2022 Is Apparently The Year For 'Short Kings'
Published
People around the world are starting to jump on the 'short king' bandwagon.
Many TikTok videos are circulating online, with users claiming their boyfriend's short stature is currently in 'fashion'.
Some have even claimed that we're about to come into 'short king spring' or autumn for those reading in the southern hemisphere.
Last month, a video that accumulated over 27 million views (yep, that's right) called 'short kings' the new 'wave' and apologised to all the 'giraffes out there'.
It's also become a viral trend of girlfriends filming their boyfriends' reactions upon calling them a 'short king'.
The term 'short king' was first coined by comedian and writer Jaboukie Young-White in 2019.
The Daily Show host correspondent publicly owned his height after taking to Twitter and reminding everyone that behind many great men lies an even smaller shoe size.
He wrote: "I'm f*****g tired of 'short' used as an insult."
Young-White also declared June 21 as 'short man appreciation day', which sent many users into a frenzy over the newfound love.
One user wrote: "Guys over 6ft have no personality, short kings are always the funniest trust."
While another wrote: "short kings are the new wave."
London-based writer Laura Pitcher added that it was 'short king' season'; however, she portrayed the struggle many members of the LGBTQI+ community face when it comes to their height and presenting as 'masc'.
i'm fucking tired of "short" used as an insult.
"short" gave you donald glover.
"short" gave you tom holland.
"short" gave you daniel kaluuya.
"short" gave you bruno fucking mars.
short kings are the enemy of body negativity, and i'll be forever proud to defend them.
- giabucchi (@jaboukie) July 4, 2018
She wrote: "Isaac Silvia Looker, a queer and non-binary person who's struggled with being 'small and scrawny while presenting as masc', attributes much of the short king love online to Zendaya and Tom Holland's height difference (and the viral photo of her holding his hip as they walk)."
In her interview with Looker, Pitcher explained that the height difference between the two Spider-Man: No Way Home stars challenged 'gender norms' and expectations deeply rooted in 'misogyny' and 'homophobia'.
But she seemed very excited about the idea that the tide might be turning in terms of society's perception on shorter people.
"Just in time for the spring equinox, the internet has proposed that tall men have dominated the dating scene for too long, and we're sensing something in the air this season," Pitcher wrote.
While some people might think it's a disadvantage being height challenged, research published last year found short men are more sexually active.
The study, conducted by The Journal of Sexual Medicine, found that 531 heterosexual men who were under 175cm tall had higher 'coital frequency'.
Another study by New York University also confirmed that shorter men were 32 per cent less likely to get a divorce.
It also found that they help out more with domestic chores and are more likely to earn more money.
So, even if you don't rule the basketball court, don't fret because you're still more likely to have a happy marriage and bank in on some coin.
All hail 'short king' season!
Featured Image Credit: Cronos/Hollywood News/Alamy Alamy
Topics: Viral, News, Social Media, Twitter, TikTok trend, TikTok
