If there was ever a trend Lauren Williams was happy to see in style, it's the midi. The skirt, which hits most women at the calf, fits her perfectly - above the knee.

"On me, it's the right length for a pencil skirt. Otherwise, most skirts are too mini on me," said Williams, 25, who stands at 6 feet 4 inches tall with 49-inch-long legs, measuring from hip to heel. That's one long drink of water.

The Houston native has joined a viral international challenge in the modeling world to determine who has the longest legs.

Williams is claiming the title.

Last month, Russia dubbed Anastasia Strashevskaya, an 18-year-old law student, as "Miss Longest Legs" in a beauty pageant. Her legs measure 42 inches (from hip to heel bone). Then shortly after, a British student and model Alexandra Robertson, 20, claimed to have longer limbs at 47 inches. She's 6 feet 1 inches tall.

And New York model Brooke Banker, 26, who stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, says her legs are in the running, too, at 47 inches long. She's claiming to have the longest legs in the Big Apple.

But officially, the Guinness World Records gives Svetlana Pankratova, who stands 6 feet 5 inches tall, the title of world's longest legs on a female. Hers are 51.9 inches.

"It's funny that you have women coming forward to claim this title," Williams said. "There are a lot of tall women out here, but I do think I'm up there."

Williams, a two-time All-American volleyball player who played at University of Southern California and earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science and a master's in education, worked as a model while living in California. A makeup artist she had worked with there recently contacted her about the viral challenge.

Now Williams works as a science educator at the Children's Museum of Houston. Her long limbs are often a topic of conversation with her students, as well as strangers.

"Every day someone says something about my legs," she said. "I was always taller than everyone growing up. But when you're tall, everyone assumes you're older than you are. So I had people talking to me like I was an adult when I was 10. It took a lot of time to embrace my height. As a kid, you just want to fit in."

Her mother, Shirley Williams, is 6 feet tall; father Craig Williams is 6 feet 6 inches tall; and her 30-year-old twin sisters, Alicia Joyce and Jessica Williams, are both 6 feet tall.

In the fashion model industry, height can sometimes be a disadvantage. The top models are evaluated on their height and personality, not leg length, said Ally Shell-van Koolwijk, director of Neal Hamil Agency in Houston.

"Usually, the best fit are models between 5 feet 8 inches tall and 5 feet 11 inches. It's all about who fits the clothes, not about the legs."

Shell-van Koolwijk said the agency's tallest female model is Alise Shoemaker at 6 feet 1 inches tall. "She's not an easy fit by any means. She's taller than most and has higher hips, but the clients tailor the clothes to fit her. She's beautiful and has an amazing personality. Size does matter, but when they have the personality, they make things work."

Williams, who also wears a Size 11 shoe, says finding clothes to fit is still a struggle. She favors Rock & Republic jeans because the brand offers longer lengths. She recently purchased at pair of Frame Denim jeans, which collaborated with Victoria's Secret Angel Karlie Kloss on extra-long styles for Nordstrom.

But being tall has its obvious advantages, Williams pointed out.

She can reach the top shelf almost anywhere. She can play volleyball. And in dating, her height helps her weed out insecure men.

"A few inches here or there doesn't matter," she said, "as long they are confident."