Letter To The Editor: Why “Tall Girl” Is The Media Representation We Need
Meredith Oechler
I recently read The Wake’s review of the Netflix Film “Tall Girl” entitled “‘Tall Girl’ is 101 minutes of your life you can never get back.”
As a passionate fan of this film, I believe it was 101 minutes of my life that I desperately needed.
Ever since I was a “little” girl, I’ve been tall. I don’t remember a birthday when my family members didn’t say to me, “Look at how big you’ve gotten!” I don’t remember ever being too short to ride the Ferris wheel at the county fair, even though I was five and most people just don’t remember a lot of things from before they were five. I always stood in the back of class photos, and I was always Conan O’Brien for Halloween, something every tall girl can relate to.
Sounds unbearable, right? Well, this is my life. While some may scoff at the film, they are clearly ignorant to the excruciating reality of ever tall, white, Aryan, upper-class high-school girl in America. My height made me a freak. A monster. That’s why when I saw Netflix’s “Tall Girl”, I thought: “Finally. A movie for me. A movie where my voice can be heard, instead of going right over the heads of my peers (no pun intended).
Every tall girl remembers being young and watching High School Musical, and thinking “Wow! I wish I could be like Gabriella. She’s pretty, she’s a good singer, and she’s really good at science!” Every tall girl remembers then typing “Vanessa Hudgens” into Google. We all remember seeing the heart-crushing results… “Born on December 14, 1988, grew up in Salinas, California…”
And there it is.
Height: 5′ 1″.
If it wasn’t Vanessa Hudgens, it was someone else. Reese Witherspoon: 5’1”. Natalie Portman: 5’2”. Mary Kate and Ashley Olson: 10’3”—combined, don’t get excited.
So when I saw that Ava Michelle, the star of Netflix’s “Tall Girl,” was 6’2”, the height of many Victoria’s Secret models, I finally felt represented in the media. Though I didn’t appreciate the film’s use of the HTWUT slur (How’s The Weather Up There), I was blown away by the show’s raw, real portrayal of what it’s like to be a tall, upper class, blonde white girl in today’s world.
Because I’m not just tall. I’m also rich. Just like Jodi’s family in the movie, my family has a 400 square foot kitchen with at least 10 sandalwood cabinets to hold our 14 carat gold dining sets—all the more reason for my family members to constantly ask me to help reach things on high shelves. So if you’re tall and your family makes less than $39,500 a year, allowing you to have less space for high, out-of-reach shelf space—check your privilege.
If you find yourself disliking “Tall Girl,” ask yourself why. Is it because you're afraid? Afraid of admitting the oppression tall girls live in every day? Afraid of seeing an inter-height couple on screen? Afraid of acknowledging that maybe, just maybe, a young, thin blonde woman who also happens to be 6’2’’ could be beautiful.
“Tall Girl” has been scorned by viewers because they are afraid to acknowledge that it tells the truth.