Latest news with #shortkings
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tinder is testing a height filter. What should short kings do?
Short kings are up in arms over a controversial new feature on Tinder. The dating app has started testing a new feature that allows people who pay for the app to filter potential matches based on height − a move that's sparked discussion online about the challenges short men face while dating. "We're always listening to what matters most to our Tinder users — and testing the paid height preference is a great example of how we're building with urgency, clarity, and focus," Philip Price Fry, vice president of communications at Tinder, said in a statement. "This is part of a broader effort to help people connect more intentionally on Tinder." The feature might be new for Tinder, but it's already part of other dating apps, like Hinge and Bumble, which have long offered height filters for paying users. Dating and relationship experts say dating can be more difficult for short men, especially on apps, where height filters cause them to get overlooked off-the-bat. While this can certainly feel discouraging, it's important not to lose hope: There's still plenty of ways to meet people open to dating a short king. More: People are paying thousands for 'dating boot camp' with sex experts. I signed up. It's also important, they add, for daters to be open-minded. There's nothing wrong with preferring to date someone tall − but it's important to ask yourself how important a specific trait is to you before turning on a filter that will eliminate potential matches. "I understand preferences are important," says Amy Chan, a dating coach and the author of "Breakup Bootcamp: The Science of Rewiring Your Heart." "The problem is when we confuse preferences with deal-breakers." Blaine Anderson, a dating coach for men, says it's also important for people to keep their height preferences in perspective. For instance, someone who's 5'4" and wants to date someone taller probably doesn't need their height filter set to 6' and above; they might find someone who's 5'8" to be the perfect height for them. What health & wellness means for you: Sign up for USA TODAY's Keeping It Together newsletter News that Tinder is testing a height filter has inspired conversations on social media about the ups and downs dating as a man when your height doesn't start with a "6." "Women aren't ready for this conversation but they need to stop filtering by height on dating apps," one X user wrote. "I met Kyle on Hinge. He didn't lie about his height (5'9") and was filtered out by a lot of women! Many of my friends would have filtered him out! Don't do this." Others cracked jokes: "I set my height as 6'4 on dating apps let it accrue matches for a couple weeks then set it back to 5'10 and message them." Some, like bodybuilder and fitness influencer Jeff Nippard, who's 5'5," offered advice: "This really isn't a big deal. As a short man, if a woman doesn't find you attractive because of your height then why would you want to be with her anyway?" Chan speculates height preferences stem from evolution, going back thousands of years to when physical size and strength were necessary for survival. Now, however, that's no longer the case. "Men's height has been culturally associated with masculinity, power and protection," Chan says. "I joke with my friends that, unless you're planning on getting into bar fights, the guy who has access to a good lawyer is probably going to be able to protect you more than a guy who's tall." Have you heard of 'relation-shopping'? It might be why you're still single. Chan encourages people to find ways of meeting people outside of dating apps, ideally in settings where their personalities can shine. "We know through research that apps cause people to filter very harshly, even if they wouldn't do so in person," Chan says. "I always tell my clients to have three different forms of 'lead generation'. If you're on apps, great, but add two more. Maybe that's joining a club or taking up a hobby where you'll meet other like-minded people and build relationships and community over time." More: Relationship experts say these common dating 'rules' are actually ruining your love life Anderson offers similar advice − and adds daters shouldn't waste their energy feeling frustrated over what they can't control. You can't change your height, but you can work on other attributes to attract a partner. "Rather than getting mad or feeling frustrated about it, accept the reality and control the things you can control," she says. "You can control the number of women you approach in a day or a week. You can control having a great smile and a nice personality when you approach that person." More: 'Tall Girl 2,' Zendaya and Tom Holland and the stigma around tall women dating shorter men And, if you're someone who does use a height filter, you might want to try expanding it an inch or two and seeing what happens, Anderson says. You could be surprised by who you meet. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tinder is testing a height filter. Sorry, short kings.
BBC News
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Tinder new height filter: 'It doesn't matter that my boyfriend is 5,6"'
Joe is somewhat shorter than the average American man, at 5'6" (1.6m) - but when Ashley came across his Tinder profile last year, the last thing she was thinking about was Joe's height."We were talking about our hobbies and passions," Ashley says, "not superficial things."News that the dating app where Ashley and Joe found love is trialling a new feature - allowing some premium users to filter potential matches according to their height - was met with mixed reactions earlier this daters like Ashley worry it might stifle possible connections, others say the feature might actually help shorter men find a match. Tinder's trial is running in "limited" parts of the world, excluding the UK, with the feature only available to those who pay for its two highest subscription tiers. Tinder has not told the BBC which countries it is being trialled works by informing the app's matching algorithm based on a user's stated preference, rather than filtering out certain users altogether. But online reaction to its launch has ranged from amusement to outrage."Tinder just declared war on short kings," wrote one social media user, while another said they'd be "using the Tinder height filter to filter out all men taller than 5ft 9in (1.7m)".Another commented: "I don't care what Tinder says - short kings are elite."Ashley, from Wisconsin, says she understands why height can be a deal-breaker for some daters - but that wasn't the case for her."I've heard people talk: 'I can't wear heels or my partner will look shorter,'" the 24-year-old says, "but that's never mattered to me".Joe is "just such an amazing person", she says, it wouldn't matter to her "if he was six feet tall or five feet tall".Using a height filter might actually have prevented her and Joe from ever meeting, she adds - and she reckons others could be missing out too. Joe, meanwhile, says Tinder's height filtering feature could actually make dating harder for shorter men."Limiting yourself to physical things about someone will lessen your opportunities and chances of finding a partner," he says. "Height shouldn't matter when you're looking for forever."The 27-year-old says his own dating experience hadn't "all been so bad" and that his matches had judged him based on his personality, rather than his he thinks the new Tinder filter might affect other users' chances of meaningful is not breaking new ground here - seasoned swipers will be familiar with various kinds of filter, which are now common features of dating apps including in the a key Tinder competitor, already allows paying users to filter matches according to their height. Other filters include education level, religion, and checking whether potential matches smoke, drink or take allows premium users to avoid matches with certain star signs, while paying Grindr users can filter by body as the world's largest dating app, Tinder's experiment with height filtering still has huge significance, and has sparked discussion in Britain too. At 5'9, Matt Heal, from Manchester, says he feels jaded about the online dating scene. Matt's around average height for a man in the UK, but says some daters' preferences for taller men have disadvantaged him on the apps. "As someone who is neither very tall nor financially well off, I have definitely felt desensitised about dating [using apps]," he 28-year-old thinks it's understandable that apps like Tinder try to optimise their matching algorithms, though."People have preferences based on all sorts of things," Matt says, adding these features help people "see others they are interested in, rather than swiping for hours on people you don't consider compatible".However, he thinks daters shouldn't be too rigid about what they're looking for."If you were into people who are over six feet, would you really not date someone who's 5'11" - if they were good looking and had similar interests?"Matt feels it's easier for men his height to meet people offline, explaining that meeting someone in person, through mutual friends, for example, can mean a less prescriptive approach. But Beth McColl, 31, thinks the Tinder height filter may offer shorter men some reassurance. The London-based writer and podcaster says it could help people avoid "women who only want to date really tall men". Whether or not women will actually use this feature, Beth is uncertain."Women typically don't have a problem with dating a shorter man," Beth says, "but they do, maybe, have a problem with dating a shorter man who is really hung up on it."Aside from the filters, Beth believes the real problem of modern dating lies with the dating apps themselves."It encourages us to treat dating like picking something from the menu," she says, adding, "there's nothing in being a little bit taller that will make that man a better partner - but I think we've tricked ourselves into thinking that there's truth in that."As to whether the Tinder move will prove popular with users on a mass scale - that remains to be seen. "Features like this capitalise on a well-known preference - some women desire taller partners," says Lara Besbrode, managing director at MatchMaker UK. "They don't address the deeper issues at the heart of online dating fatigue."But, she says, attraction is "not static" and can evolve over time."A man who is 5ft 7in (1.7m), but confident, kind, and emotionally attuned can be far more attractive than someone who ticks the 6ft (1.8m) box but lacks substance," Lara told the BBC its new filter demonstrates it is "building with urgency, clarity, and focus" and that it is "part of a broader effort to help people connect more intentionally" on the app.A spokesperson said: "Not every test becomes a permanent feature, but every test helps us learn how we can deliver smarter, more relevant experiences and push the category forward."And that fleeting moment when stumbling across each other's profiles on a dating app can be vital, as Ashley and Joe worries that people who use Tinder's new filter "might be cutting themselves off from people who're a potential match for them, rather than someone who's their preferred height".But for now her swiping days are over, and her relationship with Joe is blossoming. He's "phenomenal", Ashley says, "super sweet".
