I can't imagine a sense of shame that would be more powerful than the knowledge that I spent $32,000, many months of my & my partner's life, and risked dying to be a few cm taller. Definitely one of those things where its baffling to me how people consider it appropriate to mock people for. Imagine someone walking around in public today describing someone as having a "flat chest personality" or how most westerners are very uncomfortable with "skin lightening" as a beauty thing.
The main subject of the article, “Frank”, is already married. This is the part of the article that explains his motivation:
> There were the kids at school who taunted him for his height; a longtime online fan of his artwork who remarked, on meeting him, that Frank was “shorter than I expected”; or the guys who randomly shoved him in the street a few years ago, tearing out his headphones. They wouldn’t have done that to a taller man, he reasons.
I don't understand your comment - what partner are you talking about? These surgeries exist because of the ongoing trend among young women to date tall man only.
Ridicule based on arbitrary and frivolous attributes are shaped by jealousy and the associated urge to eliminate social competition. That's why the highly talented kids (even adults at times) are bullied. Meanwhile, such peer pressure has an awfully powerful influence on emotions and decisions. Both are fundamental human behaviors and they're not going away. The only way to overcome it is to burn some social capital by calling it out and protesting it. If you're lucky, you may even earn some social capital.
> or how most westerners are very uncomfortable with "skin lightening" as a beauty thing
I'm not sure I catch the meaning (due to cultural differences). Could you elaborate?
I’m shorter than Frank, and I never thought it was that much of an impediment, but I wonder if culture has moved to prioritize it even more in dating and careers? Frank had a wife, so it’s interesting how it persists.
I got my arms broken to make them longer. This is not as common, but something I wanted to achieve. Now they are extra-long and look a bit funny, but I'm happy.
Internal in my opinion. Post 30 y/o specially, the dating scene for men becomes increasingly better (by market dynamics of offer/demand). But of course you need a minimum of soft skills to get more hits than misses in the dating game.
My take here is that people like the guy in the article lack the soft skills part but as he has grown up being self-aware of his height, probably blames all short-comings on that.
It would probably be simpler and more effective to do proper gym (better looks and more confidence) than this extreme and painful process.
I would like to hear someone who did the same procedure to hear if things actually got better now that they are taller.
The height factor is definitely a thing. Of course you can (or: have to) counterbalance it with other aspects but the sheer awareness that for some (substantial) population of young women you are disqualified form the start can be depressing.
life has gotten easy enough that we're starting to value unimportant bullshit like height over the ability to make society function. go to any non-western country. height still matters but personality, integrity and intelligence is enough to get you ahead in the dating market.
Readit News
Software engineers paying 75K to get 3 inches taller - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32860250 - Sept 2022 (207 comments)
I wish I was a little bit taller - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32852962 - Sept 2022 (95 comments)
Radical surgery permanently extends your legs - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22654609 - March 2020 (65 comments)
Wrong assumption. Men who wants to be taller are doing it to have more success in dating, because women are heavily biased towards taller men.
> There were the kids at school who taunted him for his height; a longtime online fan of his artwork who remarked, on meeting him, that Frank was “shorter than I expected”; or the guys who randomly shoved him in the street a few years ago, tearing out his headphones. They wouldn’t have done that to a taller man, he reasons.
Deleted Comment
> or how most westerners are very uncomfortable with "skin lightening" as a beauty thing
I'm not sure I catch the meaning (due to cultural differences). Could you elaborate?
I think renewed interest because of its plot points in Materialists. https://www.gq.com/story/materialists-leg-lengthening
I forgot it was in Gattaca right? That was an outstanding movie, should watch again.
There has been a weird emphasis on height even greater than in the past, maybe from online dating?
Short kings have been featured in SNL. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2Wc-nLNHtl/?hl=en
I’m shorter than Frank, and I never thought it was that much of an impediment, but I wonder if culture has moved to prioritize it even more in dating and careers? Frank had a wife, so it’s interesting how it persists.
My take here is that people like the guy in the article lack the soft skills part but as he has grown up being self-aware of his height, probably blames all short-comings on that.
It would probably be simpler and more effective to do proper gym (better looks and more confidence) than this extreme and painful process.
I would like to hear someone who did the same procedure to hear if things actually got better now that they are taller.
Yes, plenty of short guys do extremely well. I know a couple. And they have exceptional personalities and self-confidence.
But we can't expect most people to be exceptional, by definition.
Any non-western country? Bold statement. I can tell you that there are non-western countries where height matters more than any Western country.
Dead Comment