Is 5’9 Tall for a Girl or Not?

Considering that a height of 5’9 is fairly standard for a man, and knowing that men tend to be taller than women, it’s clear that 5’9 is well above the average female height. But by how much?

It depends on the age of the woman as well as the country in which she lives. More on that in a sec.

How Does Your Height Compare?

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Is 5’9 tall for a girl or not?

A woman getting her height measured with a stadiometer

Is 5’9 tall for a girl or not? A height of 5’9 is definitely tall for a woman because such a height is 5 inches taller than average for a female.

In terms of how tall 5’9 is for a woman, I’d say that it’s on the high end of tall but not quite into the very tall category.

Additionally, since older women tend to be shorter than the younger generation of women, a 5’9 woman who’s elderly will likely look taller than a younger 5’9 woman since we’re more accustomed to seeing tall young people.

Similarly, in certain parts of the world, particularly in Northern Europe, women tend to be a bit taller than in the US. So depending on where a 5’9 girl lives, she may look taller or shorter than if she was in the US.

Is 5’9.5 tall for a woman?

Is 5’9.5 tall for a woman? Yes, a height of 5’9.5 is definitely tall for a woman because most females are 5 and a half inches shorter than this height.

In many cases, a height of 5 feet 9 and a half inches is slightly above-average for a man, so such a height is definitely tall for a woman of any age.

Research shows that many tall women—5’9 ½ definitely fits into this category—are satisfied with their height. ^[1]

So even though it’s tall, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being 5’9.5 as a woman.

Indeed, at such a height, there will still be plenty of men who are taller than you. So you don’t need to worry about towering over all of the males that you encounter!

Who are some notable female celebrities that are 5’9?

Some famous female celebrities who are 5’9 include Heidi Klum, Naomi Campbell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Adele, Kate Middleton, and Serena Williams.

Of course, some sources do list these 5’9 female celebrities as taller or shorter than this. But weighing everything up, I’m confident that these famous 5’9 celebrities are around 5 feet 9 inches tall barefoot (with heels, they would be way taller).

What does a 5’9 woman look like?

A woman being measured with a stadiometer

In general, a 5’9 woman looks tall—much taller than the average woman—but not extremely tall unless she wears shoes that elevate her even more.

In this sense, 5ft 9in is a good height for a woman because you’re tall with long legs but not so tall that you tower above everyone else.

The following height comparisons aim to outline just how tall a 5’9 girl will look next to a person of different heights. This could be useful if your partner or potential partner is taller than you because men do tend to prefer women who are a bit shorter than themselves, at least in Western countries. ^[2]

5’9 vs 5’10

5’9 next to 5’10 looks quite proportional, and from some angles, these two heights might look virtually identical, especially if there is a mismatch in footwear and heel height.

The 5’9 and 5’10 height difference is just one inch, which certainly might be a noticeable difference some of the time. Ultimately, though, a 5’9 and 5’10 person are going to look really similar in terms of stature.

5’9 vs 5’11

5’9 next to 5’11 doesn’t look short, but it does look noticeably smaller. Even with generous footwear, a 5’9 person might not look as tall as the 5’11 person.

The 5’9 and 5’11 height difference is obviously 2 inches. A 2 inch height difference is noticeable to almost anyone because the height gap is large enough to where you can visually see that one person is clearly shorter than the other.

5’9 vs 6’0

In the first half of this 5’9 vs 6’0 comparison, I want to make the point that 5’9 is significantly shorter than 6’0. To be specific, there is a 3 inch height difference between 5’9 and 6’0.

While a 5’9 girl next to a 6’0 guy won’t look outright short, she will look significantly smaller unless she’s wearing heels. The same, of course, holds true if the people standing next to each other are both males.

As for whether you can grow from 5’9 to 6’0, this depends if your growth plates have closed. So if you’re in your late teens or early adulthood, this is very unlikely. But if you’re still in puberty, then it’s possible, depending on your genetics.

5’9 vs 6’1

5’9 compared to 6’1 looks proportional in that it’s common for men and women to have a 4 inch height difference.

So, in this case, while the 5’9 woman would clearly be shorter than the guy, she definitely wouldn’t look short because she’s way taller than the vast majority of women.

Obviously, if we’re talking about two men, then the 5’9 guy might look quite short because the other guy is quite a few inches taller than usual for a man.

5’9 vs 6’2

5’9 next to 6’2 will look fairly short, not because 5’9 is short in and of itself—far from it—but because 6’2 is very tall.

With that said, a 5 inch height difference is actually normal between men and women, so, despite being taller than average, neither person in this pairing would look remotely out of place.

5’9 vs 6’3

Although 5 feet 9 inches is definitely not a small height, 5’9 next to 6’3 would definitely look short from just about any angle because of the 6 inch height difference.

While six inches might not sound like a lot—it’s not even double-digits—such a height difference, while perfectly fine, is very noticeable indeed.

Conclusion: Is it good to be a 5’9 woman?

While I can’t speak from experience, I think it’s fairly safe to say that 5’9 women are of a great height because they’re definitely not short, but they’re not extremely tall either.

Sure, some 5’9 girls might not like being taller than some of the guys they meet. But at the same time, so many women wish they were 5’9! And as a 5’9 woman, you’re still going to be shorter than many of the men that you encounter on a daily basis.

References

Lever, J., Frederick, D. A., Laird, K., & Sadeghi-Azar, L. (2007). Tall women’s satisfaction with their height: general population data challenge assumptions behind medical interventions to stunt girls’ growth. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 40(2), 192–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.09.004
Sorokowski, P., & Butovskaya, M. L. (2012). Height preferences in humans may not be universal: evidence from the Datoga people of Tanzania. Body image, 9(4), 510–516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.07.002