Iba na ang matangkad!
I came across some videos showing that Americans are getting shorter and that the Dutch are the tallest people now. Well, I have not been to the Netherlands but I believe that the Americans now are not as tall as they used to be. There are probably some States in the US which have a taller average height than others but people in Texas were not really that tall. When I visited my aunt there, I was actually surprised to see that I (a Filipina) was taller (at 5’10”) than most people there and that there were even people that were just like our regular height here.
Two factors mentioned that contributed to the increase in the average height of the population (aside from genetics of course) of the Dutch were healthy lifestyle especially during the growing up years and that they actually spread their health around unlike in the US wherein well-off Americans are still tall but not so on their lower level of society.
Well, we are not well off but the older kids in our family (that includes me) are taller compared to the younger two who are not as tall – well my younger brother is an inch (maybe ¾) lower me and doesn’t stand as straight as I am so he doesn’t look too tall and the youngest is 5’5" but they would still be normal than most but still not a stand-out like the older ones. I remember people shouting “Iba na ang matangkad!” (It’s different to be tall!) when they would see us or would ask if we ate Star Margarine (which claims that it helps in being tall). Sometimes, I would kid them that mama would cook our food in the can of Star (now, am not really sure if they used to have it in can or just plastic). I remember though that papa would always tell us to take a nap in the afternoon so we would be tall and that mama gave us 1-6-12 (Vit B1,B6,B12). Papa really wanted us to be tall and maybe his desire rubbed in on us especially for the older ones since he could easily see us considering that there weren’t too many people in our household then.
There are disadvantages being tall, including finding it hard to buy really comfortable shoes but I could never really imagine myself being short. It is not that being short is bad (in fact one petite dentist I had told me that being short is better because she could just wear high heels and feel tall unlike me who can’t and I definitely could not cut-off my legs! Yikes, who would want to do that???) it is just that I am comfortable the way I am and could not think of myself any other way :-)!
Maybe it shouldn’t really be “iba na ang matangkad”? but “Iba lang talaga tayo lahat” (we are all unique) and we should be happy the way we are!
Two factors mentioned that contributed to the increase in the average height of the population (aside from genetics of course) of the Dutch were healthy lifestyle especially during the growing up years and that they actually spread their health around unlike in the US wherein well-off Americans are still tall but not so on their lower level of society.
Well, we are not well off but the older kids in our family (that includes me) are taller compared to the younger two who are not as tall – well my younger brother is an inch (maybe ¾) lower me and doesn’t stand as straight as I am so he doesn’t look too tall and the youngest is 5’5" but they would still be normal than most but still not a stand-out like the older ones. I remember people shouting “Iba na ang matangkad!” (It’s different to be tall!) when they would see us or would ask if we ate Star Margarine (which claims that it helps in being tall). Sometimes, I would kid them that mama would cook our food in the can of Star (now, am not really sure if they used to have it in can or just plastic). I remember though that papa would always tell us to take a nap in the afternoon so we would be tall and that mama gave us 1-6-12 (Vit B1,B6,B12). Papa really wanted us to be tall and maybe his desire rubbed in on us especially for the older ones since he could easily see us considering that there weren’t too many people in our household then.
There are disadvantages being tall, including finding it hard to buy really comfortable shoes but I could never really imagine myself being short. It is not that being short is bad (in fact one petite dentist I had told me that being short is better because she could just wear high heels and feel tall unlike me who can’t and I definitely could not cut-off my legs! Yikes, who would want to do that???) it is just that I am comfortable the way I am and could not think of myself any other way :-)!
Maybe it shouldn’t really be “iba na ang matangkad”? but “Iba lang talaga tayo lahat” (we are all unique) and we should be happy the way we are!
posted by elizabeth | 9:06 PM
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