A model has revealed how a Tinder date “shook his head and left” after realising how tall she is – and why the awful experience made her avoid dating for two years.
Marie Temara is well-known for her 6ft 3in height, with fans frequently worshipping her long legs.
When it comes to dating, being a tall woman hasn’t always worked in her favour.
The influencer has shared how a particular moment with a man shorter than herself ended up affecting her confidence for a long time afterwards.
“We’d been chatting online for a while,” said Marie, who has 2.6 million followers on Instagram, @marietemara.
“The conversation flowed and we seemed to have a genuine connection.
“But when we finally met up for our first date, he was not happy that I was so much taller than him.
“I think he was about 5ft 9in and I’m 6ft 3in.
“He looked at me, shook his head and told me he had a family emergency – then left.
“We had the whole night planned – dinner and a movie – and it ended the moment he saw me.
“He couldn’t get past my height.”
Despite now embracing her height – and making $10m a year because of it – the experience hit Marie hard.
The rejection brought back insecurities from her teenage years when she was bullied for being tall.
She said: “It made me feel really insecure again.
“My height has always been my number one insecurity.
“After that, I stopped dating for two or three years.
“I just couldn’t be bothered wasting my time on someone who’d disappear the second they saw how tall I was.”
Marie poured all her energy into building her brand instead and over time, the support from her online fans – and the frequent DMs from men who love how tall she is – saw her confidence return.
The model now proudly puts her height front and centre in her dating app bios.
And she even admits that she has a soft spot for “short kings”.
She said: “I’ve dated guys who were 5ft 8in, 5ft 9in – I don’t care about height.
“But it’s still a problem for some of them.
“I’ve had to do all the reaching, all the lifting – sometimes I feel like the man in the relationship.”
Dating isn’t the only part of everyday life that can be tricky for a tall woman.
Marie often takes the back seat on water slides because she is heavier than her date and always has to book aisle seats on planes just to fit her legs.
Shopping is a struggle, too.
She can’t find jeans that fit and gets custom-made clothes for her lengthy frame.
Although she’s turned her former insecurity into a money-making empire, when it comes to romance, Marie admits she’s still cautious.
She added: “I get stared at everywhere I go.
“Some guys want a photo, others look like they’re sizing me up for a fight.
“But I’ve learned to own who I am.
“If someone can’t handle my height, it’s their loss.”
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