Caroline Arthur, a former model who lives in Melbourne, has legs that measure a whopping 51.5 inches from hip to […]
Caroline Arthur, a former model who lives in Melbourne, has legs that measure a whopping 51.5 inches from hip to heel.
The 39-year-old said: “I believe that they are definitely the longest in Australia and, as far as I know, in America too.
Caroline has always struggled to find clothes that fit her long slim physique and is the subject of stares and astonished glances whenever she is out in public.
“Mostly, I enjoy it,” said Caroline.
“My friends always have to be a bit prepared when they venture out with me because people do stare – especially if I’m dressed up in heels.
“I just know by now that if I’m going out with people in the evening, I’m going to get a lot of attention so I am sort of used to it.
“I have had a few people say nasty things but mostly it’s great and people are really nice”.
But body positive Caroline has not always been so confident in her appearance – she recalls being a self-conscious teenager who wanted to dress in ways that would disguise her height.
“I just wanted to be the same as everyone else.
“I started modeling when I was around 15 and that gave me confidence.
“My legs featured in a lot of stocking commercials and things but I was also rejected from a lot of jobs because of my height.
“I was told that I’m too tall for Australian beauty standards and couldn’t model clothes because they just wouldn’t fit me.
“So as much as I did get work because of my long legs, I also got knocked back for the same reason.”
“She was always taller than all of her friends,” Janet Ware, Caroline’s mother, said.
“When she was young she was shy and kind of ashamed of being so tall.
“I was pleased when she started modeling because it helped her to stand tall and not be stooped or trying to hide her height.
“I am so proud of her. She carries herself so well, is a lovely person, a great mother and a wonderful daughter.
Caroline, who is married to builder, Cameron, says her mother-in-law makes her clothes for her and that her husband thoughtfully designed their house to have 10 ft ceilings and extra-high kitchen worktops to accommodate his super-sized family.
Caroline does seem to have passed her impressive height on to her two children, 13-year-old Cooper, who is already 6ft 2in and ‘midget’ of the family, Zoe, who at 15 stands at 5ft 9in.
Caroline’s children say they are both excited by the prospect of seeing their mother in the Guinness World Records.