move on hot summer girlIt’s a short season of kings.
From Dunkin’ to Oklahoma Department of Wildlife“Short kings” are seemingly everywhere you look lately.
On a X post on March 19, Dunkin’ announced that they renamed their little iced coffee “Short King” on the Dunkin’ app in honor of the “short king spring.”
“The Short King: Because sometimes you don’t need a large or even a medium, you just need a Short King,” the post read.
The message is clear: there is little time for kings to shine.
The idea of being a “short king” aims to reframe small stature as a positive attribute.
According to Main definition from Urban Dictionary For the term, a short king is “a man who realizes that his lack of height has nothing to do with his perception of his own worth.”
In fact, some say that being shorter than average can motivate men to develop solid self-confidence and a great sense of humor.
If you identify as king short, then you’re in good company: stars like Kevin Hart, Tom Cruise, Zac Efron, Mark Wahlberg, Bruno Mars, Josh Hutcherson and Jack Black are below the average height for American men.
Where did the “short king” come from?
Comedian Jaboukie Young-White is widely credited with coining the term in a 2018 viral video tweet.
In the aforementioned tweet, Young-White wrote that he is tired of “’short’ being used as an insult.”
It lists several notable figures under 6’9″, including Donald Glover (5’9″), Tom Holland (5’7″), Daniel Kaluuya (5’9″), and Bruno Mars (5’5″) .
“The low kings are enemies of body negativity and I will always be proud to defend them”, he concludes.
Since Young-White’s tweet, the term’s popularity has exploded. The hashtag #shortking currently has 1.4 billion views on TikTok.
Videos with the hashtag #shortking are largely positive, with a good dose of humor.
TikTok user @graces.tiktoks posted a video of herself singing along to “American Boy”: “I just met a 5-foot-9 guy who’s exactly my type.”
“So basically, if you are short Hmmshe captioned the video.
Many videos feature couples with height differences, demonstrating that height does not need to be a limiting factor in finding a partner.
TikTok user @arliaah posted a video showing her partner jokingly standing on tiptoe to appear taller.
“We love a short king,” she wrote in the video.
How the “Short Kings” Are Adopting Their Nickname
Although the average The American man is 6 feet tall, many feel that being under six feet tall puts them at a disadvantage.
A 2022 Relationship Study concluded that “participants, on average, preferred taller-than-average male partners and shorter-than-average female partners.”
On SNL, a skit titled “Crown your Short King” parodied the concept with a Bachelor-style dating show.
Despite forming emotional connections with the three “Short King” finalists, single Tiffany (Chloe Fineman) immediately jumps at the chance to date tall guy Jackson, played by 6-foot-2 actor Jacob Elordi.
“Look, I loved my time with you guys, but with Jackson I won’t have to bend my knees awkwardly in photos,” explains Tiffany.
Romance isn’t the only area where tall men have an extra advantage. One study found that taller men make more moneyand another discovered that CEOs tend to be taller than the average person.
Given that it is not possible to increase your height – unless you are willing to undergo a painful procedure – the stigma against absence often seems unfair.
Despite the stigma, Short Kings are bucking stereotypes and embracing their stature.
Tom Holland and Zendaya are a popular example of a celebrity couple with a height difference, albeit a small one: Zendaya is 5’10”, while Holland is slightly shorter at 5’8.
The couple expressed their frustration with gender stereotypes surrounding height in a interview.
“It’s a stupid assumption,” Holland said of the expectation that men should be taller than their partners.
“Be yourself. Be who you are,” concluded Holland.
Spoken like a real king under his breath.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
