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‘Meet Your Tall Sisters’ Honorine Elizabeth

Ok first things first, we just added events in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas. If you live in or around any of those cities, you will have to join us for our one of a kind ‘Meet Your Tall Sisters Brunch’. There are a select amount of Early Bird Tickets available, so don’t wait, get your Tickets HERE.

The beauty we are interviewing today provides inspiration to many on a daily bases. Through the candid and open way she communicates with those that look to her for empowerment, Honorine unapologetically advocates for Self-Love in the most authentic way. I have come to admire and appreciate our Tall Sister Honorine so much, therefore I could not be more delighted to share her story with our #TallTribe. Lets Meet our Tall Sister!

What is your full name?

Honorine Elizabeth

What is your current occupation?

Communications Advisor & Self-Love Advocate/Founder of @HonorCurves

How tall are you?

6’2”

Please share how life has been growing up to be a Taller Than Average woman?

For me, growing up as a tall woman was not without its challenges. It was not until recent years that I could find feminine clothing in my size (thank goodness the Internet is a thing!). I spent many years dressing in menswear, flat flip-flops or runners, and buying the ONLY size 11 shoe carried in a store in my city, regardless of the look. When I was in my teen years, I regularly received comments regarding my stature, and alas, these comments continue into adulthood. Ever been chased around your University track when you were minding your business on your workout by a desperate recruiting volleyball coach? I have. Ever had someone ask you WHY you dare be wearing heels? I have. Ever had someone tell you to hangout by a basketball court to meet a man? For me, this happens regularly.

That being said, I have always LOVED my height in many ways. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to see above others, to be able to reach things without difficulty, to walk quickly with long and even elegant strides. It is awesome to be able to walk into and command a room (and all tall ladies do, whether they know it or not). Us tall ladies have presence, and we need to remember the power that comes with our height, rather than focusing on any of the silly, false, negative comments, that actually deserve no attention at all.

While I have had times where I felt negatively about my stature because of comments I have received in my life, I have had the opportunity to overcome those comments and create a shift within myself to see myself as truly beautiful in the exact body I have. I would not give up one inch, or one pair of colorful pumps, to be shorter today. I love myself as I am. Growing up tall has not been without its groan-worthy moments due to others’ discomfort with what a tall woman makes them feel about their own smallness, but it also gives us something to laugh about when I come into contact with another tall sister. I salute each and every one of you!

Please share the origin story of the ‘Honor Your Curves ‘movement.

The #HonorMyCurves/#HonorYourCurves movement was born out of a drive to set myself free from the false beliefs I had been carrying about myself, and to help others set themselves free from the very same.  I started this account to share my experiences: with fashion, with health (both mental and physical), with the goal to discover true self-appreciation and love, and to create a chain reaction of inspiration for others who too needed positive stories of self-love in a world where media is saturated with negativity towards the fluctuating female form. In the beginning it was a completely radical notion for me to imagine honoring my body as it WAS (completely unheard of!). Many of us harbor feelings of unworthiness, and no matter how fast we paddle–earning money, accumulating possessions, reaching specific goals–we never feel like we are quite loveable. I spent my life wishing I was a few sizes smaller, a few inches shorter, a few octaves quieter, a little bit “better”. No matter what I achieved, I just didn’t like myself, and nothing was helping. At 27 years old, I decided I wanted to change that; this account was a place where I could document my experiences, and share them with others having similar experiences.

One of the drivers of this movement was my strong belief in the power of a positive image of a woman loving herself, a normal woman sans airbrushing, and how it could ignite a fire in another woman to find her own self-love. It has changed my life. Every weight and size and height is beautiful, and if we can find positive imagery of people we identify with, rather than images to make us feel badly or compare ourselves, we can start to transform our perceptions of ourselves.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that within two years over 137,000 people would be following the @HonorCurves page on this journey together, but I am forever grateful that they are. This account is created as a safe space to share our stories and our journeys with others, different yet so very much the same, all united in our quest to be kinder to our bodies as they are today. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of that, truly.

What is the message you are trying to convey through ‘Honor Your Curves’?

The message of this movement at its core is that when we honor our bodies, for exactly what they are, we are set free from the negative opinions of others, of the media, and most importantly, of ourselves. We can transform the way we see ourselves, and our bodies, and we CAN set ourselves free in doing so. It is not always an easy task but I believe that this movement has made a difference, not only for myself, but for countless others who have been inspired to wear heels, or a don a bikini, or just to take a self-portrait and appreciate their own unique beauty, in a way they may have never done before. I have seen women appreciating their own smiles, their own bodies, their height, their fashion choices, with a zest for these things they did not possess prior to taking part in the movement. And every time I receive a message from a teenage girl who is learning to love herself and getting out in the world without a negative thought on her body, I cannot help but be reminded of myself as a teen, and the years I robbed myself of that joy because I did not have an outlet such as this movement to push me forward. Social media can be used for good, and it can inspire. And that is what #HonorMyCurves/#HonorYourCurves and its participants seek to accomplish each day.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I am inspired by the amazing women of social media; women who post beautiful pictures and awesome statements, showcasing their pride in their unique beauty and helping me to do the same.  I am inspired by every woman I see rocking heels and dresses and feeling feminine and beautiful as a tall and powerful woman. I am inspired by my mother, who has always believed that we are wonderful exactly as we are, and has not been afraid to stand up for that.

Because of all these women, I now enjoy fashion in a way I never could before accepting my stature and figure. I began to purchase heels, swimsuits, dresses, and stopped hiding away in the menswear of my teenage past. I can feel as feminine and gorgeous as any woman of a shorter stature. I can wear heels as high as anyone else and I do not have to apologize for being the tallest person in the room. And neither do any of you!

If you could give your younger tall sisters a piece of advice, what would it be?

People will comment because that is what they do. Never let those comments dictate how you feel about yourself, or how you stand, or what you wear. Do not crouch, do not jut your hip out to be shorter in a photo, do not be afraid to go on that date with that shorter person. Do not be afraid to try on those killer neon stilettos because you may be too tall. You are not TOO anything. You are perfect as you are.

We don’t have to change ourselves; we only have to change how bold we are willing to be. We can be extremely tall and breathtakingly beautiful. Love your height and wear what you love. Embrace yourself as you are. Just have fun in whatever body you arrived here in, and never let something as simple as height dictate what you can do, what you can wear, or who you can be. Stand TALL and be PROUD.

Is there anything else you would like to share with your Tall sisters?

It’s been almost five years now since I started wearing heels when I spent a semester in the Netherlands after discovering all the 6’2″ girls there seemed to be wearing them with confidence. None even commented on it. I never heard the girls I met from the Netherlands, Belgium, England or Germany complain ONCE about being tall (and many of them were very tall)– they were always matter of fact about their height and never apologetic. Back home I would say things like: “Oh, I’m TOO tall–I know, I’m so tall, sorry” (it makes me laugh now to think how ridiculous it was) and I’d crouch to be shorter just so others wouldn’t be uncomfortable. If others are made to feel uncomfortable by the “tallest girl they’ve seen” then today I say “Sorry, little buddy, you’re just going to have to feel uncomfortable.”

If someone has a comment about my being “big”, I have learned to be PROUD of being this 6’2” woman. I am not ashamed of my size. and I no longer tell myself I’m not “dainty” or “desirable” because I’m not petite. I don’t have an expectation around what it means to be girly any longer. I’m girly– I LOVE being a woman. I’m girly AND I’m bigger than a lot of guys. But that doesn’t make me a dude. It makes me a woman, a woman I am proud to be. To my tall sisters out there reading this, let any of those negative perceptions you may have about height go. It is so beautiful to be tall.

Follow Honorine on snapchat: honor.curves and instagram: @honorcurves 

Until next week my beloved #TallTribe.

Xoxo

bree

Tall Sister, Lets Be Friends!