Do You Want To Appear Taller?
Along with looking slimmer looking taller is something that many people, both men and women, aspire to.
It seems that being tall is on a lot of people’s wish lists and with good reason too.
Tall people tend to gain the attention of others and command their respect more easily purely because of their height.
Not only this, they look slimmer and clothes tend to fit them better too. Think about it … you never see a short fashion model of either sex do you?
Do Taller People Really Have It Better?
It doesn’t stop there… a 2009 study conducted in the U.S. found that taller people were generally happier than their shorter counterparts.
To make matter worse taller men are also likely to earn more than shorter men and to add insult to injury it seems that women prefer taller men to shorter men.
Unfortunately, unlike our weight, our height is something that we are stuck with. It’s easy enough to lose a few pounds if we want to fit into a new outfit or have some special occasion to attend where we want to look our best. Height however is not so easily fixed.
So if you have managed to read through all this so far you may be feeling pretty depressed by now if you have not been blessed with long legs! But don’t worry – all is not lost! There are plenty of simple tricks you can employ to make yourself look taller and we’ll show you how…
How to Look Tall (For Women)
So you may not have been blessed with the height of a super model but if you want to know how to look taller there’s a lot you can do. Read on…
With a bit of tweaking and some nifty little tricks you’ll soon be looking taller and slimmer when you need or want to.
a) Manage Your Weight to Look Taller
It’s a harsh fact but it’s a true one – slimmer girls tend to look taller, while plumper girls appear shorter than they really are.
And to make things more unfair taller people carry weight better. If you weigh 140 pounds and are 1.75 meters tall then you are going to look a whole lot slimmer than some one of the same weight who is only 1.60 meters.
If you want to look taller staying slim is your number one tactic.
That doesn’t mean to say that you need to starve yourself to skeletal proportions. Far from it!
However watching what you eat and exercising will not only make you look taller but may even help you to live longer too. We all understand that being overweight can pose a danger to our health.
Avoiding junk foods that are high in fat and sugar can help you to lose weight if you need to. And following a balanced diet that is high in lean protein and fresh fruits and vegetables will help you to stay slim and healthy
You can also manage your weight, tone your limbs and acquire a sleeker looking body by exercising. Exercises that don’t build bulky muscles are the best for shorter people so try dancing, swimming, Pilates or yoga. These types of exercises will keep you fit and toned without making you look chunky.
A healthy and sleek frame will help you in your quest to look taller – so follow this basic rule and you will have your groundwork sorted out … the rest can be achieved with some good old smoke and mirrors effects
b) Check Your Posture
A simple way to look taller is to consider your posture at all times. Posture is crucial if you want to look taller as slouching or slumping will only knock inches off your height.
By simply standing and sitting taller and straighter you will add the illusion of length and height.
What’s more people with good posture generally have stronger stomach muscles and breathe more efficiently – good posture can improve your overall health.
Exercise systems like ballet, yoga and Pilates can help you to realign your body and achieve better posture, as can posture specific systems such as the Alexander Technique and the Feldenkrais Method. These are worth a try if you want to achieve the sleek and elegant look.
c) Change Your Hairstyle
Long hair can literally ‘drown’ short people especially if it is cut in a style that is all one length.
Lots of long hair hanging loosely around your face and down your shoulders may only serve to make you look shorter.
However not every woman wants a shorter hairstyle so if you keep your hair long make sure you get it cut with some choppy layers in.
This prevent your hair from creating an illusion of dragging you ‘downwards’ and making you look shorter. Highlights will also help to ‘break up’ long straight hair and add texture.
Another reason to hold on to your long locks is that up-do’s can really add inches to your height – especially on special occasions or on a night out. Backcombing and teasing your fringe or the hair at the crown of your head will add height to your finished look.
Tying the hair up into a bun or piled loosely on top of the head will also add height. And if you don’t have it naturally you can always fake it. There are many excellent hairpieces on the market these days that look good and can change your look in an instant.
Whether you choose synthetic or real hair there are all sorts of clip-in buns, ponytails and extensions that you can add to your own hair to add height to your frame.
d) Get on Your Skyscraper Heels
The oldest tricks are best and of course this is one area where women have the advantage over men!
What are we talking about?
High heels of course!
The number one solution to the problem of how to look taller.
It’s an easy way to add height to your frame and you can choose whether to add a little or a lot depending on the heel height.
You do need to be aware though that very high-heeled shoes can cause your feet no end of problems and are often painful to wear in the long-term. What’s more they can be very difficult to walk in and you may even fall which could be dangerous.
Save the very high heels for special occasions if you must however a reasonably high-heeled shoe is not too difficult to wear for an occasion and will add instant height to your look and help you to look slimmer. Heels of 2 inches will add that little bit of extra height and still be comfortable on a day to day basis – and some women find that they can cope with 3-inch heels.
The general rule is that the wider the heel the less painful. Pin thin stilettos of 3 inches will cause your feet more pain than chunkier 3-inch heels.
Platform and wedge heeled shoes are also a good choice over the ubiquitous stilettos because they can add a good amount of height but are more comfortable to wear as your body weight is distributed more evenly than it is in a stiletto heel. What’s more they are much easier to walk in!
e) Dress to Look Taller (Advice for Women)
There are lots of simple things you can do with your clothes to help you look taller and sleeker. Clever dressing is perhaps the key way to create height and appear taller.
Here are some visual tricks you can try out.
1. Match your colors well and avoid contrasting colors despite what the trends for the season may be. A bright top paired with dark pants or skirt will tend to cut you in half and make you seem shorter.
Likewise match your pantyhose and shoes to your skirts and dresses.
Separates that match and tone well together will create the illusion of length and need not be boring, you can always opt for different fabric textures to add contrast and interest to an outfit.
2. Avoid bold patterns, it’s better to stick to smaller prints as these will not swamp you and make you look shorter. For the same reason avoid anything with big buttons or pockets. Simple is better.
3. Utilize vertical lines and avoid horizontal lines in your clothing. This doesn’t just refer to printed stripes; think about where your jackets end. If they end at a wider part of your body such as your hips the eye will be drawn there making you look shorter. Elongate your look by making sure any horizontal lines end at slimmer parts of your body.
4. Stick with clothes that fit closer to and flatter your body. Skirts, dresses and pants made from loose fitting or billowing fabrics will swamp you and make you look shorter still.
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| billowing fabrics |
5. Avoid wide belts around your middle as these can visually cut you half, skinny belts look better on smaller women.
6. High-waisted pants and skirts can help to create the illusion of length but these only suit the very slim so be warned! Mini skirts also work well on shorter people and as a general rule skirts should always be worn above the knee if you are short.
Mid-length and long skirts will make you look dumpy. Wear short or mini length skirts in winter with same color opaque pantyhose for a longer legged look.
7. Lengthen your look with your accessories. Thin scarves rather than chunky ones can liven up an outfit and when tied loosely and left hanging downwards help to create the illusion of length. Long necklaces and pendants also have this effect. Avoid choker style necklaces, as again this will cut your body off into segments rather than elongating it.
8. Opt for v-neck tops, tees and sweaters as the V helps to create an elongated look. Crew necks will once again cut the body up into sections.
9. Avoid turn-ups on pants and also cropped pants like Capri’s or pedal pushers, as these will make short legs look even shorter. If you are a fan of Capri pants then try wearing them with wedge sandals rather than flats to give yourself a bit of extra height.
10. Avoid shoes that have ankle straps as these will make your legs seem shorter and break up the length of your leg line.
How to Look Tall (For Men)
Some would argue that it is a great deal harder for men to be shorter than it is for women. After all in many cultures height is often associated with status and authority.
If you are lacking in height do not despair – you cannot change your height but there are things you can do to create the illusion of height.
The rest is down to your personality and confidence. You may not be the most obvious person in the room when it comes to height but there are many other ways to command respect.
Basically height isn’t the be all and end all.
Take Care of Your Appearance
As with the advice for women taking care of your appearance by maintaining a strong and slim physique and paying attention to your posture will do much to help give the illusion of height.
Men who are smart and well groomed with excellent posture will always grab attention when they walk into a room whatever their height. In fact many men who take the time to look good are often regarded as being taller than they actually are.
So look after your body, eat healthily and keep fit. Avoid bodybuilding and muscle building sports that will bulk you up and make you look as wide as you are tall.
Stick with sports like cycling, swimming, tennis or water sports as these will keep you fit and also help to build muscles in your legs and create broad but not bulky shoulders.
Style Your Hair for Added Height
Men can also style their hair so that it adds the illusion of height. Spiky styles and styles that are shaved neatly at the sides but left high on top will help make you look taller.
Dress to Look Taller , Advice for Men
1. The same advice applies to men as it does to women, sticking to colors that match and tone will help to create an elongated body.
So match your shoe color to the color of your pants and make sure that your belt blends in well too.
Anything that contrasts too sharply will cut your body up into sections and make you look shorter.
2. Stick to dark colors as this will help you to look slimmer. What’s more on men dark colors project the illusion of power, control and authority – it’s a psychological thing!
While no one should avoid brighter colors that they may like to wear try sticking with darker colors when you need to command respect or want people to take you seriously.
Save the pastels and brighter shades for when you’re relaxing at home at the weekends.
3. Wear clothes that are fitted to the body – this does not mean skin-tight though! What we mean is avoid wearing baggy and overly loose fitting garments as these will swamp you and only serve to make you look shorter. Clothes that fit and flatter will accentuate the lines of your body and help to make you look slimmer – this in turn makes you seem taller.
4. Opt for vertical stripes where you can. Smart shirts with fine vertical stripes or pinstripes will help to elongate your torso. This is a simple way to add length to your body and will also help you to create that smart suited and booted look.
5. Other lengthening prints or fabrics that work well on jackets or pants include
herringbone and chalk stripes as these help to provide a visual illusion of length.
6. Avoid large and bold patterns such as big checks as these will only make you look shorter. Large thick knits also have this effect so choose finer knits when it comes to choosing sweaters.
Smaller more intricate fabric patterns work well on a smaller frame such as tiny tweeds because they help to give add flow to your limbs and torso giving a longer, uninterrupted look.
7. Jacket length is also crucial when it comes to adding those few extra inches.
Cropped jackets where the bottom line cuts off at the same point as the wrists results in more of your legs being shown – thus helping you to look taller.
Jackets that cover your behind and the tops of your legs will just make you look like you have very short legs.
Make sure your jackets fit well as ill fitting, baggy jackets will have a negative effect on your height and on how people perceive you.
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| casual wear |
8. Length is also important when it comes to your more casual wear such as sweaters and t-shirts. Again the ideal length is shorter, perhaps finishing somewhere around the base of your thumb however be careful not to go too short or it will just look like your clothes have shrunk in the wash. Any longer though and you will end up with the short legged look you want to avoid.
9. Trouser length can be tricky for many shorter men and sometimes it is necessary to make sure you know a good tailor who can alter the length of your pants for you.
If left too long pants can bunch up at the bottom and this will only draw attention to the fact that they don’t fit because you are too small.
Try to find pants that finish somewhere around the laces of your shoes.
Avoid pants with turn-up as these shorten the legs and never tuck pants into boots, as this will completely visually reduce the length of your legs.
10. The fashion may be for low-slung pants and jeans but where at all possible wear your pants at your natural waist rather than low on your hips. This will add instant height by giving you a normal and elongated leg length.
For Both Men and Women
Confidence is Key
Height is not paramount to success in any walk of life be that your relationships, your career or your most cherished ambitions. Attitude is what counts and particularly confidence and a positive outlook.
If you can walk into a room confidently and dressed well for your height you will command respect no matter how tall or how short you may be.
So don’t let your perceived worries about your height hold you back – stand tall, dress well and pay attention to personal grooming and you’ll be as successful as the next man or woman.
