The modern 'short king revolution' is generally traced back to the summer of 2018, when writer and comedian Jabouki Young-White took to Twitter with a viral defense of short kings, declaring them “the enemy of body negativity.” An official Short Kings Anthem followed in 2019, and now the revolution is coming for the online dating space with the forthcoming Short King Dating.
The online dating platform is the latest venture from short king outfitters Ash & Erie, a clothing company dedicated to producing apparel specifically designed for shorter guys. With Short King Dating, the minds behind Ash & Erie hope to expand their short guy safe space to the dating world — where anti-short king sentiment still tends to run largely unchecked.
“We want to make sure that shorter guys know that they do deserve the confidence that everybody else has,” says Short King Dating co-founder Steven Mazur. “They deserve to be super confident in who they are, regardless of height, regardless of anything else that’s really out of their control.”
In a survey of Ash & Erie’s customer’s base, 80 percent of men admitted to lying about their height on dating apps, while 90 percent said they believed a taller woman wouldn’t consider dating them because of their height.
The creators hope to launch Short King Dating in late November, with plans to host both an app and an online platform. The platform is open to short kings 5’8” and under(sorry to those in the 5’9” to 5’11” no man’s land of average height) and those who can appreciate and show them the respect they deserve.
“We’ve really embraced ‘Short King’ as an awesome way to say, ‘Look, you are perfect the way you are. You’re a King,’” says Mazur, who acknowledges that while the short king meme may have always been a little tongue in cheek, it’s a very real part of the body-positive moment, addressing an issue that has long been a source of insecurity for many men. “It started with humor, and I think now it’s getting taken a little more seriously. We’re seeing more acceptance, more empathy for our unique bodies and who we are.”
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