Barbell

Curious to see the answers to this as I'm thinking of this too.

"A men's Olympic bar is a metal bar that is 2.2 m (7.22 ft) long and weighs 20 kg (44.1 lbs).[4] The outer ends are 50 mm (1.9685 in) in diameter, while the grip section is 28 mm (1.1024 in) in diameter, and 1,310mm (51.57 in) in length. The bars have grip marks spaced 910 mm apart to allow intuitive grip width measurement. It is the standard used in competitive weightlifting where men and women compete at the highest level - the Commonwealth Games, Pan-American Games, World Championships, and the Olympics. The total weight of the barbell varies based on the type and number of plates loaded onto the ends of the bar and the lift being performed and can be as much as 540 kilograms (1,200 lb) which is the limit of total load.[1]"

"A women's Olympic bar is similar to the men's bar, but is shorter - 2.05 m (6.73 ft) - and lighter - 15 kg ( 33.07 lbs) - with a smaller grip section diameter (25 mm). Also in contrast to the men's bar, the women's bar does not sport a center knurl."

A men's oly bar is the standard in most gyms really. Women's bars can be good if your strength level starting out isn't high enough to use the men's bar, but if it is, I'd get a men's oly bar.

just get a standard olympic bar - Unless you're very large you should be more than fine with a 6ft bar

Thanks for the links.
Actually the exact opposite, I'm very small, was wondering if I would be OK with a 4 or 5 foot bar, but you think an Olympic bar would be better?

Really don't your smaller stature being an issue. Get a Women's oly bar if you'd like, but they're harder to find on the cheap (you can find tons of men's on sites like Craigslist). Oly bars are the standard and are usually the basis of most barbell workout programs, which is why they're highly recommended.