In the US, women’s’ clothing sizes are divided into petite, regular and tall lengths in order to accommodate your height. The departments are based on the assumption that if you’re 5′ 3″ and below, you’re considered “short” or “petite”. Heights from 5′ 5″ to 5′ 7″ are considered “regular”. And a height over 5′ 8″ is considered “tall”.

Generally, I agree with this broad based height classification for women. I tend to go either way with women who are 5′ 4″ — the average height of women in the US — sometimes I perceive it as petite, and sometimes as regular height. I tend to do the same at 5′ 7″, sometimes perceiving it as regular height and sometimes as tall. I think my perceptions have a lot to do with comparisons to my own height. Simplistically, if you’re shorter than me, you’re petite. When you’re taller than me, you’re tall.

In the US, I am 100% regular height standing at 5′ 6″. But when I go the Netherlands I’m considered short because the average height of women there is 5′ 7″. That is quite tall. So I guess height perceptions are pretty relative. 

At what height do you perceive a woman to be tall? What height are you, and do you think of that height as petite, regular or tall?