Consider, if you would, the plight of the very tall man.
   Clothing never fits him. Fellow movie-goers resent him. A seat in coach is his idea of a medieval torture device.
   What’s that you say? At least the view must be nice?    
   Not really, unless you’re a fan of bald spots and dusty refrigerator tops.
   Sure, he may earn a little more and have a better shot at the presidency, but he’s also likely to die sooner. All in all, the very tall man deserves, if not a medal, then at least his own magazine.
   Now he’s got one. It’s called Tall magazine. Its intended audience is men over 6-foot-2 and women over 5-foot-8.
   Its founder, Everard Strong, knows firsthand what it means to be a human skyscraper: He’s 6-foot-9.
   But unless you count yourself among the elongated, chances are you have little idea what they go through.
   Life is not easy for the tall.
   “Let’s say you go to a weight room,” says Strong. “The physics of the weight equipment is not built for a tall person’s body, so you have a whole different dynamic there. Even something like a climbing wall might have to be adjusted for your height, and a lot of instructors aren’t trained that way.”
   Or take airline seats. You don’t have to be Yao Ming to find them uncomfortable, but for tall people they are pure misery.
   “The fact is, we physically cannot fit in those seats,” says Strong. “People really don’t think of that. Airlines don’t pay attention to that.”
   Not that he founded Tall to rant about the injustices perpetrated on persons of superior height.
   “It is a great thing to be tall,” says Strong. “This is not some whiny soapbox magazine.”
   Tall’s editorial mix combines advice and advocacy with articles about some of Hollywood’s, um, biggest celebrities. A test issue now making the rounds has profiles of Donald Sutherland and Conan O’Brien (both 6’4) as well as 7-foot-4 thespian Roger Morissey, who has made a steady career of portraying aliens, monsters and NBA players.
   Other stories examine which office chairs are best for tall people and, of course, the airplane problem.
   Strong, who works as the managing editor of San Francisco-based Game Developer magazine, says he has been mulling the idea of a magazine for tall people for close to five years.
   “I kept thinking that someone else was going to do this, but no one has,” he says.
   Ad sales efforts for the magazine are directed at companies that make big-and-tall clothing and other goods aimed at this market – for instance, LugAssist, a suitcase handle extension that allows talk folks to maneuver their bags without stooping over.
   Of course, many of the problems encountered by the very tall are unique to men. After all, what’s quite tall for a woman may be only medium height for a man. On the other hand, tall women are much more likely to be embarrassed by their height.
   That’s why Strong dreams of someday expanding Tall into three separate titles: one for men, one for women and one for teens.
   In the nearer term, plans call for another test issue of Tall in October, with regular publication starting in January if all goes well. Strong also is working on deals to have Tall distributed to big-and-tall clothing stores and to have it displayed in the top racks at newsstands.
   As if that weren’t enough to keep him busy, he’s getting married next week. The bride to be, in case you’re wondering, is not a member of Tall’s target audience. But, says Strong, “Even though she’s only 5’6”, she’s been a great supporter of the vision.”

August 14, 2003© 2003 Media Life

-Jeff Bercovici is a staff writer for Media Life.

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