14-Year-Old Girl Is 6'9" And Dreams Of Modeling

Brazilian teen Elisany Silva is one of the tallest girls in the world. She really wants to be a model — so of course the media will make this into a fairytale. But it’s not one.

CBS.com has a slightly infantilizing report:

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Yes, they did say “big girls don’t cry” right after mentioning her “scores of health issues.” Nice, but points deducted for not working in something about this “tall story.” According to Styleite, that undisclosed fashion debut Elisany will be making come fall is in a Brazilian bridal show.

A news report out of Brazil, however, gives a less sunny version of Silvana’s state of affairs. She’s had to leave school because she could no longer sit properly in the bus and she tells a reporter that she “can’t do things right” due to her size, which makes it difficult to play with her friends or lie in her own bed. Even staying home is a challenge: “I get distracted and I hit the wood in the ceiling with my head.”

Silvana’s family cannot afford to treat her condition, which may be gigantism and has serious complications.

While obviously stunning, the teen is much taller than the average model, so it’s hard to know how realistic her aspirations are. What one can hope is that the exposure doesn’t end as a passing human-interest story, and that it will lead to medical care. At present, although there are a number of stories featuring the girl, there are no means we could find by which to make a donation to Silva’s family.