At six feet tall, Peet Montzingo is slightly taller than your average US citizen, but in the Montzingo household, he’s a giant among men. The sheer difference in height between him and his family has made the young boy keenly attuned to societal norms.
Meet Peet Montzingo
Peet has a rather strange childhood dream: to be a dwarf just like the rest of his family: his mom, dad, and siblings, who all experienced dwarfism. Since both of his parents have the condition, Peet was told to have a 75% chance of inheriting dwarfism from them, but he miraculously defied all the odds, and had the growth of a normal human being.
As he turned 8, Peet evidently surpassed everyone else’s heights in the family, his parents included. He quickly rose to six feet tall in just a few years. The difference was shown early when Peet was just one, as his mother could no longer pick him up and let him sit on her lap anymore.
While his height fits into social standards, Peet felt like an outsider in his own house. The last thing he wants to do is to look at his family suffering the unwanted attention from strangers and paparazzi, while he’s able to blend into the crowd. Peet even wanted to resort to violence at times.
A challenging childhood
It’s never easy for Peet to grow up in a household designed for dwarf people. Everything in his house, from the bedrooms to the kitchens, from the garments to vehicles, all are tailor-made for his family’s height. As the only tall one in his house, Peet is responsible for certain height-required tasks such as changing light bulbs and navigating step stools.
Raising Peet wasn’t an easy task for his parents, either. Thanks to his height, the young man didn’t find his mom and dad’s disciplinary attempts intimidating. Sometimes, he even paid back his parents by putting some items out of their grasp.
Peet also had a quite thorny relationship with his brother, Andrew. Due to his condition, Andrew sometimes received more attention than Peet, having to visit the hospital frequently and such, which made Peet jealous. In return, Peet sometimes also wondered if Andrew were envied of his normal height and health.
He found fame and success.
Despite the setbacks, Peet chooses to use social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram to educate people about dwarfism. In his videos, Peet often organizes some light-hearted and hilarious pranks, with his mother being the central character. By using humor, Peet has shown the world his family’s unorthodox lifestyle, and their daily struggle due to dwarfism. Peet has accumulated 13 million followers on his TikTok account and 2 million on his Instagram, a success that still flabbergasts him to this day.
Peet’s videos stand out thanks to them being extremely relatable, with him cleverly hiding certain items, like a pack of Oreos, in places that his family doesn’t expect. Peet’s mom, Vicki, always passionately joins in for the fun, though Peet sometimes humorously addresses her impatience while filming.
Now, he wants to educate people.
While the videos often maintain a light-hearted tone, Peet also takes a more serious approach by using his platforms to raise awareness about little people. Through a series where he discusses situations and judgments with his mom, he aims to educate. He believes that much of the discrimination surrounding dwarfism stems from misinformation, and by educating others, Peet aims to shift perceptions.
While most of his videos are fun shenanigans between him and his family, Peet also occasionally uses the platforms to raise awareness about dwarfism and the people who experienced it. In these educational videos, he often sits down and talks with his mother about certain situations in life.
Peet believes that most of the discrimination surrounding dwarfism patients is due to misinformation, and lack of knowledge regarding the condition. By making these educational videos, Peet wants to change society’s perspective about dwarfism and its victims.
His efforts extend beyond social media, as evidenced by his children’s book, Little Imperfections: A Tall Tale of Growing Up Different, published in 2022.
Besides making videos on TikTok, Peet also released a children’s book, Little Imperfections: A Tall Tale of Growing Up Different, in 2022.
Beyond fostering inclusivity within the dwarfism community, Peet has discovered that his advocacy resonates with anyone who has felt different. Celebrating uniqueness has become a central theme in Peet’s message. He attributes much of his success to the adversities he faced growing up, which equipped him with distinctive tools for navigating life.
In addition to promoting inclusivity and acceptance within the dwarfism community, Peet has found that his endeavor strikes a chord with anyone who has experienced the feeling of being different. Embracing individuality and uniqueness has always been a focal theme of Peet’s message. He credits his success to the challenges he encountered during his early years, providing him with the necessary skills to move forward in life.