand back to back

There are many girls at Xavier that tower over teachers and Brophy students, almost reach the tops of doorways, and have trouble finding clothes to fit dresscode. As a fellow 5’8’’ citizen, I recognize the need to discuss the struggles that taller girls face on an everyday basis.

For example, having extremely long legs makes it difficult to find dresses and skirts that are longer to fit  strict dress code. This is because long legs give the allusion that the clothing piece is short and inappropriate.  Dresses for dances are required to be 3 inches above the middle of the knee which can be difficult for tall girls to find. Often, buying longer dresses can result in it not fitting in other areas.

Senior Lily Tierney, who is 5’ 10”, explained “I feel limited to what I can wear because I want to be appropriate.” It is important to dress in clothing that looks and feels comfortable for every situation but for taller girls, this can be a struggle. Tierney also said that out of fear for being dress coded, she “wore jeans when everyone else wore dresses” for a dance Freshman year. She felt left out because she could not wear what other people were wearing: short dresses.

Senior Helen Innes, a 5’8’’ student at Xavier, exclaimed “I have the hardest time finding jeans because if you want a longer jean then you have to get a size that’s too big for you.” Helen also explained that sweat pants also pose an issue for girls with longer legs because they are often too short and lay at an awkward length on the calf.

On the other hand, Innes said that being taller gives some advantages. For example, “sometimes you don’t have to alter formal dresses during prom season.”

As a senior, it’s a relief that the Brophy boys have finally caught up to us taller Xavier students. Not to worry tall freshwomen, those Brophy boys will soon catch up to you too.