Caroline Arthur towers over almost everyone she passes on the street leading her to believe she might have the longest legs in Australia.
The mother-of-two stands 186 centimetres tall (6ft 2in) but her legs measure 131.6 centimetres from hip to heel taking up 69 per cent of her body.
The 42-year-old has revealed a glimpse into what her life really looks like with her striking height – and the challenges she’s faced with her long legs.
She told Daily Mail Australia some of her daily hurdles include driving and travelling on a plane.
Caroline Arthur stands 186 centimetres tall (6ft 2in) but her legs measure 131.6 centimetres from hip to heel taking up 69 per cent of her body.
‘Travelling is a challenge. Exit row is a must as I don’t fit in the normal seating, and driving always involves extending the seat as far back as possible,’ Caroline said.
‘Other things that challenge me daily are Pilates, which I love, and the reformed bed is not quite long enough but I make do.’
The former model, who hails from a small country town of Lake Eildon in Victoria, said she was always taller than every other student in the classroom.
‘Growing up I was very insecure. I had freckles, long skinny legs and a short body and I was extremely skinny also,’ she said.
‘I was the tallest in my primary school, including the teachers by the time I was in my last year. And of course kids can be cruel.
‘My favourite nicknames were “Caroline The Powerline”. I hated it at the time but now I find it quite funny.
The Melbourne said some of her daily hurdles include driving and travelling on a plane where an exist row seat was a necessity
‘Being a teenager, you just want to fit in and be the same as everyone else. That was never going to happen for me.
‘But I was very fortunate to have extremely supportive parents. My dad would always say to me “stand up straight and be proud of your height, you can’t change it”.’
As a 42-year-old woman and mother, I can honestly say that I feel more beautiful than I ever have. I love my long legs and my height and wouldn’t change any of it as it has all made me who I am today
The dermal therapist said shopping for clothes to fit her frame was the biggest challenge she faced growing up.
‘My mum used to go shopping for me and she would hold the pants up under her arm and it didn’t matter if they were too big around the waist, we would just get a belt or have my grandmother take them in,’ Caroline said.
‘I was fortunate enough to have a grandmother who was an excellent seamstress, so she would make a lot of my clothes.’
Despite struggling with finding clothes in her size, Caroline said she no longer had that problem as there were now websites catering for women of all sizes.
‘Now of course with the ease of internet shopping combined with an increasingly tall population, clothing is much easier to find,’ she said.
The 42-year-old is pictured in January 2017 standing alongside her husband Cameron and their two children – son Cooper and daughter Zoe
Caroline is pictured standing next to her mother Janet who is just 157 centimetres tall (5ft 2in)
Caroline started modelling at the age of 17 to boost her confidence but initially struggled to get jobs due to her height.
‘I felt very insecure for a long time. Then mum and dad sent me to a modelling and deportment school in the city and that was when I started modelling,’ she said.
‘This was a double edged sword because when I went for jobs and was knocked back, it made me feel worse about myself, but when I did get the jobs, it would really help my confidence.
‘I was knocked back for many jobs because I was told I was too tall for the Australian beauty standards and I didn’t fit into most of the clothes.
‘Then I got a stocking contract where my legs got featured in commercials – and I realised there were other options in the modelling world.’
Caroline said the biggest challenge for her was trying to find clothes that fitted her frame but that she no longer had this issue because of new online retailers
Caroline was in Thailand in January where she towered of many locals including this waitress
Caroline said she was always taller than nearly everyone she’s met in her life staring from school where she dwarfed her classmates
Caroline’s 16-year-old son Cooper now stands taller than his doting mother, while her 18-year-old daughter Zoe is the shortest family member.
‘My son is 6ft 8in (205cm) and his legs are around the same length as mine, so I feel very lucky that I am able to easily order him pants to fit. He gets a lot of attention. He loves his height,’ she said.
I was knocked back for many modelling jobs because I was told I was too tall for the Australian beauty standards and I didn’t fit into most of the clothes
‘Most people are genuinely fascinated and the most common questions that both my son and I get are: Do you play basketball and are you a model? Or the perennial favourite, what’s the weather like up there?
‘My daughter is our shortest family member at 5ft 9in (175cm). We tease her a lot about her being the little one.’
In 2016, Caroline tried to challenge the Guinness Book of World Records to claim the title of the world’s longest legs – but she missed out by a whisker to Russian woman Svetlana Pankratova, whose legs measure 132cm long.
Her son Cooper, 16, (left) now stands taller than his mother at 205 centimetres, while her daughter Zoe, 18, (centre) who’s 175cm, is the shortest family member
‘Guinness have been discussing the possibility of changing the record or even introducing a new record that will mean they will measure differently, taking the ratio of leg to body,’ Caroline said.
‘If this happened then I will be fairly confident that I will take the new record as my ratio is 69 per cent. The current record holder is 6ft 9in whereas I am only 6ft 2in.
‘The application is under submission now. Hopefully I will hear something soon.’
Caroline said she now loves her legs more than ever – and there’s nothing she would change about her image.
‘Now I feel very blessed to be tall and have long legs,’ she said.
‘As a 42-year-old woman and mother, I can honestly say that I feel more beautiful than I ever have. I love my long legs and my height and I wouldn’t change any of it as it has all made me who I am today.
‘There are many things we can change about ourselves but height is not one of them. Learn to love your height no matter what that is.
‘Concentrate on being a good person and look at the gifts that the height gives you.’
In 2016, Caroline – whose legs are 131.6 cm long – tried to challenge the Guinness Book of World Records – but Russian woman Svetlana Pankratova (pictured in 2009), claimed the title of the world’s longest legs with her pins measuring 132cm long