She’s Got Legs. She Knows How to Pose with Tiny Men Between Them.

I avoid “Strange But True”-type posts on MEDIA ASSASSIN. As well, by now you’ve all seen these photos from the 2009 Guinness Book of World Records promotional in England’s Trafalgar Square, this week.

They’re of He Pingping, 20, who, at 2ft 5.37 in., is the world’s shortest standing man, and 6′ 4″ Svetlana Pankratova, 36, whose 4ft 3.9 in. legs are the world’s longest.

Again, I don’t really consider this story all that interesting, thought the pics are admittedly eye-catching, in a tabloidy sort of way. This pose, right, of the duo reclining against the steps of the Square, has gotten the most visibility, I’m guessing, because its horizonal formatting fits TV better that a vertical shot, like the one atop this post.

What I do find rather fascinating, however, is the visual ratio between Pankratova’s torso and the length of her gams. “Her upper body has nearly typical proportions, giving her a giraffe-like appearance,” wrote the Associated Press.

That was a tad ungenerous, plus this aspect of Pankratova’s physique is less apparent in the horizontal photo, since Pingping is seated at her hip, cutting off a significant portion of her 52-inch leg line. (Had he plopped down, instead, where the book is positioned, this wouldn’t have occurred.)

Look at her again, however, in this vertical photo, right, shown at a smaller size so that one can eye her in a single sweep without scrolling. What one sees more clearly is that she is not just a tall woman, but a woman of, pretty much, average body size, perched on top of unusually long legs.

Pankratova works in real estate and lives in Spain with her shorter, 6′ 1″ boyfriend. According to the AP, she likes her legs, though “it’s hard to find clothes, especially pants.” And, presumably, pantyhose?