Saying someone is tall can be subjective. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who grew up in Charlotte, is 6-foot-2, well above average height. But he’s the shortest starting player on his squad.
The more than 800 people who showed up Saturday for social media influencer Tyler Bergantino’s Tall Tour at Brewers At 4001 Yancey were objectively tall. Period. Trust us, said this 5-foot-7 reporter and our 5-foot-1 photographer.)
Bergantino, at 6-foot-9 and who works out of Nashville, brought his tall person meetup, Tall Tour, to Charlotte this weekend where vertically inclined people (VIPs Bergantino likes to call ‘em) from the city, the state and beyond showed up and stood tall.
And felt short.
“There’s people taller than me here, and it feels good to not have to worry about where people who aren’t as tall as me are because I don’t look down when I’m walking,” Winston-Salem resident Cierra Matthews laughed. She’s 5’11”, and with her heels, she’s well over 6 feet tall.
“Everyone here can relate to being the tallest person in the room, and I’m finally not the tallest person in the room.”
That “normal” feeling is what Bergantino was after in creating Tall Tour. Bergantino shot up in middle school, hitting 6’7” before gaining those extra inches as an adult.
He started making content around what it’s like to be tall, such as finding clothes or a comfortable car.
“My biggest thing is for people to walk out (of Tall Tour) and feel normal or at least not as tall as they used to feel,” Begantino said. “If your posture improves by the end of the night, it’s a successful event.”
The Charlotte Observer dived into the crowd, lifted our arms to reach faces and crooked our necks to chat with the crowd.
No, we didn’t bring a tape measure, but here’s what we saw
Matthews drove in from Winston-Salem and wasn’t expecting this large of a crowd. But it worked out in her favor. Matthews was looking for the trade secret: where are all the tall girlies getting their jeans. Morgan Davis who happened to walk by and hear Matthews, had the answer:
“American Tall,” Davis said. “I even get my scrubs from there. I had to let you know.”
Davis said she lived nearby and came to meet people her height, which is around 6 feet.
“Meeting other girls my height is very nice because I haven’t felt like this since playing sports,” Davis said.
“Basketball or volleyball,” Matthews asked. She played volleyball.
“Both,” Davis replied.
Anton Bonke and Daijha Thomas echoed the sports sentiment.
Bonke, the 7’2” center for the UNC Charlotte 49ers, said he’s never been around this many tall people, besides in the locker room. He’s the tallest on the team though (and taller than Hornets’ center Ryan Kalkbrenner).
“These are my people,” Bonke said.
Thomas agreed. She came to the event from Maryland to celebrate her birthday. Since she stopped playing basketball, no one has really reached her height of 6’1”
Being at Tall Tour was like finding long-lost friends, Thomas said.
“This is very bonding,” Thomas said. “You’re connecting on a deeper level even though you met five seconds ago. Because, oh you had that struggle too? Where do you shop? We’re trading secrets.”
‘There are more people like me’
All of Darius Witherspoon’s friends said he had to check out Tall Tour. Makes sense since Witherspoon is “only 7 feet.”
“This is my first time being in a place where there are more people like me,” Witherspoon said. “I feel inclusive. I feel included. I’ve never been able to feel like I was in a crowd. I’m always above the crowd, and now I can actually see people when I look straight.”
Michelle Hairston said that feeling of inclusiveness would’ve been great to have when she was younger. She hit 6’4” when she was 14 years old. Now, at age 53, she’s 6-foot-7.
Hairston’s message to her younger self and to youth feeling out of place: be you.
“Stop worrying about what other people think,” Hairston said. “The thing that makes you odd as a young person, whatever you’re getting picked on for, is literally the thing that will make you unique and stand out later in life. Embrace it young. It will carry you to so many places.”
And that’s true. Hairston was crowned the tallest woman in the room.
“I’m in a group of elite people, some of which are in the top .01% of the world, and I have the crown,” Hairston said.