This, in a nutshell, is why I learned to sew.

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This is me and my friend, Spencer. He’s tall. Maybe 6’2″? Well over a full foot taller than I am. We were discussing proportions today and Spencer said he has a really short torso, that when he sits next to other tall people, he’s often dwarfed by them. Being no stranger to this phenomena myself, I suggested we take these photos.

I couldn’t have predicted how funny the difference would be. I think this photo illustrates how weird and varied our human bodies can be.

I think is also illustrates that if it weren’t for my stubby legs, I would be a large, Teutonic woman. Seriously legs, what the fuck? What were you doing while the rest of me was growing into a normal sized person?

Oh, well. You get what you get. And I happen to have an unstoppable center of gravity. You’ll probably never beat me at wrestling. So, there’s that.

  • http://blog.bygumbygolly.com/ Tasha @ By gum, by golly!

    Would I offend your friend if I say those are adorable photos? Because they are. :)

    Bodies are ridiculous. Mel is a couple of inches taller than me but has a shorter inseam than I do. Knitting and sewing is so great for our various differences!

    ETA: Gah, you are also making me want to cut bangs again. :)

    • Mrs. Moe

      Ha! Hair is such an unsatisfying endeavor. I have moments where I really like my bangs, but I’m still always wishing it was something else. But then once I grow it into that, I don;t like it and I got back to bangs. Circle of hair life. :)

      And thank god for sewing and knitting! I’m so grateful I can make something to fit me, or at least alter existing things. Seeing this photo of the two of us is really illuminating. I really AM a tall, sturdy woman who just happens to have short legs. Man, how different my life would be if I got longer legs! What a trip.

      • http://blog.bygumbygolly.com/ Tasha @ By gum, by golly!

        Now I’m wondering how my torso would compare with my 6′ tall dad!

        Btw, I chopped the bangs last night. It’s just hair, right? At least now when I don’t bother setting it (which is more often than not), I can still say it looks cute(ish). ;)

        • Mrs. Moe

          Ha! I’m happy my bangs could serve as the tipping point to go through with it yourself! I hope you don’t regret it??

          I have moments where I wish I had some other hairstyle, but they are all hairstyles that would take lots of setting and effort, and I just don’t have the time or inclination for that these days. The nice thing about bangs is that they always allow you some sense of “done hair” even if you only spend 2 minutes on it.

          I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a perm for a while now. My friend Sparrow is a hairstylist and she said she’d give me a perm when she comes to visit in September (’cause I’m too terrified to trust anyone else to do it), but now that I’m dying my hair light blonde and have short bangs, I’m wondering if I should still do this.

          Anyhow, I could talk about hair for hours. It’s embarrassing and ridiculous. If I spent half the time DOING my hair as I did thinking about it, I’d be perfectly coifed all the time. Hahaha!

          • http://blog.bygumbygolly.com/ Tasha @ By gum, by golly!

            Totally with you on this! And I’ve been really lazy lately, so I needed that slight feeling of “done” hair that the bangs give. Not regretting so far, though it’s taking getting used to a center part and bangs again!

            I’ve read about some people getting perms and at least the ones I’ve read about, it seems to be mostly that it helps your hair hold sets better but doesn’t really act as a “done” style on its own. Though that’s been for people wanting it to make vintage hairstyles better, not to have a perm for its own purposes (if that makes any sense?). Although I love the idea of even just having a bit of body wave permanently. The normal texture of my hair is super blah, not a nice stick straight or wavy, just a meh in-between. If you can have someone do a perm that understands what you want would be awesome! You’ll never know unless you try!

            • Mrs. Moe

              I’ve read that too about perms, needing to still set them. But I think if my casual hair at least had some curl it would be better than my naturally stick straight hair. It’s so funny how stick straight hair is so fashionable right now and all I want is to not have it.

              I look forward to seeing your new bangs. I hope you post a photo soon!

  • Robert Burnett

    My first reaction was to wonder if you were sitting in an Ames room. My second was to imagine what your progeny might look like; I envisioned funhouse mirror twins, one impossibly tall, the other improbably short. With bangs. My third was to want to visit a carnival, or at least eat cotton candy.

    • Mrs. Moe

      HAHA! Good eye on the furniture. My office has a bunch of reproduction mid-modern furniture in it. The building itself is much older than that, but across the street is this lovely building, which would suit our decor quite perfectly.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Bush_Plaza

  • Lauram

    At first Karyn thought you might be prisoners out on a release program.:) Closer look reveals that you are indeed a very tall and statuesque woman – your facial features bear witness to that.

    • Mrs. Moe

      I have a tall face? That’s one I’ve never heard! :)

  • Mrs. Moe

    Oh! I’m kind of relieved. I was politely ignoring what I thought was a typo for Eames. :) Yes, we do look a bit like an Ames room illusion — I never knew the name of those, though I’ve always enjoyed how they messed with my mind. Someone else compared this photo to a Mystery Spot theme park, which is very similar.

  • http://twitter.com/teawiththemoon Abigail

    ha! This is great! Oh the joys of the human body. My parents calculated my growth growing up and I was projected to be 5’6″ and got stuck somewhere instead at 5’3″.. :)

    • Mrs. Moe

      I guess it’s really a crap shoot in some ways. My sister is close to a foot taller than me. Biology has quite a sense of humor.