S/o how tall are you? Are Jewish women really shorter

amother

Lawngreen

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:19 am

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

I’m wondering where you shop. I’m 5’1” and always have to hem dresses and skirts from jewish stores. Knee length clothes are a long midi length on me. The current midi lengths that are now sold are maxi length for me. It’s really hard to shop. It always made me feel extremely short.

I’m 5’3” and they fit me perfectly. I’ve always considered myself short and wondered what the taller people wore.

It’s definitely easier to hem than it is to lengthen.

Crookshanks

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:22 am

amother [ Periwinkle ] wrote:

I think its location dependent. Exposure to sunlight and physical activity have an effect on height - minimal effect but still an effect. It can play into making a 1-2" difference in height. Add that slight difference into a few generations and it becomes significant.

From my personal observation, the communities that expose their children less to sun and physical activity have shorter kids. There are more shorter Jewish kids in Brooklyn than there are in FL or CA (relative to population). I have also seen a drop in the average height in my Brooklyn community from my generation to the next. The average in my times in high school was about 5'4. The averages in my nieces' class are about 5'2". One difference that Im aware of is that we used to spend recess time outdoors playing sports. Both the outdoor recess and sports is non existent nowadays there.

Ive always wanted to do a scientific study on this to test its relevance. But I don't have the means nor resources for it.

In that case it should affect the general population too who have largely abandoned sports for screens.

amother

Maroon

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:30 am

amother [ Gold ] wrote:

I am 5 ‘11” . I also have non Jewish ancestry but the tall genes are definitely from my Jewish side. With each generation the height increased . My mother’s grandmother was not even five feet tall. Her mother was 5’ 8”. My mother is 5’10” and I am 5’11”. My oldest child is 6’6”.

Us too. Better nutrition I assume, among other things. My grandparents were born in the 1920's in Ukraine and survived a lot of malnutrition before and during WWII. The children, born in post-war Ukraine, are taller and we grandchildren are even taller.

amother

Periwinkle

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:31 am

yksraya wrote:

I was always very active and played sports, rode bikes etc as a kid. I was under the sun a lot, maybe even too much. And I'm just under 5'. My siblings are all taller than I (but still short). If something, I was the most active, and got the most sun exposure.

I was referring to the situation as a group, there are always outliers. Perhaps you would have been an inch shorter if not for your activities? Who knows?

I am curious if anyone has an explanation for this recent drop in height is the last generation (in Brooklyn).

Amelia Bedelia

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:35 am

yksraya wrote:

I'm a bit shorter and don't have high risk pregnancies. I know of people even shorter than I who have normal pregnancies too. I never heard anything about height effecting pregnancy.

Actually from my very unscientific observations, I've noticed many very tall frum people- as in a lot taller than average, say 5'10 or more- struggling to have children, while most petite people in my circles have babies left and right.

yksraya

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:38 am

amother [ Periwinkle ] wrote:

I'm in NY, but not brooklyn. In my community, I've actually seen a rise in height. They say it's the hormones in milk, eggs etc. The kids nowadays are taller than in my times.

amother

Periwinkle

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:41 am

Amelia Bedelia wrote:

Think that would be more relative to the idea that the communities that encourage lots of children are some of the communities where the kids dont play sports and are indoors most of the day. Hence it would appear that the shorter women are more fertile.

amother

Periwinkle

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:45 am

yksraya wrote:

I'm in NY, but not brooklyn. In my community, I've actually seen a rise in height. They say it's the hormones in milk, eggs etc. The kids nowadays are taller than in my times.

Curious if they play sports and spend time outdoors other than the 2 summer months.

Raisin

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:45 am

amother [ Sapphire ] wrote:

Yup, almost 5' 9 here Dancing

Very slight and small boned, so lucky to be able to wear most skirts low on my hips or nothing would be long enough!
Lol, I want a T-shirt that says "Too Tall to Be Frum". Love it!

naah I want a long enough skirt. With pockets. Maybe the brand can be called "nottootalltobefrum". (Like notmymothersjeans)

It's seriously ridiculous that frum shops with tznius in their description or name are selling inadequate ly tznius stuff. Non Jewish shops have skirts in petite, regular, and extra long. You would think a frum shop that mostly sells skirts can do that.

Amelia Bedelia

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 10:48 am

amother [ Periwinkle ] wrote:

No, I mean both tall and shorter women from the same circles.

amother

Jetblack

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 11:03 am

When my 5'4" daughter would play basketball in middle school against other private (xtian or other) schools she would be average height compared to other African American and basic white girls. The girls who clearly came from Nordic backgrounds were significantly taller than everyone. My daughter was certainly one of the tallest on her Jewish team. When the boys of the same age bracket came to play, the Jewish boys were almost always significantly shorter than every other ethnic/racial group. It did seem to even out somewhat for the boys when they had their growth spurts in high school. Girls, not so much.
I'm the tallest by far of the females in my own family at almost 5'5-sisters and mother are short. My daughters are all taller than me. My sons are by and large on the taller side 5'10-6'1', except for one who is 5'8. He is on the taller average amongst his friends. When doing shidduchim for my 5'5' daughter there were significantly more boys who listed their heights under 5'7" (most were much shorter than what they said). She ended up marrying someone much taller.

amother

Salmon

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 11:08 am

Raisin wrote:

Yeah. It drives me a little nuts that when I go shopping and ask which skirts are longer, there is like 1 option. Ooooh a black flary skirt that comes in a longer length. Aren't I lucky?!

And forget about dresses. That is a lost cause for me.

Crookshanks

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 11:23 am

amother [ Salmon ] wrote:

I know someone who is 6'2, her sister is just under 6 feet. They buy three of the same dresses and split the third one for extra material.

Chayalle

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 11:27 am

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

I'm guessing you are talking about adult sizes. I'm talking about kid sizes.

My DD is 5'1 and doesn't fit adult sizes at all.

But as a kid, I was always having to size up for length.

amother

Salmon

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 11:42 am

Crookshanks wrote:

I know someone who is 6'2, her sister is just under 6 feet. They buy three of the same dresses and split the third one for extra material.

Thats a good trick but 6' 2" is really an outlier- as can be noted from our lovely poll.

I am 5' 7". Yeah it is on the "taller side" but I dont think I should have to add to every skirt or dress I ever buy.

Amelia Bedelia

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 12:18 pm

Crookshanks wrote:

I know someone who is 6'2, her sister is just under 6 feet. They buy three of the same dresses and split the third one for extra material.

Poor girls. It must be so hard to be so much taller than all the women around you. Way worse than too short.

amother

Sapphire

Thu, Apr 15 2021, 12:30 pm

amother [ Periwinkle ] wrote:

Nah, I'm an ootner, and I've lived in lots of oot communities and Brooklyn and Lakewood... definitely more tall women in Brooklyn and Lakewood! I always thought it's because the oot communities are smaller, so the populations of women are generally between 5' 2 and 5' 5. In Brooklyn and Lakewood where there are tons of frum women, I see over 5' 9 all over the place (definitely the minority, but more of them overall)...