Ahead of male pattern baldness and the size of their genitals, nothing triggers a man’s insecurities like making a disparaging comment about his height. It’s one of the first things many of us notice when we meet a person, and society can have some funny ideas about what it means to be a man, depending on how tall you are. At its worst, this can suggest that you’re only attractive and masculine enough if you clear an arbitrary number of feet and inches, damning millions of guys to a life of resentment and possible inceldom. 

Of course, most of us know that height doesn’t mean virtue. There are way more attributes that make a man charming, handsome, or a good person. Honest! We’re not just saying that. 

However, at this point the damage has been done. Even now, there are still a lot of dudes walking around out there with a chip on their shoulder, because of the measurement of said shoulder. Small Man Syndrome can strike more of the general population than you might think. 

Ultimately, there’s not a lot you can do about feeling too short. There is a surgical option, but it’s expensive and complicated enough to write off most interested parties. We could make an effort to bring back the undeniable drip of platforms, or a classic Cuban heel, but the world might not be ready for that just yet. If you’re really desperate for a few extra inches, though, perhaps you could go the route of @viralheightbooster.

In a now-viral video, the TikTok account demonstrated how some adjustable shoe inserts added four inches to a man’s height. This was supposedly just in time for a Bumble date. The whole thing reeks of Gen Z-friendly QVC demonstration, and it comes as no surprise that many viewers were skeptical of what they were being shown.

TikTok is no stranger to trolling men about their measurement-based anxieties, as one woman’s amusing prank of commenting «short king» on the livestreams of the not-so-vertically challenged proved a while ago. However, many users like to think of it as an inclusive kind of space, and they didn’t hold back when confronted with this canny but deceptive solution. 

Perhaps it is a little unfair that some women put height limits in their dating bios, but maybe those kinds of people are not worth this much effort. After all, we all take our sneakers off eventually.