I’m very tall, and people have been commenting on that since about 6th grade when I suddenly sprouted up. A few people would comment that I could be a model, but even that wasn’t welcome input from people I didn’t know well. It was calling attention to how I was different from my peers and in middle and high school, that was THE last thing I wanted. Even now strangers sometimes ask me how tall I am, and I never knew how to do anything than answer because otherwise I’d look rude and defensive.

I haven’t tried this out yet, but I read something recently about turning the tables on someone who is asking you a rude or unwelcome question. So next time I’ll say, “Oh, I’m very tall…. those shoes/shirt/glasses you’ve got on are something else.”

As you said, people really ought to not comment on other people’s speech or physicality unless you know them very well and have equal power in the relationship.