As a “short girl” my entire life, I fully identified with the main character in Tall Girl, Jodi Kreyman a 16 year old teen who was insecure about her 6’1” stature. She was a head above most of the girls and boys at her high school who made fun of her for her height. On the home front, her parents treated her height like it was a birth defect compared to her sisters Harper (played by Sabrina Carpenter) who was literally perfect in every way and a well-known beauty queen in the New Orleans area.
I loved watching this movie with my son because there were so many amazing talking points that came up. One of the biggest themes we found was that different is beautiful. Different is what makes us unique. If you can embrace your differences and what makes you unique, life will be inifinitely better. If you allow other people to tear you down, you are truly the only one losing out. This hit hard for me because I always grew up as the short girl and thought it was the biggest detriment. As I got older, I started to care less and less. Being short or tall does not keep you from your dreams…you do! I love the evolution of Jodi throughout the movie. She starts off Tall Girl as meek and embarrassed by her height and by the end she embraces her tallness. She stands tall and even wears heels to Prom. It was a such a huge moment in her becoming comfortable in her skin. As a parent, that moment however it looks for your own child is all we ever want. To have that “Aha” moment in which you embrace all of you and careless about what every one else thinks.
I really loved talking with Angela Kinsey (she plays Jodi and Harper’s mom) about how this movie resonated with her own children. She said she fell in love with the script because it was about being confident in who you are despite what anyone else says. Her biggest message to her kids is be you and be comfortable in being you.
Tall Girl is out on Netlfix now!