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Bigbardahugfrombehind

Big Barda's a whole lotta woman.

Cquote1

Axel Foley: "What would you say if I said a six-foot blonde works here?"
John Taggart: "... Six-foot blonde women grow on trees in California."
Billy Rosewood: "He's right. They're everywhere."

Cquote2


Women, on average, are shorter than men. And a good number of men find petite women charming. Because of this, in our society, tall girls and women often feel awkward and out of place, and some men will feel uncomfortable when it comes to having a relationship with a woman who towers over them, similar to someone stronger than them.

But then there are some women for whom this trope applies. These are the women whose overall charm comes from their height. Even if they themselves don't acknowledge it, the story and/or characters make it clear that her height is one of her distinguishing charms. Also, in fiction, tall women tend to be Tomboys and sometimes fall into the Action Girl archetype. Due to their extreme height, they will often have nice, long legs.

They are also quite common in the Superhero genre and often accompanied by the Most Common Superpower. And as with Most Common Superpower, sometimes tall heroines are so much the norm that they have to be extremely tall to really stand out. Looking at published Canon references like DC's Who's Who and Marvel's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, one gets the impression that the average height for female characters is something like 5'10" or 5'11" (and that for male characters, it's about 6'3").

There is some Truth in Television to this trope as well: in Real Life, models are usually quite tall (the better to show off their clothing, for one, and to have a more impressive presence).

Please note that for a woman to qualify for this trope, she needs to fulfill two criteria:

  1. She must be either taller than most men in her setting or stand at least 5'8" (172 cm) tall.
  2. She must either be considered attractive in-universe or be accompanied by Fan Service tropes (Stripperiffic, Male Gaze, etc.).

Not to be confused with Tall, Dark and Bishoujo, a character trope mainly used to describe women who are aloof, in addition to often having long, dark hair, and being tall, but not necessarily to the point of inclusion under this trope. They can overlap, though. Also not to be confused with Taken for Granite.

Some Statuesque Stunners are also Amazonian Beauties. Compare and contrast Huge Schoolgirl, compare Tall, Dark and Bishoujo.

Examples of Statuesque Stunner include:

Anime and Manga[]

  • Half of the premise of Lovely Complex is Risa Koizumi, a girl taller than average. The other half being Atsushi Ootani, a boy shorter than usual.
    • An older manga (and anime; from the same studio, no less) called The Kabocha Wine has a similar premise - with a tiny and snarky boy named Shunsuke and a Gentle Giant pretty girl named Natsumi, nickname Eru/L (for "L /Plus Size").
  • Makoto (Sailor Jupiter) from Sailor Moon is the tallest and strongest of the Inner Senshi. Haruka (Sailor Uranus) takes it to even more drastic levels.
  • Fuyumi Kujirakawa from Great Teacher Onizuka.
  • In Airmaster, the eponymous streetfighter—real name, "Maki"—is this, as well as a Huge Schoolgirl and an Action Girl. During the opening, she's seen walking through an average, crowded Tokyo street—heads and shoulders above everyone else. Most of her height is in her legs, which is handy since they're also her main weapon. As for being "stunning"... well, several guys in the show seems to think so, at least.
  • Viletta Nu, Cornelia Li Britannia, Rakshata Chawla, and Milly Ashford from Code Geass.
  • Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh, is simply huge for a 16 year old japanese girl at 1.74m. This troubles her a lot as she's very shy and obsessed with everything small and cute.
  • If we tried to list all the examples in Claymore, we'd be here all day, so it's easier to list the exceptions. Miata, and that's pretty much it.
  • Rangiku Matsumoto of Bleach skirts the line at 5'8", but her height is most definitely not her most noticeable trait.
  • Rider from Fate/stay night, so very much. Also voiced in the anime by the same woman who VA'ed Sakaki, above.
  • Noi of Dorohedoro is very tall (according to the Japanese Wikipedia, she's about 6'10"). She's quite buxom as well. Despite Most Common Superpower, she's been mistaken for a man numerous times by other characters, and most readers tend to get a Samus Is a Girl moment when they see her maskless for the first time. Fan art tends to depict her carrying her partner Shin in her arms.
  • Sakura from Urusei Yatsura.
  • In the manga Walkin' Butterfly, the protagonist bemoans the fact that she's super-tall until she realizes that most models are actually quite tall.
  • Mai Kujaku/Valentine of Yu-Gi-Oh! stands almost eye to eye with Katsuya Jounouchi/Joey Wheeler.
  • An excellent example from One Piece: Boa Hancock, whose official height is a whopping 191 cm (that's over six feet three inches), yet she is very obviously beautiful both to readers and in-universe characters. In fact, she's called the most beautiful woman in the world at one point. It fits, since she's the empress of an island of amazons.
    • Nico Robin is only one inch shorter than her.
    • The mermaid princess Shirahoshi takes this Up to Eleven, as she has many admirers, and is not only VERY tall but... utterly gigantic.
    • There's also a un-named female Marine in the very literal "Giant Squad", who's fairly attractive.
    • Some of Charlotte "Big Mom" Linlin's daughters fit in, and the most noticeable example is Charlotte Smoothie... at an absolutely whoopin' 464 cms - 15'3".
    • The flashbacks in the Wano arc feature a gorgeous woman around Hancock's height... Amatsuki Toki, later known as Kouzuki Toki.
  • The gender flipped version of Russia in Axis Powers Hetalia is a very beautiful, long-haired Winter Royal Lady who easily is the tallest of the Nyotalia girls.
    • Also, the genderflipped version of Sweden is a Lady of War with glasses and just as long hair. We're not sure of how exactly tall she is, but consider that the original Sweden is at least 6'0"...
  • Urd and her mother Hild of Ah! My Goddess.
  • Hikaru Ohno of Take On Me. Quoting the character intro, she's "Six foot one of fun fun fun!"
  • Milly Thompson from Trigun.
  • Naga of Slayers is every bit as tall as she is busty. Which is to say, very much so.
  • Mahou Sensei Negima gives us several: Kaede (181 cm), Chachamaru (174 cm), Mana (184 cm), Akira (175 cm), Ayaka (173 cm), and Chizuru (172 cm). All regularly wear Stripperiffic clothing or nothing at all and the only potential Love Interests for them are 10. Lampshaded by Chisame on how her class is so abnormal in every aspect including beauties, breast size, and height.
  • Kagari Ayaka from Witch Craft Works. The male protagonist Honoka barely reaches her chest (although the size seems to change from chapter to chapter), making her at least 6 feet tall. She is also a Tall, Dark and Bishoujo Kuudere with G-cup breasts, dark, thigh-long hair (except when she is in battle, where it becomes fire-like), and a very nice body. It shows in the many, many, many instances where she carry Honoka bride style.
  • Tsubaki Natsukasa from Soul Eater.
  • Brioche from Dog Days.
  • Angel from The Big O is 5' 10".


Comics[]

Film[]

  • Singer/actress Grace Jones fits this trope in real life and her film roles, most notably A View to a Kill and Conan The Destroyer
  • Real-life supermodel Amber Valetta in Hitch, especially compared to her suitor Kevin James.
  • Avatar: Technically any female Na'vi; Dr. Grace (Sigourney Weaver) towers over most of her coworkers.


Literature[]

  • Cimorene of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles is mentioned to be as tall as most men.
  • Honor Harrington, who at her 188 cm (6'2") is one of the taller characters in the series. The fact that she considered herself a Huge Schoolgirl in her youth, with attendant self-esteem issues, had large implications in the early books.
  • In the Discworld — stripper Tawnee is over six feet tall. We also have the Amazonian policewoman Precious Jolson, a woman her diminutive patrol partner claims to have the muscles of a troll on her.
  • Evelyn, the narrator and protagonist of "Paper Chains" by Jane Langton, is a six-foot red-head. And her parents have always encouraged her not to slouch.
  • Lanfear of The Wheel of Time, who is consistently stated to be the World's Most Beautiful Woman and stands almost as tall as the 6'6" Rand al'Thor.
  • Many female characters in The Dresden Files, both human (Charity, Molly, Georgia, etc.) and otherwise (Gard, Lara, Lea, etc.), to the point that Author Appeal is strongly suspected.
    • However, notably averted with the most prominent female of the series: Karrin Murphy is five feet even.
    • On the other hand, they are almost all blonde. And curvy.
  • Galadriel of The Lord of the Rings et al. is this. She is said to be 6'4" and one of the most stunning beauties in Middle Earth.
  • Lizzy of the web-novel Domina is described as bronze-skinned, golden-eyed, and over six feet. Sounds like the description of a Greek goddess.

Live Action TV[]

Cquote1

Decorator: But it's lovely, and feminine.
CJ: Dolley-with-an-E Madison was maybe 5'3.
Decorator: Yes...?
CJ: (stands up and stares down at her)
Decorator: ... Of course.

Cquote2
  • The eponymous character of Xena: Warrior Princess.
  • Mini from Skins fits all the requirements of this trope, with Freya Mavor, the actress who plays her, being a 5'10" blonde with light eyes, freckles and wavy hair.
  • Laura Prepon, who played Donna Pinciotti on That '70s Show, is 5'10", and throughout the series, was touted as the single hottest girl in Point Place.
  • Barbara Feldon on Get Smart had to slump a bit next to star Don Adams.
  • Catwoman, as played by Julie Newmar on Batman, was 5'11". Wearing heels, she even towered over her own henchmen.
  • Ghost Whisperer: Andrea Moreno (Aisha Tyler), Melinda's six-foot-tall Black Best Friend who was killed off at the end of the first season.
  • The actress who plays Sansa Stark in A Game of Thrones (Sophie Turner) is still in her early teens, and is already taller than most men, made easier by several of the adult male actors not being particularly tall. Gwendoline Christie, who would go on to play Brienne of Tarth, is absolutely gargantuan, but is far more attractive than the character described in the novels.
    • Word of God has it that part of what won her the role of Brienne is that she showed up to her audition done up to look as homely as Brienne does in the books.
  • Number Six of Battlestar Galactica Reimagined, played by fanboy-endorsed Tricia Helfer who stands at 5'11". Especially in the miniseries she towers over 5'8" James Callis (Baltar).
  • Companion/miniskirt enthusiast Amy Pond of Doctor Who, portrayed by the 5'11" Karen Gillan.
  • Blake Lively is somewhat taller than her Gossip Girl co-star Leighton Meester (she's a touch over 5'10", Leighton... isn't) and many of the rest of the cast, a point acknowledged in "The Magnificent Archibalds":
Cquote1

Aaron: Serena's life is complicated?
Dan: Yeah. I don't know about you but the Serena I know has long, flowing blonde hair, towers over both of us?

Cquote2


Tabletop Games[]

Video Games[]

  • Samus Aran from the Metroid series has a listed height of 190 cm (6'3"), though it isn't specified whether that measurement applies to her or her Power Suit. (In-game sprites for armorless Samus are always depicted a bit shorter than their armored counterparts. The trope holds in either instance, though.)
  • Grune of Tales of Legendia is one of the tallest characters in the cast, which enables her to smother her friends, during her quirky amnesiac phase.
    • Judith from Tales of Vesperia is no slouch in the height department either, standing at 175 cm (5'10"). She's also explicitly pointed out to be the bustiest.
  • Vanessa Lewis, Sarah Bryant, and Dural from Virtua Fighter.
  • Elena from Street Fighter III was for a long time the tallest female in the series at 6'0". Depending on the Artist, Chun-Li's long stems qualify her as well, and even her official height tends to fluctuate.
    • Also from the Street Fighter series: Rose (5'10") and C. Viper (5'9").
    • Marisa Rosetti from Street Fighter 6, at a whoopin' 203 cms / 6'8'', absolutely tops them all. Both A.K.I (5'8 / 173 cms) and Manon Legrand (5'9 / 175 cms) toe the line.
  • The Dark Queen from Battletoads is a Dark Action Girl version. One write up puts her at 6' tall, but she appears even taller in Boss Battles, nearly twice the height of the protagonists.
  • Ivy from Soul Calibur is one of the tallest characters, let alone women, in the entire series.
  • Fran from Final Fantasy XII towers over most of the cast at 6'1¾". And that's not even taking her rabbit ears or stilettos into account![1]
  • The Metal Gear Solid series has Meryl Silverburgh, Fortune, Sniper Wolf, EVA, and The Boss.
  • Rival Schools' Natsu Ayuhara, who is a shade under 6 feet tall (182 cm) and gets more than her fair share of fanservice shots. Kyoko Minazuki (173 cm/5'8.5") and Zaki (175 cm/5'9") are also as pretty as they are tall, but their height isn't paid attention to like Natsu's is.
  • Lili Rochefort from Tekken stands at 5'9". According to official sources, Jun Kazama and Kunimitsu also count. Normally, neither are particular fanservicey, but Jun's 1P outfit consists of a midriff-baring top and Zettai Ryouiki, while Kuni received a Taki-esque jumpsuit (complete with a Cleavage Window) as her 3P outfit in Tekken Tag Tournament.
  • There are quite a few from The King of Fighters: Whip (173 cm/5'8"), Shermie (173 cm/5'8"), Elisabeth (174 cm/5'8½"), Lien (174cm/5'8½"), King (175 cm/5'9"), Luise (175 cm/5'9"), Leona (176 cm/5'9¼"), Mature (177cm/5'9.6"), Vice (178 cm/5'10"), Foxy (181 cm/5'11⅓"), Vanessa (182cm/6'), Diana (188cm/6'2"), and especially Jun (199 cm/6'6.3"). Whip and Foxy (and depending on the game, King and Elisabeth) are more conservatively dressed than most, but their depiction in artwork tends to say otherwise. And "more conservatively dressed" doesn't equal to "less attractive" either.
  • Lady Jane Proudmore in World of Warcraft. It's easy to see she towers over any PC who speaks to her.
  • Amazonian Beauty Angela Belti of Power Instinct stands at over 6 feet tall.
  • Cynthia from Pokémon.
  • Bayonetta has not been given any particular measurements, but has been estimated to stand 12 heads tall from her official art, due in no small part to her ridiculously long legs.
  • Like with most things concerning Touhou, character height mostly depends on the preference of fans, but Komachi Onozuka and Yuugi Hoshiguma are universally portrayed as quite tall.
  • In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, most females of a race tend to be a smidge beneath the males in height (the males usually being the baseline 1.0x according to the Construction Set). Nordic women match the men in the height multiplier at 1.06x. High elf women match the men in height at 1.1x. In an odd case, the Wood Elf men are the shortest of all races and sexes, and the women are more akin to the typical height of most other females in the other races.
    • Even some of the Daedric races fall under this trope, too. Male Golden Saints and Dark Seducers are around the same height as most of the Tamrielic races, but the females have the same height and physical build as the Dremora (1.1x).
  • Tina and Lisa from the Dead or Alive series are 174 cm/5'9", and Christie is 177 cm/5'10".
  • Jill Valentine, according to her bio in the REmake of the first Resident Evil, was originally 166 cm/5'5", but this stat has been retconned to 172 cm/5'8" as of Resident Evil 5. Excella Gionne (also from 5) is approximately 175cm/5'9".
    • From the Outbreak titles, there's also waitress Cindy Lennox, who stands at 175 cm/5'9".
  • Golden Axe features Red Sonja Captain Ersatz Tyris Flare, who stands at 5'8".
  • The Dark Queen from Battletoads stands at 6 feet tall, according to official stats. Although that doesn't explain how she is a giant compared to the Battletoads themselves in the original, who are supposed to be even taller.
  • Oulan from Suikoden II towers even over Viktor and Pesmerga, who are both over six feet tall, and is in fact the tallest humanoid character in the entire game, only beat out by the large-size beasts. Sid appears taller, but only because of his wings. Jeane also counts (as well as for every other game thereafter), being only slightly shorter than Viktor and wearing pretty much nothing but see-through gauze on her person.
  • Perhaps Exaggerated Trope with Hot Goddess Raijin from Muramasa: The Demon Blade, a giantess approximately 3.5 times the size of the player. She dwarfs just about every humanoid character in the game. This is especially notable when she stands opposite of her romantic partner Fujin, who is a tiny, adorable imp. However, this is probably Justified Trope in that Raijin serves as a boss, so she needs to be imposing.
  • In Fable 2 and 3, the female player character is at least a head taller than everyone else.
  • Most female Norns in Guild Wars: Eye of the North can safely count as this, along with Hot Amazon and Amazonian Beauty. They're all at LEAST nine feet tall. And most of them can transform into werebears.
  • In Rift, female Bahmi are taller than male humans, but can be as attractive as any race.
  • In Streets of Rage 4, Estel Aguirre is a hot Amazonian Beauty who stands over 6ft.
  • City of Heroes, with its highly customizable character creator, lets players invoke this... however, one dev-created example is the hero Swan, who stands near Manticore (the shortest NPC male), and is about 2 feet taller than him.
  • Merveille from Solatorobo stands at 180 cm/5'11", making her much taller than many of the male characters who have their heights listed. In fact, the only character stated to be taller than her is Big Bad Bruno, who is 190 cm/6'3". While no one comments on her appearance specifically, the manual describes her as attractive and Béluga seems quite fond of her as well, though he may be interested in her mind as much as anything.
  • The female Ogres from Dragon Quest X are taller than every other player character save their Spear Counterparts, and are very attractive to boot.
  • Luminous Arc has resident Ms. Fanservice Vanessa. Though she doesn't have an official height, she towers over the teenage protagonists and has a few inches on all the adults—in fact, the only person taller than her without the aid of a Nice Hat is the Final Boss. The facts she's rather abundantly proportioned only makes her seem even bigger than she already is.
  • While Fire Emblem rarely if ever gives specific heights for its characters, many women from newer games are implied to be this:
    • In Fire Emblem Awakening, going by the official portrait sprites, a Female Avatar can fit here if she's given the third build (representing a tall woman in her 20's). There's also Cordelia, Panne and Kjelle from the second Generation; all of them plus the Tall Female Avatar are able to stand eye to eye against tall guys.
    • Fire Emblem Fates has Princess Camilla of Nohr, who according to the cover of the Conquest game, more or less stands eye to eye with her older brother Xander, who's among the tallest men in the cast itself. Even when she's wearing heeled boots in that one, game-wise she uses the tallest (and bustiest) female build.
    • Fire Emblem: Heroes gives us the Princesses of Jötunheimr, Dagr and Nótt, who are this and Amazonian Beauties. Justified, since Jötunheimr itself is said to be the Land of the Titans / Giants and Dagr herself says that her and Nótt's unseen mother, the Queen, is even taller than they are.
  • In Dragon Age: Inquisition, a player can make their Inquisitor a Qunari. If they also make said Inquisitor female, she'll fit in here.

Web Comics[]


Web Original[]


Western Animation[]

Real Life[]

  • Elisany Silva, the world's tallest teenager at 6'9". Yeah, look at her! She claims she had to drop out of school because she was too tall to ride the bus. Like many similar record holders, her incredible height was due to acromegaly, but surgery to remove the gland has halted her erratic growth. The guy in the first photo with her is her then-boyfriend and current husband, who she is a foot and a half taller than. She towers over her parents and siblings too (they're the ones in the second and third pictures). She currently works as a model in her home country of Brazil.
  1. And when you do take these into account, she's the tallest playable character in the main Final Fantasy series (the offline games, at least).
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