Interview: Miss Tall International Talisha Tolliver

Jul 15, 2011 by tallook

Tall Clubs International (TCI), which is a tall organization for tall people, runs a Miss Tall International® (TI) pageant every year. During the year, each and every member club of TCI has an opportunity to select a female member of their club to send as their representative to the annual convention to vie for the title of Miss Tall International®. The member clubs may choose their representative in any way for which their individual Club bylaws provide, which many times may result in a local pageant. The winners of the local level pageant then attend the following annual TCI convention and compete on a national level to be the representative, globally, of all the TCI member clubs as Miss Tall International®. Miss TI is then utilized by the TCI organization as an ambassador of goodwill to the world, in their attempt to get the TALL message out on a national and international level.

Miss TI often visits members clubs at their annual Weekend, upon their invitation. During these or other travels, she may often be used in publicity sessions organized by the hosting club or the executive board. Miss TI has appeared in the past on nationally televised TV shows, radio shows, and other high profile events. She may also use her position to instigate changes in industry to provide a higher quality of life for TALL people everywhere, whose special needs are often times not considered.

If you take a look at the pageant archive you will see this pageant has been around since 1947. The 2011 Miss TI is Talisha Tolliver, 6’2″. Ms. Tolliver teaches high school math in Moreno Valley, California and is an assistant activities director at her school. She graduated from the University of California Riverside with a B.A. in Anthropology and received a M.A. in Curriculum and instruction from the University of Redlands.

2011 Miss Tall International® Talisha Tolliver

I had the chance to ask her some question and the following are her responses:

Why did you decide to run for Miss Tall International?
As an educator, I get the opportunity to serve as a tall role model for the students. As Miss TI, I would love to be given the opportunity to celebrate the gift of being tall on an international level. Miss Tall International® serves as a height ambassador who can answer hard hitting questions like “Aren’t you tall enough? Why are you wearing heels?” I would also have a platform to ask my own questions like “Why is there not enough legroom in coach?” I have heard the play on my name enough to know that TALL-isha TALL-iver was meant to be Miss Tall International®. I would like to spread the tall message to the world. And I wear heels because tall girls look great in cute shoes!

If you were to give a tall teen advice, what would it be?
When I was a self-conscious, junior high school student, my mother arranged for legendary basketball hall of famer Cheryl Miller to call me. Through her pep talk, she helped me understand that being tall is a great gift. So I would like to advise tall teens to love their height and walk confidently with their heads held high. No matter what anyone says, yes, you can strut in heels too!

Why do you choose to wear heels? And how high?
Heels change my posture and the way I walk. Not to mention the fact they make my long legs look even better! I have a range of heel heights from little kitten heels to the 4” wedges and pumps. My shoes for the Miss TI pageant were 4 ¾” beautiful, purple peep toes.

What is your favorite store and/or piece of fashion advice?
I love stores like Nordstrom and DSW where I can walk in and find size 11 shoes with no problems. Every now and then, I find clothes in stores, but I like buying my clothes online so I know they are long enough. My fashion advice is to wear clothes that accentuate your assets. No matter what height or shape you are, find the clothes that make you look good.

TCI Pageant 2011 – Talisha Dance Performance

If you are interested in joining a tall club go to tall.org to find a chapter near you. Currently, there are 54 total active TCI member clubs spanning the U.S. and Canada. You must be a minimum of 6’2″ if you’re a man and 5’10″ if you’re a woman. You must also be at least 21 years old to be a general member. I want to give a big thank you to Ms. Tolliver and wish her luck with bringing awareness to various tall issues.