Internet Can’t Agree on What Counts as ‘Tall’ for Women as Video Goes Viral

Social media is a great place to turn to when looking for advice, inspiration or even a second opinion. As Maiden Payne did, sparking a debate online about women’s height.

Racking up 1.6 million views with her video, Payne (@maidenpayne7) asked TikTok users, “What do you consider tall for a girl?”

The average height of women 20 and older is 5 feet, 2 inches, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Payne is 5 feet, 7 inches, which is considered either tall or small, depending on which friendship group she is with.

“I look like I’m coming to destroy their village,” she said when speaking about one set of friends. “I am so tall around these little puny things.”

But when she is with her athlete friends, she compares herself to Polly Pocket. “I could fit right snug in their pocket,” she said.

These experiences have left her in a limbo that she refers to as a “tug-of-war” because she doesn’t know if she is tall or not.

In the comments, Payne said: “I don’t think I’m short by any means, but an optical illusion around some.”

The video has become a major talking point online, racking up more than 17,000 comments and 58,900 likes.

“I’m 5’8″, and people have always said that I’m ‘tall for a girl,'” said one user. Payne responded: “Yep! That’s the general consensus.”

“I’m 5’3, everyone looks tall to me,” said another user.

Some people have managed to guess her height, one user said: “Oh you’re 5’7 I know it. Short side of tall girl.”

Another wrote: “You must be 5’7 because I look like the Statue of Liberty next to most of my friends yet I could go around athletic friends, and I am regular height.”

Another user said: “It depends where you live. In the UK, probably 5′ 7 or 8. If you’re Dutch probably 5′ 10 as a minimum.”

In fact, people from the Netherlands are taller than those in other countries, according to the website NCD Risk Factor Collaboration.

In 2021, a woman called Rumeysa Gelgi was awarded a Guinness World Record for being the tallest woman in the world. Gelgi, who is from Turkey, is 7 feet, 0.7 inches tall and has a genetic condition known as Weaver syndrome, which causes fast growth.

Growth and bone development in people with Weaver syndrome is faster than normal, though their weight-to-height relationship may be standard, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

The condition is extremely rare and only 50 cases have been reported, the Cleavland Clinic says.

Newsweek reached out to @maidenpayne7 for comment and could not verify the details of the case.

If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work and your story could be featured in Newsweek‘s What Should I Do? section.