How come tall women appear taller than a man of equal height?
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Forget heels i’m just talking about normal barefoot or regular shoes. For example a 5′10 or 5′11 girl to me seems taller than 5′10 or 5′11 man.Big boned tall women appear even more taller as well. Would like your opinion on this.
I believe that it has to do with how we interpret things we’ve seen on a cognitive level, in other words we’ve become used to seeing ladies as being considerably shorter than men on average, thus when we see one who is to the right of the curve, we interpret this as her “appearing taller.” We don’t adjust for the fact that the man is the same height, but instead we perceive her as being “taller” than the corresponding male of the same height. I don’t believe that cognitive psychology holds much water but it’s, perhaps, the best theory that I can come up with (until more sophisticated imaging can come up with the real answer). Excellent question.
13 Responses to “How come tall women appear taller than a man of equal height?”
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March 31st, 2009 at 2:24 am
Not to me they don't. You are imagining things. That's my opinion.
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March 31st, 2009 at 3:14 am
Yeah I know what you mean. I have noticed that too. Most of the time girls have more legs than guys. Most people dont realize it but when someone is tall because they have long legs then they will appear taller than someone who is tall bc they have the same amount of upper body as leg or they have more upper body than leg. I appear taller than a lot of boys but its just bc I have long legs like most tall girls do, and they just have like torso or something.
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March 31st, 2009 at 3:48 am
Are you sure these men are actually telling the truth about their height?
I'm 5'9" and more than once I've been told by a guy or his 5'2" girlfriend that he was 6" when in reality we were eye level. Women who are 5'7"+ are tall for their gender and not likely to fudge the numbers. Guys who are 5'10" are average and may want to make themselves seem taller.
I've also had legitimately tall guys assume I'm taller than I am, even though I'm not a constant heel wearer. I think they may be so used to seeing the top of women's heads that a taller woman seems closer to them in height than a man of the same height.
ETA: I am really starting to wonder who Bill G knows. 2" platforms and teased hair?
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March 31st, 2009 at 3:53 am
I believe that it has to do with how we interpret things we've seen on a cognitive level, in other words we've become used to seeing ladies as being considerably shorter than men on average, thus when we see one who is to the right of the curve, we interpret this as her "appearing taller." We don't adjust for the fact that the man is the same height, but instead we perceive her as being "taller" than the corresponding male of the same height. I don't believe that cognitive psychology holds much water but it's, perhaps, the best theory that I can come up with (until more sophisticated imaging can come up with the real answer).
Excellent question.
References :
Symmetry, Causality, Mind. M. Leyton.
March 31st, 2009 at 4:02 am
I'm 5'10 and look down on most women and men my height are looking up at most men. Its an optical illusion, that's my guess anyway. lol You should see me rock my 6 inch sling backs, its f**king awesome.
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March 31st, 2009 at 4:11 am
That's just your mind perceiving the superiority of the Amazon.
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March 31st, 2009 at 4:23 am
I think it's because a lot of women appear thinner than men of equal height. Even though I am taller than my BF (only by about 1/2 inch) I appear taller than him mostly because I am a lot thinner than him.
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5"11 woman
March 31st, 2009 at 5:05 am
First the shoes. Even if they're not wearing heels. Women wear shoes with platforms or clogs ( 2" there ). Then the doo. Teased, piled up on their heads, wigs, another ( 2" there ) So if the dude isn't 4" taller. Wearing his sneakers and buzz cut. It looks like he's standing in a hole.
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March 31st, 2009 at 5:13 am
I don't know why ,but there seems to be an optical illusion when a person has longer legs. That is what I'm assuming. A woman who is tall probably has really long legs, whereas, a man that is equal height might not have as long legs, but has a longer torso, therefore being the same height, while that some woman who has the long legs, has a short torso, so it evens out and they are the same height. For some reason, visually a person with long limbs seems taller than a person of equal height with short limbs, but long torso.
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March 31st, 2009 at 5:35 am
Because not many women are very tall.
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March 31st, 2009 at 5:56 am
I don't know. My husband and I are both about six feet tall. The only way one of us is taller than the other depends on who is wearing the higher heels at the time.
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March 31st, 2009 at 6:15 am
heals duh
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March 31st, 2009 at 6:53 am
Men, specifically teenagers, tend to slouch more than women. This makes them seem shorter.
Good posture, no matter your height, will always make people seem taller.
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