For just a brief moment, I’m going to be totally selfish. I’m going to speak glowingly about my hope, my dream, that Obama = change.
I’m speaking, of course, of Michelle Obama. You were expecting Barack?
No, this post isn’t about the worldwide hope for peace, education, healthcare and clean energy. This is about something that hits closer to home for me: clothing.
I know what you’re thinking. This is selfish and absurd. This is where you’re wrong. I’m not talking about wanting fancy clothes. I’m talking about the fact that I’ve been 6’1” since I was 14, and my desperate desire to have clothes that are long enough to cover my wrists and ankles.
Men will not understand this post at all. For men, pants are measured in two dimensions, by waist and length. Shirts are based on neck size. It’s all very straightforward and perfectly logical. What they don’t realize is that women’s clothing is based on random sizes (what, exactly, does 8 or 10 mean?), and comes in only one length, a length that is somehow magically supposed to fit a 5’5” woman as well as one that’s 6’.
Michelle – 5’11” herself – is an admitted fan of off-the-rack shopping at the local mall. My hope is that retailers will hear this and create clothing for tall women. And why not? Certainly logic would tell you that just as many women are taller than average as there are women who are shorter than average. Yet there are entire stores and departments devoted to petite sizing, while only a few retailers offer longer-than-average clothing.
Even stranger, of those who sell long pants, very few offer corresponding tops or jackets for tall women. Do retailers just assume that we’re all long-legged and short waisted?
Short women always say to me, “Oh, it must be so great to be tall. I’m so short, and I always have to have my clothes hemmed.” Well, yes, it is good to be tall, but not from a clothing perspective. If you’re too short, you can remove length, but what if you need more? You can’t add length to something too short to start with.
So for now, my exposed wrists and I will keep one eye on the lookout for the holy grail of length. And when change finally does come to America, I will have Michelle Obama to thank.