Towering 6ft 4in mother who was taunted for looking like a MAN reveals how she has embraced her height - and now proudly dons heels to make herself even TALLER
- Mother Melanie Coulson, of Nottinghamshire, towers over most people at 6ft 4in
- She suffered years of bullying and strangers accused her of looking like a 'man'
- The 46-year-old has a rare hereditary condition that causes her to be extra tall
- Now she embraces her appearance and wears heels to make herself look taller
By STEPHANIE LINNING FOR MAILONLINE - PUBLISHED: 10:43 BST, 7 August 2018 | UPDATED: 15:12 BST, 8 August 2018
A 6ft 4in mother who used to dream of being shorter revealed how she learnt to embrace her height - and now wears hears to make herself even taller.
Melanie Coulson, 46, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, suffered years of bullying over her appearance, with strangers stopping her in the street to ask if she was a man because she was 'too tall to be a woman'.
The accounts administrator, whose height and slender limbs are symptom of a rare hereditary condition, took to stooping and wearing flat shoes in order to 'fit in' and longed to be shorter.
However with the help of her daughters Rebecca, 26, and Hayley, 23, Ms Coulson learnt to embrace her height, saying she believes she was 'born to stand out, not blend in'.
She now runs YouTube and Instagram channels encouraging others to love their bodies - and feels proud when she teeters around in heels that make her 6ft 10in tall.
She said: 'The best thing about my height today, is the fact that I have now come to terms with it, this didn't happen overnight and age has definitely been a big factor in this. I now stand by the moto: I was born to stand out, not blend in.'
She added: 'I now wear heels for my videos that make me around 6ft 10in. I do get lots of stares, which is fine, as I used to get them anyway so I may as well get stared at for doing something that I love, which is being extra tall.
The mother-of-two was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome, which affects the body's connective tissue, with its main characteristics being long and slender limbs and being tall. According to the NHS, it affects one in 3,000 people.
She was 6ft 4in tall by the time she was a teenager.
Growing up her unusual height meant she was bullied through school and was made to feel 'generally unattractive' by others in her twenties and thirties.
'I have struggled with people's attitudes towards my height,' Ms Coulson said.
'People are so quick to judge, and I am often asked if I'm a male or female, or if I am a transvestite, which I did find really upsetting in the beginning.
'People do not realise how hurtful a comment like this can be, it's certainly not giving my ego a boost.
'When I have challenged people why they ask this, their reason is generally along the lines of "well you are too tall to be a female" which makes me sad that their attitudes are so shallow.'
Ms Coulson, who has a 36in inside leg, still struggles to buy clothes and is limited to shopping Dorothy Perkins or New Look's tall ranges.
The body positivity activist, who also wears a prosthetic eye and has vitiligo, hopes she can encourage anyone struggling to come to terms with who they are to be proud and embrace what some may consider 'flaws'.
She said: 'Through comments I get on my videos or on my Instagram I can see that I have already helped some people. I can honestly say I love my height and actually wish I was taller.
'I love to meet fellow tall women and stand in awe at them or ask for photos more recently so I can put it on my Instagram. Never did I realise that so many people love tall women.'
Read the original article (it has pictures and a video)