Short men get a really bad rap when it comes to dating. It’s not that they aren’t nice guys, but it’s not uncommon to come across dating profile after dating profile where a woman states she only wants a man 6 feet and over. “Tall guys only.” “Swipe left if you are under 6 feet.” It can really be tough out there trying to find someone who will date you if you are short.

It all stems from society’s view of taller men being positioned as what a real man looks like. Taller men are seen to be more dominant, stronger, and more confident than their shorter brothers. Women and men are conditioned to think that being taller equates to being better, which we all know is not the case. 

But does height really matter? For some, yes, but for most, it isn’t a big deal. A woman would prefer a short man who is kind and caring than a tall man who is mean and abusive. There are many women out there who love a short king or don’t care how tall you are. To help navigate the dating world as a short man, here are the highs and lows of being a short king.

How Short is Short?

One of the biggest questions surrounding short men is what height makes you short? Just because you are a few inches shorter than your lady friend doesn’t mean you are necessarily short. What if she is 6 foot and two inches? You being 6 feet tall doesn’t make you short.

So what is short? The average height of an American man is 5 feet 9 inches tall, which isn’t really that short in the grand scheme of things. When I think of short, 5 foot 2 inches comes to mind, but then I am over 6 foot so most things look smaller. So officially if you are under 5 foot 9 inches you aren’t cutting the mustard. But don’t feel too bad about this. Spider-man himself, Tom Holland, is only 5 foot 7 inches tall and he is dating Zendaya who is 5 foot 10 tall. There is hope out there yet!