Found yourself dialing down the height limit on your dating app recently? It could be the influence of society’s ‘short king’ obsession.

While a tall man used to be a prerequisite for many women when searching for a potential beau, the popularity of actors such as Barry Keoghan and Jeremy Allen White have spurred an interest – and thirst – for men on the shorter side.

At the recent Golden Globe Awards, short kings swept the categories with high profile actors like Succession’s Kieran Culkin – standing at 5ft6 – winning Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Drama and The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White – at 5ft7 – coming away with his second Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Comedy.

Saltburn’s 5ft8 Barry Keoghan is one of the newest short kings on the scene, with the height difference amplified by his co-star Jacob Elordi’s 6ft5 frame – while in the past, the height difference may have been a point of contention, it has now left fans wanting more.

Found yourself dialing down the height limit on your dating app recently? It could be the influence of society's 'short king' obsession. Saltburn's 5ft8 Barry Keoghan (pictured) is one of the newest short kings on the scene

Found yourself dialing down the height limit on your dating app recently? It could be the influence of society’s ‘short king’ obsession. Saltburn’s 5ft8 Barry Keoghan (pictured) is one of the newest short kings on the scene 

Succession's Kieran Culkin - standing at 5ft6 - won Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Drama

The Bear's Jeremy Allen White - at 5ft7 - came away with his second Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Comedy

High profile actors like Succession’s Kieran Culkin (left) – standing at 5ft6 – won Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Drama and The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White (right) – at 5ft7 – came away with his second Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Comedy

‘Barry Keoghan has a confidence that can be found only in short men,’ one X, formerly known as Twitter, user declared.

‘Barry Keoghan, Jeremy Allen White, Kieran Culkin, Timothee Chalamet… it’s short king season and I’m here for it,’ another fan wrote.

‘I don’t PLAY about my short man agenda Kieran Culkin, Changbin, Barry Keoghan, Oscar Isaac, Kim Hong Joong, Andrew Scott… I don’t PLAY,’ said another.

The renewed appeal of short kings was even the subject of a recent Saturday Night Live skit, called ‘Crown Your Short King.’ 

In the skit, three ‘short’ men (played by Bowen Yang, Marcello Hernández, Molly Kearney) competed for Chloe Fineman’s heart in a Bachelor style contest – only to be beaten by Jacob Elordi.

‘I know I’m short,’ Marcello Hernández, who stands at 5ft6, said in the 2023 skit on SNL. 

‘You know how I know?’ he continued. ‘Cause when I lie about my height I saw I’m 5ft9, which means I’m really 5ft7 and a half, which means I’m lying about the half.’ 

While the movement has been in motion for a few years, dating experts have noticed a shift in women actively seeking a short man.

Short men's renewed appeal was even the subject of a recent Saturday Night Live skit, called 'Crown Your Short King'

Short men’s renewed appeal was even the subject of a recent Saturday Night Live skit, called ‘Crown Your Short King’

According to matchmaker and dating coach Thalia Ouimet, she noticed a shift when celebrity couple  Tom Holland and Zendaya started dating

According to matchmaker and dating coach Thalia Ouimet, she noticed a shift when celebrity couple  Tom Holland and Zendaya started dating

Some TikTok users – and studies – have even claimed that shorter men make better partners.

‘As a matchmaker and dating coach, I noticed a shift when celebrity couple Tom Holland and Zendaya started dating,’ Thalia Ouimet, a matchmaker who works with clients in New York City and Miami, told the DailyMail.com.

Tom and Zendaya, who are both 27, have a two-inch height difference – with Zendaya standing at 5ft10 and Tom 5ft7. 

According to Thalia, the ‘Short King Trend’ started around the same time they began dating in 2021.

‘I think people are finally realizing how arbitrary height can be,’ she explained. ‘In fact, height doesn’t equal compatibility.’

According to 2015–2018 data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, average height of men in the US, who are 20 years or older, is 5ft7 – and women are embracing it. 

In a 2014 paper published by Dalton Conley, a sociologist at NYU, and Abigail Weitzman, a Ph.D. candidate, men under 5ft9 make better long term partners, are less likely to get divorced and are more likely to do their share of the housework.

They also found that shorter men did approximately eight and 28 minutes of housework every week, in contrast to tall men, who did about seven hours and 30 minutes weekly.

According to psychotherapist Dr. Jenn Mann, the short king movement – which she deems to concern men under 5ft9 – has resulted in men rejecting society’s notion that they have to be 6ft tall, and them becoming more secure in their height.

‘They are also rejecting the outdated concept that women need to be shorter than a man they are dating,’ she continued.

‘Short king spring is the new hot girl summer,’ the psychotherapist quipped.

‘Short kings [are] embracing their self worth and seeing themselves through new eyes,’ Jenn explained. ‘Men are moving away from measuring their value based on height.’

She added that shorter men can also me more secure, as they don’t mind a date that is taller than them.

‘Women are recognizing this untapped market of eligible men too,’ she added. ‘This is widening the dating playing field in wonderful ways.’

Thalia agreed, saying she’s noticed a definite shift in women actively seeking a short man, regardless of their height.

‘As a matchmaker I interview women in my day-to-day and I have found that height is becoming less of an importance,’ she said.

‘My guess would be that people are now seeking a deeper connection and less focused on height!’

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Post source: Daily mail