JONNA ROSS is a 31-year-old singleton currently living in Kingsburg, California, who was born with a rare form of dwarfism. Jonna told Truly: “I’m only 3 feet and typically (people with) other types of dwarfism are a lot taller than me. I look average size, just smooshed together!” High school was the hardest for Jonna as kids were having crushes but no-one wanted to date a ‘little person’. She said: "Dating with dwarfism is very different. Dating someone that has something physically different about them, you’re learning to understand and there’s a lot of questions to be asked!” Jonna has never been on a blind date and doesn’t have many expectations. “The only expectation I have is that he’s nice and that it goes well! As I get older I realize that if someone that's genuine and honest and loyal is like a huge checklist!” Will Jonna's blind date - 6ft 1'' Brian - be the guy of her dreams?
00:00I'm a three-feet baddie that deserves to be treated like a queen.
00:04I kind of look like an average size, just like smushed together.
00:08Today I'm going on my first blind date.
00:10I've never gone on a blind date before in my life.
00:13I'm curious as to how he's going to react.
00:15Hello, hello, how's it going?
00:17Hi!
00:17How are you?
00:18Good, how are you?
00:19Today I'm going on a blind date.
00:23And I've never gone on a blind date before in my life, so I have no idea what to expect.
00:30But yeah, I'm excited.
00:31I was born with a rare form of dwarfism called cartilage hair hypoplasia.
00:37I'm only three feet, and typically other types of dwarfisms are a lot taller than me.
00:43I kind of just look like an average size, just like smushed together.
00:49Everything's like proportionate except my legs and my arms.
00:53High school was the hardest.
00:54Kids were having crushes, and it was all fun and games, but nobody wanted to date the little person.
00:58All the guys were like, you know, I'd date you if you were taller, or I had a secret relationship for about six years, which is terrible.
01:12He didn't want anybody to know.
01:13For me, I'm curious as to how he's going to react.
01:19I can see people's reaction before they actually say anything, so I think that's what I'm more, like, curious about.
01:28So right now I'm on my blind date, and we're at a Mexican restaurant.
01:32I'm kind of nervous now.
01:33As I get older, I realize that just someone that's, like, genuine and honest and loyal is, like, a huge checklist.
01:41It's not easy to find.
01:43My name's Brian Sullivan.
01:45I'm 29 years old, and I'm a musician.
01:47About my date, I don't know much about her.
01:49I just know that she is a little person, and she's looking for love.
01:54A lot of love.
01:55Big love.
01:55So I'm here.
01:57Hello, hello.
01:57How's it going?
01:58Hi.
01:59How are you?
01:59Good.
01:59How are you?
02:00Fantastic.
02:00I'm Jonna.
02:02Jonna, I'm Brian.
02:02Brian, nice to meet you.
02:04How are you doing today?
02:05Good.
02:05Good.
02:06Good.
02:06It's another good day.
02:08I kind of hope that he, like, I don't know if, like, no reaction means good.
02:15I think probably just an open, like, like, it doesn't matter.
02:20It's just who you are.
02:22It's no big deal.
02:23So what's up?
02:24We're going to get some food?
02:24We're going to get some drinks?
02:25Yeah, I'm good.
02:26I'm good.
02:26I'm hungry.
02:26I'm trying to drink a margarita.
02:27All right.
02:27Sure.
02:28Here we go.
02:28I know how it goes.
02:29They say you buy two.
02:30The third one's $5 off, so we might be able to share that last one.
02:33Okay.
02:33Give me two straws.
02:34Actually, I don't drink.
02:35Oh, you don't?
02:36No.
02:36Okay, beautiful.
02:37Yeah.
02:37I love it.
02:38I've been sober for about almost five years.
02:40Congratulations.
02:41I appreciate that.
02:42I don't want to send you off the edge.
02:43No, no, it doesn't bother me.
02:44Okay.
02:45It's all good.
02:45I've been around it.
02:46I love it.
02:47Yeah.
02:47I love it.
02:47Is there any reason in particular why you stopped drinking?
02:50Well, yeah.
02:51Obviously, it's good for you not to drink, so, you know what I mean?
02:53I just kind of got out of control.
02:57I hear you.
02:57You know?
02:58Oh, no worries.
02:59You know, living in a world that doesn't accommodate little people is hard.
03:06I did struggle with an addiction of drugs and alcohol, which I'm now sober.
03:11I'm feeling good about myself, you know?
03:14Can we get two waters?
03:15Yeah.
03:15I want some lemon in the water, and then can I get maybe a strawberry margarita?
03:19Ooh.
03:19Strawberry margarita.
03:20Yeah.
03:20I'm sweet like that.
03:22I do love, like, if we have the connection of, like, music, because I love just, like,
03:27blasting and singing songs in the car.
03:29Life is music.
03:30That's what these tattoos are.
03:31So, you got the microphone here.
03:33I love that.
03:33The tattoo says, my music is medicine.
03:34All right.
03:35And then Love City is, you know, my little crew.
03:38So you're in Fresno?
03:40Okay.
03:40That's right.
03:40That's right.
03:40Okay.
03:41So I'm a dancer.
03:42Okay.
03:42So I danced in L.A. for quite a while.
03:44All right.
03:45And at studios and stuff.
03:47Yeah, yeah.
03:47What kind of dance?
03:48Hip-hop.
03:49Straight hip-hop.
03:49Yeah.
03:50Okay, yeah.
03:50I got the, you know.
03:51No, I can see it.
03:52I can see it.
03:54Dancing has pretty much been in my whole life.
03:58Like, I started dancing when I was six.
04:00I moved to L.A., and it really helped me get through a lot of times.
04:03And then I started posting about it, and people loved it.
04:07And then TikTok came into my life, and I loved that.
04:10And I kind of blew up from there because nobody had really seen someone my size do dances that average people do.
04:21I'll offer you guys any extra stuff.
04:22I'm good.
04:23Yeah, I'm good.
04:24I see all these jalapenos.
04:25I'm going to slide these to the side and eat them.
04:27Okay, that's fine.
04:27You guys enjoy it.
04:28Proportionately.
04:29You know what?
04:30Is it all right if I excuse myself in just a moment?
04:31Sure, go ahead.
04:32Give me just a moment.
04:33I'll be right back.
04:33Okay.
04:33I love the fact that he's a musician because that means, like, we would connect on a, like, creative level and be able to talk about it, which we already were.
04:42Like, everything seemed to flow, like, very well.
04:45I think we're having a good conversation.
04:47Like, he's funny.
04:48He's smart.
04:50Very talented.
04:51Very handsome.
04:53So, I'm happy.
04:55Hey, hey, I am back.
04:56Hey.
04:56I am back.
04:58You didn't miss me too much, did you?
05:00Just a little bit.
05:00So, that's it.
05:03You were talking about the height.
05:04I need to ask some questions.
05:05Yeah.
05:05This is my first time.
05:06So, do you mind if I ask questions?
05:07No, go for it.
05:08Okay, first and foremost.
05:09Yes.
05:10How do you consider and you use the words to talk about yourself because I don't want to come in here and disrespect you?
05:16Okay, okay.
05:17I appreciate that.
05:18So, I mean, first and foremost, like, my name is Jonna.
05:22Period.
05:23That's who I am.
05:23I love it.
05:24But I do have dwarfism.
05:25Okay.
05:25And, like, little person is fine, just not the M-words.
05:29Yeah.
05:29Sure, you know.
05:30Yeah.
05:30Midget is very derogatory and it has a lot of negative contact to it.
05:36So, when people say, oh, that's a little person, like, yeah, I am a little person.
05:41That is accurate.
05:42But I'm also just a person.
05:43I'm a human being like everyone else.
05:45I'm black, so I know there's words that you can't say.
05:48You know what I mean?
05:48I'm trying to make sure.
05:49That's how it, like, same relation, I guess.
05:53Absolutely.
05:53You know, so.
05:54I understand.
05:54It's the same thing with the big N-word.
05:56Yeah, no, I think if you have been around it in a negative way, then you don't really
06:02want to hear it, which the world is pretty negative all around, so.
06:07You know, you learn something every day, and I was told, and I live by, if you're not
06:11earning, you should be learning.
06:12You know what I mean?
06:13I love that.
06:14If anything, I appreciate you for educating me.
06:16Yeah, of course.
06:17Was I attracted to him?
06:18Yes, I was attracted to him.
06:20Yes.
06:21Why?
06:22Um, I like that he was tall and good style.
06:26He surprised me because it was so, like, easy to talk about.
06:30All right, so what's up?
06:31We about ready to go?
06:32Yeah, let's do it.
06:32Okay, let's move on.
06:34I don't know.
06:35It just seemed very genuine.
06:37So, yeah.
06:38I was surprised to see that she was three foot, you know what I mean?
06:41I'm not even going to lie.
06:42I'm six foot one, so to see her actually stand up next to her, I was like, okay, I see what's
06:46going on.
06:47How was the date?
06:48I think it went great.
06:49I liked it.
06:50It was great.
06:51Yeah, yeah.
06:51It was a beautiful experience.
06:53I'm happy.
06:53Totally, totally.
06:54I think my favorite part was me just really being nervous.
06:57As somebody who does performances and stuff like that, like, talking over her and stuff,
07:00like, damn, bro, chill, you know?
07:03So that was, like, just different for me, but I enjoyed it.
07:06It was a great time.
07:07Where do you guys see each other?
07:08Let's go.
07:09I'm down.
07:09Let's make it happen.
07:10Yeah.
07:11Let's make it happen.
07:11I'm with it.
07:12Yeah.
07:12I already said.
07:13We shooting videos, you dancing.
07:15What's up?
07:15I think the biggest thing that I've learned today was to just go with the flow and, like,
07:19every experience that is given to you is going to help you learn something about yourself,
07:24so might as well just jump on it, and I'm glad I did.
Be the first to comment