Title: Tall Girl
Released: September 13th, 2019
Produced by: Sam Wolfson
Access on: Netflix
Netflix Summary: After years of slouching through life, 6-foot-1 teen Jodi resolves to conquer her insecurities and gets caught up in a high school love triangle.
Gaze Theory: This film presented a different type of gaze theory or objectification. There were no obvious examples of gaze theory in relation to the female characters; however, this film depicts the oversexualization and objectification of foreign exchange students as a group. In one scene, a foreign exchange student is referred to as, “hairless, doesn’t sweat, and smells like cappuccino.” The female characters swarm Stig, the new foreign exchange student, like animals which completely objectifies him as a person.
Goffmanian Analysis: The entire plot contradicts the stereotype regarding relative size in goffmanian analysis. Jodi, the main character, is tall for a girl but also tall in general. Most of the boys in her school are shorter than her which makes it hard for her to find a boyfriend. This is related to the stereotype or relationship norm of the man being taller than the woman. Her sister is the complete opposite; she is small and petite. Her sister is also presented as more feminine by her use of feminine touch. She is a pageant queen and her talent is rubbing rims of glasses to make music.
Effects: This film offers another diverse main character who is not stereotypically female. Her height makes others perceive her as masculine. However, there are still instances in the film where gender norms and stereotypes are present. The film offers a message that it’s okay to look different; however, it still focuses entirely on love. Although it provides a positive message for young girls who look different it still informs that their main purpose is to find love and attract boys. In addition, this film offers a different perspective on sexualization and objectification. Instead of typical female objectification, the foreign exchange student, Stig, is objectified. This may shed light on a different issue but it also does not address that this behavior is wrong.
Shared by: Olivia Smidel
Image Credit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9252508/