Sounds absolutely horrific. He’s an adult, it’s his money, so he’s entitled to do whatever he wishes, but I can see all kinds of problems with this type of surgery.
And never mind…. “It forces people to engage with me for who I really am.”
Which is not true in his case?
Chris Amies
2 months ago
And is anyone addressing the unfair societal dynamics that lead young men to do this? They’re every bit as much victims of a ‘lookist’ and competitive society as are young women with anorexia.
Yes. It is a common topic in all the mainstream newspapers. Often in the weekend editions which select a picture of a pretty lady for the front page there will be a writer asking why their teenage son is obsessed with gym/skincare.
Well, that’s an advance anyway. Better than the article about ten years ago that was railing at ‘sad young douchebags’ in the gym, without asking why young men with no real prospects were getting obsessed with body image.
Darwin K Godwin
2 months ago
I’m 5’6”. I became a paratrooper at 18, now I stand taller than 99% of the rest.
It’s actually muddier than that. “UnHerd Reader” becomes the screenname for all who neglect to choose one for themselves. There are multiple prolific commenters under that default label here. Unless they self-identify (as “Kimberley” once did) or reveal some consistent traits, it’s a chaotic muddle.
Yesterday, for the first time I’ve noticed, UnHerd Reader made a detailed reply to UnHerd Reader. Ridiculous!
What? This isn’t real life. This is the internet.
I prefer to use a generic name rather than a pseudonym because it means people have to assess the content of what I write rather than just identifying the name and ignoring or downvoting immediately. I can see though why people would prefer it to be labelled to save them having to think!
Neil Postman in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death talked about how a shift to televisual media was completely changing the political terms of reference for the worse. Public discourse is no longer based on words, but on images, and images are simply unable to adequately convey serious, intellectual content. Though the early internet was text based, its integration with the smart phone has accelerated the shift to a visual culture. We are almost constantly watching visual images that either are not real or are a highly distorted view of reality. As children we now spend more time looking at cartoonised and airbrushed images of people than we do ourselves and the unglossed people around us. How we learn what our species looks like has been altered by visual media. Consequently, what we aspire to look like has been changed by visual media.
At the same time, broad technological progress has satisfied our more basic Maslov needs. We have been increasingly freed in terms of both time and resources to focus on esteem and self-actualization. Self-esteem and self-actualisation stem from self-reflection and almost all of us are prone to self-reflection becoming self-criticism and worse. Such criticism is rarely limited to oneself, we also tend to then judge others if only to justify our own decisions. In many respects, Maslov’s triangle is a pyramid of increasing social judgement and snobbery. Combined with a highly visual media world of completely unrealistic ideals of normal, climbing Maslov’s triangle leads to more judgement, more criticism, less confidence, less satisfaction, and lower self-esteem.
Technological progress is not just a new mirror for narcissism and judgement, when coupled with general affluence it is also an enabler. Thanks also to technology, fewer of us are needed to produce the tangible goods we consume. Parkinson’s Law ensures work has expanded to fill the time available. That work is now the fulfilment of the desire of others for self-esteem and self-actualisation. Yes, people do seem to think they can buy from others the keys to “self”-esteem and “self”actualization – all thanks to canny entrepreneurialism and visual marketing. Armed with the latest technological advances in biomedical science, we can now physically change ourselves to look like the media we consume. For some this is just keeping up with the Jones’s, another display of wealth, while for others it is a manifestation of anxieties amplified by visual media.
So where does this lead? The sad truth is it is unstoppable. The body modifications will only get more extreme. Social expectation will sucker ever more people into buying surgery and drugs. Economic growth depends on ever more creative use of our time. This is already a large and highly lucrative industry and the biggest corporations are only just becoming alive to it. Government has been persuaded by the pharmaceutical companies to facilitate more of this.
I’m not religious, very far from it in fact, but Neil Postman made an interesting point about the Biblical ten commandments. In at number two, an ancient people (or God, take your pick) decided that this was a *very* important law: “thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under earth.” It is difficult to understand why they feared making pictures of the world (not just God) as much if not more than murder. From what experience did they decide this law was needed? Clearly these ancient people saw imagery, visual media, as a danger to society. Maybe we modern people have underestimated the power of visual media to distort and twist us against ourselves.
Engaging reflections and valid generalizations.
“So where does this lead? The sad truth is it is unstoppable”–not at the individual or small-group level. Perfect resistance or victorious opposition will remain aspirational, of course. But examine any recent or distant period of the past as closely as you can–pick your favorite(s)–and huge oppressive obstacles and widespread delusions grow more visible. It’s always an uphill battle against our lower natures and more-or-less mad but never quite sane social conditions. We can surrender to this reality, but yet resist, even largely overcome it. My evidence? I’ll get back you on that! Think outside the pyramid (I’m not saying you don’t).
I believe the taboo against graven images was, in part, connected to the level of idolatry that was rampant in ancient Near-East societies: actual, direct worship of icons and statues, etc. There is a related purification attempt in two of the name(s) ascribed to the Most High: “I AM THAT I AM” and “YHWH”. The second was never meant to be uttered, the sacred Tetragrammaton, though some Westerners have thrown around Jehovah and Yahweh–disrespectfully in my opinion. Best not to imagine we can encapsulate the Nameless One.
I don’t call myself religious either, but I do believe there are more things in the Cosmos and on Earth than are dreamt of in our science or philosophy. And I don’t dismiss the foundational and enduring works of the past. To narrow it down in (what I hope is) a relevant way: I hold high esteem, and a form of reverence, for certain books both of Hebrew and Christian scripture. We are surely more image-drunk than ever, but all it really takes to become mesmerized is a golden calf you fetishize and worship, or one’s own reflection in a stream.
I wonder if this focus on height is in fact a socially acceptable surrogate marker standing in for the actual comparison. Perhaps the real issue driving the tall man’s assumed dominance and preference as a sexual mate is actually p***s size. While there are wide variations both between individuals and ethnic groups, in general a taller man is more likely to have a larger phallus. I defy any male to deny that in the locker room it’s not men’s heights that are being surreptitiously viewed and compared.
Guess what cultures relied exclusively on imagery? Prehistoric ones. Guess where we’re headed? “Prehistoric” tribalism.
R Wright
2 months ago
While this prospect revolts me, when you go on dating apps and see countless women openly refusing to date men under 6ft it does give me sympathy for the men who suffer horrible insecurity over it.
Beauty standards issues for men are, in my view, worse than that of women. Women can lose weight. For a man to gain a few millimetres of height, this is the nightmare he’d need to put himself through.
I am guessing that a man that works to increase his wealth is just as attractive. Look at all the short ‘uglies’ on Wall Street or the tech industry. They aren’t hurting for women. Best case in point is Jeff Bezos of Amazon – the shortest and perhaps ugliest frog in the pond, drops his wife of several decades and picks up the ‘b**b-bo-licious’ woman of his dreams. If he were just a simple accountant he would have never divorced in the first place.
You gotta remember that (at least in the U.S.) younger women and men are much taller than they used to be. So I suppose there are those 6’ women who don’t want someone shorter since, yes, women generally prefer a fellow who is at least somewhat taller. That’s one reason I think men like ethnic-Asian women as they are generally smaller.
Rob N
2 months ago
Crazy and weird but his, adult, décision.
However I wonder how his girlfriend will feel about him now.
Peter B
2 months ago
Madness.
Presumably his legs will now look out of proportion to his body.
And what happens if any children he has revert to being “too short” ? Do they now feel inadequate where perhaps they might not if their father was his true height ? Does he pressure them to get the same treatment ?
Note that the cost of such treatment is of course more than the £25,000. It’s also the lost earnings. Plus who knows what future complications. Wouldn’t counselling or therapy be more effective and a lot cheaper ?
Without surgical intervention, ie my natural form, is all leg and short body. I have no waist and could never achieve an hour glass shape without rib removal. I accepted my form and got over it. Tbf it’s easier to do when you have a personality to fall back on.
2 plus 2 equals 4
2 months ago
The whole thing sounds awful but I don’t much care what adults do with their own time, money and bodies.
Some sort of longitudinal study on whether it did actually make them happier in the long run would be interesting though.
2 plus 2 equals 4
2 months ago
Incidentally, the caption on the photo of Sultan Kosen is incorrect. He was originally verified by Guinness World Records people at 8’1″ but subsequently re-measured by them with a verified height of just under 8’3″.
Honestly, much more of that sort of sloppy inaccuracy and it will start to resemble The Guardian round here. 🙂
We have all noticed how humans are getting taller – some of my 14 year old son’s friends are over 6′ tall.
Will there be an inter-generational arms race? I’ll get my coat.
It’s true! I have noticed the extreme heights of the men at my daughter’s wedding. In my day that was rare. I am 5’9” and had the largest collection of flat shoes a girl could have. That said, the key to greater height is nutrition. Families that have been fed well over time are taller. Milk & cheese helps. Dutch and Danish men are right up there.
If dairy is the key, are we going to see an increase in short people with the proliferation of veganism? Good grief! vegans with little man syndrome!
It does help explain my 6ft4 son. He loves milk and cheese! I would add, however, that buying trousers to fit a slim build, incredibly tall young man, who is all leg, isn’t without its challenges.
Although there is a genetic component – Montenegrins are taller than the Dutch but people from that area (the Dinaric Alps) always have been.
Lindsay S
2 months ago
I think Mary’s article is the answer to this article.
A) get out of your own head
B) get over yourself
Emmanuel MARTIN
2 months ago
From breast implants to bottom colllagen injection, without forgetting jaw “rebuilding”, there are lot of invasive surgery procedures for females desiiring to improve their looks.
This is a male variant, and the the reality is that some men will rationally elect to pay this price for that perceived body improvement.
There are also plenty of grifters willing to relieve the insecure of their money. I can’t help feel that the young man’s new found confidence is more about him trying to convince himself that he hasn’t just wasted money and time on this endeavour.
Pedro the Exile
2 months ago
Terrifying article-I experienced an intense growth spurt in puberty when I went from just over 5! to 6.3″ in about a year-and it was painful.I recall being quite scared as I morphed into this gangly, uncoordinated adolescent and spent a long time trying to appear smaller (back in the eraly 1970’s being >6! was not the norm-particularly in mining communities when all the men appeared stunted) and always wore shoes without heels.I gradually adjusted to it and realised ,like whatever else my maker had decided to chuck in the pot for me,that it was ok.What a tragedy for these men.
As a 5’8” bloke, I’m struggling to feel your pain.
AJ Mac
2 months ago
First off, I confess I am not tall. Phew–that was cathartic. At 5′ 8″ (global male average y’all!) I’m not really short for a white guy of my generation either (born in ’71).
Yet I’m really grateful for every eight of an inch I do have under my hairless scalp. Even when I had hair and a young face, plenty of women pre-emptively dismissed me for not being taller–among other reasons, to be fair–but I can only imagine, and have glimpsed from above, what it’s like for a man 5′ 4″ or shorter. I suppose such a fella can tell his sob story to the man with no legs–but it is still a major dating-pool and mate-for-life handicap.
Why do you think Paul Simon (peaked at 5′ 3″) became so good at songwriting? Interesting article linked below*, if not a deep (tall?) dive. Here’s one quote:
Eventually, when he was in his 40s, Simon said to himself: ‘Listen man, if you’re going to make a big issue out of what you don’t have, you’re taking your actual gifts for granted….that’s the hand I’ve been dealt with. That’s the way I’m going to play it’.
I’m similar height and age to you, so supposedly about average height. Yet when I’m in a meeting at work and look around at the other men I’m definitely below average in height. Constantly looking up at others must affect how you see yourself and how others see you. It’s clearly a real effect and yet is barely discussed (though I think just about everyone is at least subconciously aware if it).
I read somewhere that there was a study done in VR that changed people’s height so yhat tall people were made small etc. The tall people absolutely hated being small, to the point of saying that they thought avatars must use a person’s real height.
We’re definitely below average. But only by a little–less than a standard deviation. Orange ya glad we’re not 5′ 4″?
I met a 5′ 2.5″ guy–you better believe he mentioned the half inch!–that was strong for his size and had a handsome face, but with an understandable complex I can’t really relate to at my middling elevation. However, I sure hated it when my not-by-blood uncle, himself about 6-foot-1, referred to me as a “little guy” when I was nineteen. I even had big muscles (I’m not slight of build) and could have probably kicked his ass! Glad I got over that slight decades ago.
I’m definitely glad to not be smaller. However, I am fairly slight, August-born (so youngest in my year) and a late developer as well. So I was always amongst the very smallest boys as I grew up. It was less of an issue once I was an adult but I’d still consider myself small just because that is how I was as a child.
I’m sure some “big fellas” can’t imagine what it’s like for us “little guys”, nor some of our less-empathetic women. Ah well, at least we both talks and writes pretty good.
I’m not tall (5’10” in my youth, maybe slightly less now that I’m in my 60s), but I have a full head of hair. I find that if I let it become sufficiently bouffant, it adds another inch…
This hypothesis is promising, as it is experimentally verifiable. Get a cohort of short men and divide them into experimental and control groups.
The experimental group pray every day to grow taller and the controls don’t.
Measure height gain after a year.
This is nuts. I’m 5’5″ and now retired, but had a very successful career that was helped by the fact I was consistently underestimated because I was short. These men need to accept who they are and turn it to their advantage.
Timothy Baker
2 months ago
I was once 5’ 4”. but with age have shrunk an inch. Quite honesty it has never bothered me. I once dated a six footer girl. The only time I was ever embarrassed was in a branch of W H Smith when she ostentatiously got a magazine from the top shelf and handed it to me. It was a joke. I only once went out a with a girl shorter than me, height had nothing to do with it, we just liked each other. When I met my wife she once asked me would I prefer her to wear flat shoes. I told her it was not an issue.
Career wise, height was never an issue. Firms hired me for my abilities. Until I read this article it had never occurred to me that anybody would want an operation to be taller. I would tell you a story about my p***s, but it’s too long.
That is all well and good, but did you ever run for President of the US?
David Walters
2 months ago
The world becomes madder and sicker by the day. When they realise that gaining a few extra inches in height hasn’t achieved the happiness and success they crave what then….
nikos goat
2 months ago
I’m 5’8″ and have never, once, been concerned about my shortness. More a mental health and its ensuing crisis I fear
Arthur King
2 months ago
This is totally understandable. Masses of men suffer and die at risky jobs in order to be desirable enough to attract a woman to marry. Our whole society fails without these men who do awful jobs out of love for their wives. I’m in a high stress job that is killing me. I keep doing it ensure my wife has security in her old age.
UnHerd Reader
2 months ago
This reminds me of the transgender controversy. If you hate your own body so much that you want to undergo an extremely risky, extremely painful, and extremely expensive procedure that is irreversible, you obviously have a serious underlying mental health issue. And where is the research on the long-term effects of limb-lengthening? What if it leads to osteoporosis or bone cancer or cardiovascular issues going forward, not to mention opioid addiction from lingering pain?
And what if becoming taller by this procedure makes people feel inadequate in other ways? Perhaps someone with short arms will feel like a T-Rex after gaining 3 inches in height and then will want to have his arms lengthened by the same procedure? And what about the proportionality of other body parts? Some transgender women have multiple surgeries after the main one (to make a jaw less square or reduce the Adam’s apple, for example). I can envision the same demand for multiple follow-up surgeries after undergoing limb-lengthening.
Also similar to the transgender issue is the risk of limb-lengthening being recommended for minors who are unhappy about their height. Many children want to be taller, and many parents want their children to be taller. Growth hormone is already available for young children who truly have a growth hormone deficiency as determined by an endocrinologist. But limb-lengthening looks like it might appeal to some parents of children who are under average height but don’t qualify for growth hormone.
It is shameful that the medical profession has found another way to profit from people’s psychological distress.
Phil Mac
2 months ago
What a bunch of losers. No different from the women who have their lips filled, their butts lifted, or whatever else they’re all up to.
The problem is one of self-esteem, not legs or boobs.
Nancy Kmaxim
2 months ago
Just think of all the life enhancing things that could be done with £25,000 and months of recovery time, not to mention avoiding the inherent risks of major surgery. I’m with Brian Lemon and Paul Simon.
JP Martin
2 months ago
Clearly we need a body positivity movement for shorter men. Or perhaps we can all just start self-identifying as our preferred height?
Sounds absolutely horrific. He’s an adult, it’s his money, so he’s entitled to do whatever he wishes, but I can see all kinds of problems with this type of surgery.
And never mind…. “It forces people to engage with me for who I really am.”
Which is not true in his case?
And is anyone addressing the unfair societal dynamics that lead young men to do this? They’re every bit as much victims of a ‘lookist’ and competitive society as are young women with anorexia.
Yes. It is a common topic in all the mainstream newspapers. Often in the weekend editions which select a picture of a pretty lady for the front page there will be a writer asking why their teenage son is obsessed with gym/skincare.
Well, that’s an advance anyway. Better than the article about ten years ago that was railing at ‘sad young douchebags’ in the gym, without asking why young men with no real prospects were getting obsessed with body image.
I’m 5’6”. I became a paratrooper at 18, now I stand taller than 99% of the rest.
Yeah everywhere except in real life.
deleted
Says the person writing snide comments from behind a pseudonym…
It’s actually muddier than that. “UnHerd Reader” becomes the screenname for all who neglect to choose one for themselves. There are multiple prolific commenters under that default label here. Unless they self-identify (as “Kimberley” once did) or reveal some consistent traits, it’s a chaotic muddle.
Yesterday, for the first time I’ve noticed, UnHerd Reader made a detailed reply to UnHerd Reader. Ridiculous!
“UnHerd Reader” does imply that it is a specific person. Maybe it should be rendered as “unherd reader”?
What? This isn’t real life. This is the internet.
I prefer to use a generic name rather than a pseudonym because it means people have to assess the content of what I write rather than just identifying the name and ignoring or downvoting immediately. I can see though why people would prefer it to be labelled to save them having to think!
Weak.
*Anonymity is not enough so you need randomization to receive a fair reading?
This (person) needs to learn to stand above the parapet. How about leg surgery?
like it!
And what have you achieved that you can be proud of? Your great height? Well done!
Thank you for your service.
In your dreams
Neil Postman in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death talked about how a shift to televisual media was completely changing the political terms of reference for the worse. Public discourse is no longer based on words, but on images, and images are simply unable to adequately convey serious, intellectual content. Though the early internet was text based, its integration with the smart phone has accelerated the shift to a visual culture. We are almost constantly watching visual images that either are not real or are a highly distorted view of reality. As children we now spend more time looking at cartoonised and airbrushed images of people than we do ourselves and the unglossed people around us. How we learn what our species looks like has been altered by visual media. Consequently, what we aspire to look like has been changed by visual media.
At the same time, broad technological progress has satisfied our more basic Maslov needs. We have been increasingly freed in terms of both time and resources to focus on esteem and self-actualization. Self-esteem and self-actualisation stem from self-reflection and almost all of us are prone to self-reflection becoming self-criticism and worse. Such criticism is rarely limited to oneself, we also tend to then judge others if only to justify our own decisions. In many respects, Maslov’s triangle is a pyramid of increasing social judgement and snobbery. Combined with a highly visual media world of completely unrealistic ideals of normal, climbing Maslov’s triangle leads to more judgement, more criticism, less confidence, less satisfaction, and lower self-esteem.
Technological progress is not just a new mirror for narcissism and judgement, when coupled with general affluence it is also an enabler. Thanks also to technology, fewer of us are needed to produce the tangible goods we consume. Parkinson’s Law ensures work has expanded to fill the time available. That work is now the fulfilment of the desire of others for self-esteem and self-actualisation. Yes, people do seem to think they can buy from others the keys to “self”-esteem and “self”actualization – all thanks to canny entrepreneurialism and visual marketing. Armed with the latest technological advances in biomedical science, we can now physically change ourselves to look like the media we consume. For some this is just keeping up with the Jones’s, another display of wealth, while for others it is a manifestation of anxieties amplified by visual media.
So where does this lead? The sad truth is it is unstoppable. The body modifications will only get more extreme. Social expectation will sucker ever more people into buying surgery and drugs. Economic growth depends on ever more creative use of our time. This is already a large and highly lucrative industry and the biggest corporations are only just becoming alive to it. Government has been persuaded by the pharmaceutical companies to facilitate more of this.
I’m not religious, very far from it in fact, but Neil Postman made an interesting point about the Biblical ten commandments. In at number two, an ancient people (or God, take your pick) decided that this was a *very* important law: “thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under earth.” It is difficult to understand why they feared making pictures of the world (not just God) as much if not more than murder. From what experience did they decide this law was needed? Clearly these ancient people saw imagery, visual media, as a danger to society. Maybe we modern people have underestimated the power of visual media to distort and twist us against ourselves.
Engaging reflections and valid generalizations.
“So where does this lead? The sad truth is it is unstoppable”–not at the individual or small-group level. Perfect resistance or victorious opposition will remain aspirational, of course. But examine any recent or distant period of the past as closely as you can–pick your favorite(s)–and huge oppressive obstacles and widespread delusions grow more visible. It’s always an uphill battle against our lower natures and more-or-less mad but never quite sane social conditions. We can surrender to this reality, but yet resist, even largely overcome it. My evidence? I’ll get back you on that! Think outside the pyramid (I’m not saying you don’t).
I believe the taboo against graven images was, in part, connected to the level of idolatry that was rampant in ancient Near-East societies: actual, direct worship of icons and statues, etc. There is a related purification attempt in two of the name(s) ascribed to the Most High: “I AM THAT I AM” and “YHWH”. The second was never meant to be uttered, the sacred Tetragrammaton, though some Westerners have thrown around Jehovah and Yahweh–disrespectfully in my opinion. Best not to imagine we can encapsulate the Nameless One.
I don’t call myself religious either, but I do believe there are more things in the Cosmos and on Earth than are dreamt of in our science or philosophy. And I don’t dismiss the foundational and enduring works of the past. To narrow it down in (what I hope is) a relevant way: I hold high esteem, and a form of reverence, for certain books both of Hebrew and Christian scripture. We are surely more image-drunk than ever, but all it really takes to become mesmerized is a golden calf you fetishize and worship, or one’s own reflection in a stream.
Excellent analysis
I wonder if this focus on height is in fact a socially acceptable surrogate marker standing in for the actual comparison. Perhaps the real issue driving the tall man’s assumed dominance and preference as a sexual mate is actually p***s size. While there are wide variations both between individuals and ethnic groups, in general a taller man is more likely to have a larger phallus. I defy any male to deny that in the locker room it’s not men’s heights that are being surreptitiously viewed and compared.
I’m waiting for proper height to become a basic human right, so the surgery will be subsidized by government.
Massive uptick for referencing Neil Postman and his very early identification of the power of visual imagery, and the moving image in particular.
Guess what cultures relied exclusively on imagery? Prehistoric ones. Guess where we’re headed? “Prehistoric” tribalism.
While this prospect revolts me, when you go on dating apps and see countless women openly refusing to date men under 6ft it does give me sympathy for the men who suffer horrible insecurity over it.
Beauty standards issues for men are, in my view, worse than that of women. Women can lose weight. For a man to gain a few millimetres of height, this is the nightmare he’d need to put himself through.
Those women demanding 6’+ males will still be just as shallow once you’ve squandered your savings on cosmetic butchery.
I am guessing that a man that works to increase his wealth is just as attractive. Look at all the short ‘uglies’ on Wall Street or the tech industry. They aren’t hurting for women. Best case in point is Jeff Bezos of Amazon – the shortest and perhaps ugliest frog in the pond, drops his wife of several decades and picks up the ‘b**b-bo-licious’ woman of his dreams. If he were just a simple accountant he would have never divorced in the first place.
“.…Jeff Bezos of Amazon – the shortest and perhaps ugliest frog in the pond….”
That might be true, but Mark Zuckerberg has a worse haircut.
There’s a simple solution. Don’t go on dating apps. If you do, what do you expect other than a totally superficial cattle market?
the old adage rings true -” There is no such thing as an ugly rich man.”
You gotta remember that (at least in the U.S.) younger women and men are much taller than they used to be. So I suppose there are those 6’ women who don’t want someone shorter since, yes, women generally prefer a fellow who is at least somewhat taller. That’s one reason I think men like ethnic-Asian women as they are generally smaller.
Crazy and weird but his, adult, décision.
However I wonder how his girlfriend will feel about him now.
Madness.
Presumably his legs will now look out of proportion to his body.
And what happens if any children he has revert to being “too short” ? Do they now feel inadequate where perhaps they might not if their father was his true height ? Does he pressure them to get the same treatment ?
Note that the cost of such treatment is of course more than the £25,000. It’s also the lost earnings. Plus who knows what future complications. Wouldn’t counselling or therapy be more effective and a lot cheaper ?
Without surgical intervention, ie my natural form, is all leg and short body. I have no waist and could never achieve an hour glass shape without rib removal. I accepted my form and got over it. Tbf it’s easier to do when you have a personality to fall back on.
The whole thing sounds awful but I don’t much care what adults do with their own time, money and bodies.
Some sort of longitudinal study on whether it did actually make them happier in the long run would be interesting though.
Incidentally, the caption on the photo of Sultan Kosen is incorrect. He was originally verified by Guinness World Records people at 8’1″ but subsequently re-measured by them with a verified height of just under 8’3″.
Honestly, much more of that sort of sloppy inaccuracy and it will start to resemble The Guardian round here. 🙂
He must have had a growth spurt.
We have all noticed how humans are getting taller – some of my 14 year old son’s friends are over 6′ tall.
Will there be an inter-generational arms race? I’ll get my coat.
It’s true! I have noticed the extreme heights of the men at my daughter’s wedding. In my day that was rare. I am 5’9” and had the largest collection of flat shoes a girl could have. That said, the key to greater height is nutrition. Families that have been fed well over time are taller. Milk & cheese helps. Dutch and Danish men are right up there.
If dairy is the key, are we going to see an increase in short people with the proliferation of veganism? Good grief! vegans with little man syndrome!
It does help explain my 6ft4 son. He loves milk and cheese! I would add, however, that buying trousers to fit a slim build, incredibly tall young man, who is all leg, isn’t without its challenges.
Was in Holland last year and the cheese museum made it quite ckear that they thought it was the amount of cheese they ate that made them big.
Although there is a genetic component – Montenegrins are taller than the Dutch but people from that area (the Dinaric Alps) always have been.
I think Mary’s article is the answer to this article.
A) get out of your own head
B) get over yourself
From breast implants to bottom colllagen injection, without forgetting jaw “rebuilding”, there are lot of invasive surgery procedures for females desiiring to improve their looks.
This is a male variant, and the the reality is that some men will rationally elect to pay this price for that perceived body improvement.
There are also plenty of grifters willing to relieve the insecure of their money. I can’t help feel that the young man’s new found confidence is more about him trying to convince himself that he hasn’t just wasted money and time on this endeavour.
Terrifying article-I experienced an intense growth spurt in puberty when I went from just over 5! to 6.3″ in about a year-and it was painful.I recall being quite scared as I morphed into this gangly, uncoordinated adolescent and spent a long time trying to appear smaller (back in the eraly 1970’s being >6! was not the norm-particularly in mining communities when all the men appeared stunted) and always wore shoes without heels.I gradually adjusted to it and realised ,like whatever else my maker had decided to chuck in the pot for me,that it was ok.What a tragedy for these men.
As a 5’8” bloke, I’m struggling to feel your pain.
First off, I confess I am not tall. Phew–that was cathartic. At 5′ 8″ (global male average y’all!) I’m not really short for a white guy of my generation either (born in ’71).
Yet I’m really grateful for every eight of an inch I do have under my hairless scalp. Even when I had hair and a young face, plenty of women pre-emptively dismissed me for not being taller–among other reasons, to be fair–but I can only imagine, and have glimpsed from above, what it’s like for a man 5′ 4″ or shorter. I suppose such a fella can tell his sob story to the man with no legs–but it is still a major dating-pool and mate-for-life handicap.
Why do you think Paul Simon (peaked at 5′ 3″) became so good at songwriting? Interesting article linked below*, if not a deep (tall?) dive. Here’s one quote:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5675139/Paul-Simon-admits-short-5-foot-three-height-eclipsed-success.html
*Forgot to link it at first
I’m similar height and age to you, so supposedly about average height. Yet when I’m in a meeting at work and look around at the other men I’m definitely below average in height. Constantly looking up at others must affect how you see yourself and how others see you. It’s clearly a real effect and yet is barely discussed (though I think just about everyone is at least subconciously aware if it).
I read somewhere that there was a study done in VR that changed people’s height so yhat tall people were made small etc. The tall people absolutely hated being small, to the point of saying that they thought avatars must use a person’s real height.
We’re definitely below average. But only by a little–less than a standard deviation. Orange ya glad we’re not 5′ 4″?
I met a 5′ 2.5″ guy–you better believe he mentioned the half inch!–that was strong for his size and had a handsome face, but with an understandable complex I can’t really relate to at my middling elevation. However, I sure hated it when my not-by-blood uncle, himself about 6-foot-1, referred to me as a “little guy” when I was nineteen. I even had big muscles (I’m not slight of build) and could have probably kicked his ass! Glad I got over that slight decades ago.
I’m definitely glad to not be smaller. However, I am fairly slight, August-born (so youngest in my year) and a late developer as well. So I was always amongst the very smallest boys as I grew up. It was less of an issue once I was an adult but I’d still consider myself small just because that is how I was as a child.
I’m sure some “big fellas” can’t imagine what it’s like for us “little guys”, nor some of our less-empathetic women. Ah well, at least we both talks and writes pretty good.
My male Chihuahua mix sure doesn’t seem to feel that way. I guess he just doesn’t get it.
I’m not tall (5’10” in my youth, maybe slightly less now that I’m in my 60s), but I have a full head of hair. I find that if I let it become sufficiently bouffant, it adds another inch…
Awesome! Just what a bald guy needed to read right now. Nah, congrats on that…and let me remind you that I’m a mere lad of 52.
My husband is 5’11” which I consider perfect height for a man and has a full head of silver wavy hair. And he couldn’t care less how he looks.
These men are suffering from something much worse than being short. Ultimately theological problems will require theological solutions.
Do you have favorites names that would help form a Panel Of Theologians to fix us?
This hypothesis is promising, as it is experimentally verifiable. Get a cohort of short men and divide them into experimental and control groups.
The experimental group pray every day to grow taller and the controls don’t.
Measure height gain after a year.
Fund this research!
This is nuts. I’m 5’5″ and now retired, but had a very successful career that was helped by the fact I was consistently underestimated because I was short. These men need to accept who they are and turn it to their advantage.
I was once 5’ 4”. but with age have shrunk an inch. Quite honesty it has never bothered me. I once dated a six footer girl. The only time I was ever embarrassed was in a branch of W H Smith when she ostentatiously got a magazine from the top shelf and handed it to me. It was a joke. I only once went out a with a girl shorter than me, height had nothing to do with it, we just liked each other. When I met my wife she once asked me would I prefer her to wear flat shoes. I told her it was not an issue.
Career wise, height was never an issue. Firms hired me for my abilities. Until I read this article it had never occurred to me that anybody would want an operation to be taller. I would tell you a story about my p***s, but it’s too long.
“I could show you my backside in my concluding sentence, but that would be too cheeky”
Thumbs up, big fella.
That is all well and good, but did you ever run for President of the US?
The world becomes madder and sicker by the day. When they realise that gaining a few extra inches in height hasn’t achieved the happiness and success they crave what then….
I’m 5’8″ and have never, once, been concerned about my shortness. More a mental health and its ensuing crisis I fear
This is totally understandable. Masses of men suffer and die at risky jobs in order to be desirable enough to attract a woman to marry. Our whole society fails without these men who do awful jobs out of love for their wives. I’m in a high stress job that is killing me. I keep doing it ensure my wife has security in her old age.
This reminds me of the transgender controversy. If you hate your own body so much that you want to undergo an extremely risky, extremely painful, and extremely expensive procedure that is irreversible, you obviously have a serious underlying mental health issue. And where is the research on the long-term effects of limb-lengthening? What if it leads to osteoporosis or bone cancer or cardiovascular issues going forward, not to mention opioid addiction from lingering pain?
And what if becoming taller by this procedure makes people feel inadequate in other ways? Perhaps someone with short arms will feel like a T-Rex after gaining 3 inches in height and then will want to have his arms lengthened by the same procedure? And what about the proportionality of other body parts? Some transgender women have multiple surgeries after the main one (to make a jaw less square or reduce the Adam’s apple, for example). I can envision the same demand for multiple follow-up surgeries after undergoing limb-lengthening.
Also similar to the transgender issue is the risk of limb-lengthening being recommended for minors who are unhappy about their height. Many children want to be taller, and many parents want their children to be taller. Growth hormone is already available for young children who truly have a growth hormone deficiency as determined by an endocrinologist. But limb-lengthening looks like it might appeal to some parents of children who are under average height but don’t qualify for growth hormone.
It is shameful that the medical profession has found another way to profit from people’s psychological distress.
What a bunch of losers. No different from the women who have their lips filled, their butts lifted, or whatever else they’re all up to.
The problem is one of self-esteem, not legs or boobs.
Just think of all the life enhancing things that could be done with £25,000 and months of recovery time, not to mention avoiding the inherent risks of major surgery. I’m with Brian Lemon and Paul Simon.
Clearly we need a body positivity movement for shorter men. Or perhaps we can all just start self-identifying as our preferred height?
The bigger they are…the harder they fall.
Does Ron DeSantis know about this?