Woman Sparks 'Short King' Debate After Marking 6ft On Door Frame To Catch Dates Lying About Their Height

A woman’s plan to expose men lying about their height has gone viral online and sparked a debate about whether short kings are given a fair chance.

TikTok user Samantha Lea posted a video jokingly flaunting her method for telling whether a potential partner has misled her about how tall they are.

In the video, which now has more than three million views, she is shown measuring out 6ft on a measuring tape and marking the spot on her front door.

Within the video, she writes: “Fact-checking guys we invite over from Hinge that say they’re 6ft.”

She also captioned the post: “You must be at least this tall to ride.”

Let’s just say her plan has had a mixed reception. 

Comments on the TikTok showed support towards those who might be considered vertically challenged.

One user commented: “If a guy isn’t 6ft what’s it matter to the girl who’s 4”11."

Another said: “But like most of us tweak our pics or use makeup for imperfections. I don’t get the obsession with height.”

While another added: “This does not vibe with short king spring.”

However, other users claimed the issue was more about the men who lie about their height on dating apps rather than those who are actually under 6ft. 

A user commented: “It’s not that it isn’t okay to be short, but don’t lie about it.”

Another said: “I’m 5’ 8” and when I meet in person I have to resist laughing because it’s so obviously they lied about their height. We are eye level, my friend. Why?”

There has been a recent surge in support for potential daters under the supposed 6ft minimum set out by many dating app users. 

On TikTok, the hashtag #shortkingspring has garnered more than a million views in recent weeks, while the hashtag #shortking has more than 330 million views.

The term ‘short king spring’ also skyrocketed in searches during the 2022 Oscars, according to Google Trends. 

Pictures of couples like Zendaya and Tom Holland, Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas, and Hunter Schafer and Dominic Fike, saw plenty of the short kings standing proudly a few inches shorter than their partners. 

Back in 2010, the dating app OkCupid surveyed men who used their app and found that universally guys like to add a couple of inches to their height. 

But for many, you have to imagine the anxiety of simply being asked the question of ‘How tall are you?’ is enough to put them off a potential date.