Is it normal to feel intimidated by someone who is much taller and bigger?

I am probably slightly above average height - 6'0" - but I once knew about a guy at my school who was really tall - like about 6'8" or so - and also have looked rather powerful in general, and I found myself feeling quite intimidated by him.
If we walked towards each other or wear about to walk through the same doorway i always stepped aside and allowed him space, and I also found myself looking up at him with large and timid eyes.

Is this something that usually happens to people?
And what would be a good explanation for this?

I don't know anything about this specifically. But I recall having read somewhere in the past that men, in particular, who are taller tend to get better jobs & earn more money simply because they are taller. Perhaps it's just human nature to equate tallness with competency? I don't know.

I think it may be a guy thing. I've never felt intimated by anyone's size, because at 5'2" I'm used to people being taller than I am. For a couple of years I dated a guy who was 6'4" and he once told me that when he was younger he knew his height could intimidate other guys at need. (One of the reasons I broke up with him, BTW!).

I've been watching Blue Bloods a lot recently and Tom Selleck's two staff assistants are, like him, big tall men. All I've thought about that is that they look like big cuddly uncles who could protect me (or anyone on the show) from any danger.

And when I hug a tall friend my ear is right at his chest level and I can hear his heart beat and that makes me feel loved and secure.

I was in a relationship with a guy that was 6’7 I am 5’5 , it turned abusive ( long story)

But if I’m out and see someone over say 6’3-4 I often have to deal with intense anxiety or full blown panic attack.

I was in an abusive relationship with my husband, since died, so can understand just how intimidating it can feel in the presence of someone taller, and my late husband was also a shouter. In itself, shouting is another form of intimidation. Because an aggressor is physically bigger, it's natural to expect them to use their height or bodily mass as leverage into getting what they want. Being stared down is another area that feels intimidating.

There are methods of avoiding confrontational people. One is not to let your discomfort show, but to gaze back focussing your eyes on their forehead, between their eyes and if you can, move closer doing so. Being shorter and closer will cause the taller one to back off, a psychological action because taller bigger people find it difficult grappling with someone shorter.

This was an action I did in self-defence, and when my husband did lash out, I paralysed his arm with a sharp chop on his arm's median nerve with the edge of my hand. That immediately stopped husband's further hostility because he realised what I was capable of. Not helping of course is when an opponent has been drinking alcohol.

@Peter86 I recommend you a short course on self-defence. Seek out in your town a martial art called Taekwondo. Effectively, even a beginner can learn to "throw away" an opponent, causing the least possible harm that would be acceptable in a court of law.

Look on Google for Taekwondo classes that are most highly rated (usually out of '5'), and go from there.

Everyone has the right not to be bullied. I wish you all the best.

My take on this, being a 5'1" woman is that maybe I'm like the smaller dogs. Lol.... You mess with me no matter what your size & I will go for biting their ankles.

No one in my life has intimidated me. I learned to stand up for myself at a very young age.....guess just the personality I was born with because I sure didn't learn it from my parents. Maybe it was because I was an only child & the neighborhood I grew up in was all guys so to play, I had to be fearless to keep up & have fun. I think the fearless attitude contributes to not feeling intimidated.

But I don't think this is very normal of others listening to what others say.....it is just normal for me.

It's very common for someone to be intimidated by a tall individual. While not everyone is bothered by it, many are.

I’m actually more amazed by taller and bigger people then intimidated by them. I had a female therapist when I was in high school who was over 6 feet tall and it was really interesting working with her. I’m 5’4 and I feel like I’m at the perfect height. So I don’t know. Maybe I’m just weird.

Peter, is this a trigger for you to reacting to something in your past that was uncomfortable, threatening, or even traumatic?

Though above average height now I wasn't always. I was always the smallest kid at school and got bullied a lot about it. Hence, I have my own discomfort around tall people. Unfortunately I must deal with this often. My daughter is over six feet. As she is a volleyball player, those she socializes with and dates are even taller - in the 6'6" and higher range. Her last boyfriend was 6'9" !!!! This really made me uncomfortable. The consolation? He was a great help in the kitchen. But seriously, the heights of these people she brings home and hangs with are amazing - and a tad bit disconcerting. Seeing them stirs up old memories of angst and fear.