Tall Bashkiria Woman on Confidence, Bullying, and Relationships
195 centimeters (6 ft 5 in) of pure charm and charisma. Bashkiria-born Daria Yalovaya — a stately and beautiful girl, a former professional basketball player — started a blog where she talks about her life and teaches girls to love and accept themselves as they are. About how she dealt with bullying and grew confidence in herself, Dasha told UFA1.RU.
The girl always stood out due to her height. According to her, her mother had to carry her daughter«s birth certificate on the bus — travel is free up to age 7, but Dasha looked older.
The 28-year-old girl is from small Sibay (Bashkortostan, Russia), now lives in Yekaterinburg. She is engaged in running her blog, which inspires many tall beauties not to be shy about their height. Moreover, she emphasizes long legs with heels, because the blogger herself loves this too. No one remains indifferent to Daria«s persona on the internet — some admire, while others get angry and try to hurt with sharp jokes, some of which are completely unoriginal.
Actually, caustic expressions from people do not frighten the athlete. She has been familiar with bullying for a long time — she first encountered it in her first school. Children, as a rule, do not like and do not forgive those who are different from them.
«I came home hysterical and told my mom that I wouldn»t go there anymore. She went, talked, but, as you understand, it all had a temporary effect,« — the girl shares in a conversation with a UFA1.RU journalist.
In the end, for the psychological health of her 11-year-old daughter, her mother transferred her to another school.
Professional Sport
Dasha has been professionally engaged in basketball all her life, so shallow jokes like «tall, huh, probably play basketball?» — are very appropriate, because the girl has achieved success in this field. Sports boarding school, invitation to the youth league, then to the premier league of UGMK (Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company basketball club) — the girl was able to build a good career in sports.
UGMK is the strongest and most titled women«s basketball team in our country, in 2025 they have won the Russian championship 18 times and are known for numerous victories not only in national tournaments but also European, including the EuroLeague.
«I even went to training camps in Spain with the UGMK premier league. Training with WNBA stars — that»s wow! I couldn«t even dream about it when I lived and trained in Sibay,» — says the girl.
And also modestly states that she «warmed the bench» at the Russian Cup in the 2019/2020 season, but our editorial office is sure that she is being coy.
WNBA stars are the most popular basketball players of the Women«s National Basketball Association (WNBA), who are chosen to participate in the annual All-Star Game (WNBA All-Star Game) or included in symbolic teams, representing the elite of world women»s basketball.
The story with basketball ended, as it often happens in professional sports, with injuries and more.
«I, like most players in the team, did not get along with the coach. I ended the season with tears in my eyes after every training, because there was no moral strength,» — admits Dasha.
In 2021, she had to leave, the result of years of sports — two operations due to a torn labrum, one fracture of the wrist joint, two fractures of the middle fingers. But the girl does not regret anything — few can boast such a past and such a career.
The athlete believes that everything worked out with basketball thanks to her first coach — Natalia Efimova, who immediately noticed the girl«s height and talent. However, persuading her to start training seriously took a long time, all due to joint pain: »I grew sharply, and my knees hurt terribly, right to tears. My mom ironed them in the evenings and nights, applied creams so they wouldn«t hurt,» — Dasha recalls her teenage years.
In the interview, the girl admitted that she is very grateful to her parent for faith — she was nearby and supported her daughter«s path, no matter how thorny it was.
«Called a beanpole, horse, and whatever not on social media»
By the way, the girl did not want to become a blogger, just suddenly a video about her height «blew up.» Then Dasha decided: who, if not her, will tell about the troubles of tall girls.
«A huge number of tall girls write to me, who are shy about their height because they are bullied,» — says Daria.
Now the former basketball player wants to be an example of self-acceptance for everyone, though it was not easier for her. According to Dasha, due to her height, she was called a horse, beanpole, rail tie, they said, like, you«ll never find a boyfriend.
«Such slop was poured on me in messages. Height cannot be changed, it»s not weight! What nature gave, we use. All tall people are already tired of jokes about the weather up top, that health is left for only a short while. People generally consider us something non-existent, as if they have the right to insult and humiliate us. They speak as if tall girls do not deserve love,« — shares Dasha.
But there is still more good. According to Dasha, thanks to her blog, many girls fall in love with themselves, stop being shy about what nature awarded them. Sometimes even mothers of girls who are complex about height write, asking for advice.
Personal Life
Dasha has a man, but she respects his privacy and unwillingness to be a media personality. However, she revealed some small details — they met on a dating site, where the girl indicated herself two centimeters shorter — 193 cm (6 ft 4 in), she was not aware of the interlocutor«s height. She asked when she realized she had fallen in love, in the end it turned out that the man is taller.
Admire the girl«s photos and read about another resident of Bashkiria who stood out from everyone, rushed on a journey in an RV and is now absolutely happy.
