A 6ft 8.5in woman who is part of the Guinness World Record’s Tallest Family has laid bare the harrowing realities of being so big… from dealing with guys who only want to date her because of her height to not being able to fit in most cars.
Savanna Rae Trapp-Blanchfield, from Duluth, Minnesota, was taught from a young age to embrace her massive size.
‘My mother instilled in us early on that being tall was beautiful and to always stand tall,’ she shared during an exclusive chat with the Daily Mail. ‘You gotta rock what you got.’
While she’s certainly not ashamed of her height, Savanna – whose family was named the tallest family in the world by the Guinness World Records in 2022, with an average height of 6ft 8.03in amongst them – admitted that there are a lot of drawbacks to being so big.
First, she said that strangers ‘always stare at her’ when she’s in public.
‘My philosophy, though, is people are going to stare anyways so I might as well do what I want,’ she said.
‘So you will catch me singing and dancing in the grocery store, or doing yoga in a parking lot because why not, life’s too short not to dance your way through it.’
She has also struggled to find clothes and shoes – she’s a size 16 – that fit her.
A 6ft 8.5in woman has laid bare the harrowing realities of being so big… from dealing with guys who only want to date her because of her height to not being able to fit in most cars
Savanna Rae Trapp-Blanchfield, from Duluth, Minnesota, was taught from a young age to embrace her massive size
‘As a teen I did really struggle to find clothes… long sleeves were never quite long enough and pants were always too short to,’ she admitted.
‘Me and my grandma had to sew dress pants and pajama pants together for me.
‘Now it is not so bad, there is so many options online. And the drag queens have made it possible for me to have cute high heels in my women’s size 16. But jeans to this day have been impossible.’
In addition, her feet hang off any bed she sleeps in – even the largest size – so she has to sleep diagonally or curled up in a ball.
She also often hits her heads on ceilings, fans, hanging lights and door frames, and has a hard time fitting in cars.
‘Fun fact, the standard doorframe in America is 6ft 8in and I’m 6ft 8.5in so I am just tall enough to think I have clearance and then clip the top of my head,’ she shared.
‘I also did break an exit sign off the ceiling of an airplane with my face by accident before.
‘The world is not built for tall people. Driving my car is not fun, I barely fit. I have to duck down to even see out the windshield.
Her family was named the tallest family in the world by the Guinness World Records in 2022, with an average height of 6ft 8.03in amongst them. She’s seen with her sister and mom
While she’s certainly not ashamed of her height, Savanna admitted that there’s a lot of drawbacks to being so big like hitting her head on ceilings
‘Fun fact, the standard doorframe in America is 6ft 8in and I’m 6ft 8.5in so I am just tall enough to think I have clearance and then clip the top of my head,’ she shared
‘My legs do not fit in a majority of cars. Traveling in general, especially on planes is tricky. I need to fly exit row in order to fit my legs behind the seat.
‘Typically, I have to walk downstairs going sideways because my feet don’t fit on the stairs. I have fallen down many flights of stairs because of this.’
Taking a shower comes with its own set of difficulties because the shower head usually comes up to her chest.
‘I have to do all kinds of crazy ducking maneuvers to wash my hair if there is not a detachable shower head,’ she added. ‘And I cannot fit in a bathtub because my legs are so long.’
It’s also negatively impacted her dating life, as she admitted that she often deals with people who are interested in her for the wrong reasons.
‘I really have to pay attention to see people’s motives in dating me and make sure they are genuine and sincere and they don’t just see you as an exotic bucket list item,’ she confessed.
Despite the negatives, there are some positives as she said her ‘unique’ height has posed as a ‘great conversation starter’ and helped her meet tons of new people.
It also helped her career as she spent years working as a model, earning roughly $6,000 to $8,000 a month before she quit to work in social services.
Despite the negatives, there are some positives as she said her ‘unique’ height has posed as a ‘great conversation starter’ and helped her meet tons of new people
It also helped her career as she spent years working as a model, earning roughly $6,000 to $8,000 a month before she quit to work in social services
But the best part is the connection she has made with other tall people around the globe.
‘Because of my height I have been able to connect with other tall girls from all around the world,’ she shared.
‘Through social media and also Guinness World Records, a bunch of us tall girls found each other.
‘We all embrace our unique differences and have bonded over our shared stories, really building each other up and supporting each other, as women should.
‘We formed such a beautiful sisterhood and I am so grateful for every second with my sisters.’
