Tall tales.
That's what's at the core of TLC's new show My Giant Life: vignettes from the vertically endowed. Apparently TLC is running out of little people programming ideas (Little People, Big World; Little Couple; Our Little Family; Little Johnstons) and is thinking big.
The show (new episodes of the five-part reality series are on at 9 p.m. Tuesdays; see TLC.com) follows four women who are 6 feet 6 inches and taller -- exploiting camera angles to exaggerate their already towering stature -- to find out just how is the air up there?
Well, it's kind of grimy, says 27-year-old Lindsay, who stands at a staggering 6 feet 9 inches tall and is regularly confused -- as are the others -- for a professional basketball player.
"If your refrigerator is all dirty and dusty, I'm going to know," she says. "If the ceiling fan is all dusty and filthy, I'm going to find out about it. My head is right there."
As for the real dirt, Lindsay, an aspiring actress trying out for roles like "Swedish masseuse," is dealing with: She's trying to track down her father who left when she was a child and maybe establish a relationship. He sounds like a big jerk. Literally. She inherited her height from him.
Then there is Nancy, who also is 6 feet 9 inches tall. For now. She's only 17 years old, which means she might not be done growing (no complaints from her high school basketball coach). She has the same stressors as other teen girls, but supersized. Like learning to drive when regular vehicles are too small for her frame and her size-14 foot. Like finding the right clothes when "nothing ever really fits me." Like finding a date when "I've always been a head taller than everyone."
Admits Nancy who has never had a boyfriend, "I do have a tiny crush." Emphasis on tiny: "He's a senior and shorter than me -- way shorter."
Also not having luck with the opposite sex is 6-foot-6-inch Colleen. But at 36 years old, she's more comfortable in her statuesque skin than she was in younger years when she was called "giraffe" and "giant" (hey, she still is -- the show is called My Giant Life).
"As a youngster, you really kind of just want to blend in," she says. "You don't have a lot of confidence at that age. ... Being so obviously different than everybody was really hard."
Life is easier now that she has more courage. Not to mention more customized contraptions; she's got everything from a big bike to a cutting board that stands 13 inches taller than the counter.
If only she could find a guy who is on her level, so to speak. In the meantime she keeps searching. And here's what she has found: "You see a lot of types of heads and I know everybody's bald spot."
For 23-year-old Haleigh, "Being tall and being big has been a huge blessing in my life."
After all, her 6-feet-3 height got her free college tuition thanks to a volleyball scholarship, and it's given her a purpose: trying to play professional volleyball overseas.
"Being tall is 100 percent an asset, and I've gotten to do some really really cool things and see cool things and meet people. ... I would not have had the opportunity if I wasn't tall -- if I didn't have the stature of a college linebacker."
But it has posed a challenge to her love life. While she has found love with 5-foot-8 Brian, her tall father looks down on him. In every possible way.
"Well, there goes the gene pool," her father grouses upon giving bantam Brian hesitant permission -- complete with conditions -- to marry Haleigh. Eventually. In a few years.
Will Haleigh find her father's approval? Will Lindsay find her father? Will Colleen find a promising relationship? Will Nancy find a prom date?
Will they at least find help loading and emptying the dishwasher? For such tall gals, that bending-required chore is one tall order.
Keep it short and sweet. Email:
jchristman@arkansasonline.com
What's in a Dame is a weekly report from the woman 'hood.
Style on 07/21/2015