"It was only when I moved to New York that I realized tall is good"
About this Quote
“Tall is good” sounds comically simple, like a rule posted in a casting office or a fashion ad disguised as wisdom. That bluntness is the point. Johnston isn’t offering a self-esteem mantra; she’s describing a social economy. In many parts of America, tall girls get coded as awkward, too much, unfeminine. In New York, height can read as editorial, commanding, expensive-looking. The city’s style culture (runway, street fashion, theater, TV) doesn’t just tolerate physical distinctiveness; it often rewards it, turning “standing out” into a kind of currency.
The subtext is also about permission. Moving to New York becomes a proxy for finding a tribe that validates what you already are. It’s a reminder that confidence is often less an inner epiphany than a change in context: new mirrors, new standards, new people who treat your difference as an advantage. Johnston’s delivery, implied in the dryness of the sentence, keeps it grounded. It’s not triumphal; it’s wry relief at discovering the problem was never her height. It was the room.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Johnston, Kristen. (2026, January 17). It was only when I moved to New York that I realized tall is good. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-was-only-when-i-moved-to-new-york-that-i-48913/
Chicago Style
Johnston, Kristen. "It was only when I moved to New York that I realized tall is good." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-was-only-when-i-moved-to-new-york-that-i-48913/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It was only when I moved to New York that I realized tall is good." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-was-only-when-i-moved-to-new-york-that-i-48913/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.


