Move over hot girl summer, it’s short king season.
From Dunkin’ to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, “short kings” are seemingly everywhere you look as of late.
In an X post on March 19, Dunkin’ announced that they renamed their small iced coffee the “Short King” on the Dunkin’ app in honor of “short king spring.”
“The Short King: Because sometimes you don’t need a large or even a medium, you just need a Short King,” the post read.
The message is clear: It’s short kings’ time to shine.
The idea of being a “short king” aims to reframe small stature as a positive attribute.
According to Urban Dictionary’s top definition for the term, a short king is “a man who realizes that his lack of height has nothing to do with his perception of his own self worth.”
In fact, some say that being shorter than average can motivate men to develop solid self-confidence and a great sense of humor.
If you identify as a short king, then you’re in good company: Stars like Kevin Hart, Tom Cruise, Zac Efron, Mark Wahlberg, Bruno Mars, Josh Hutcherson, and Jack Black all measure below the average height for American men.
Where did “short king” come from?
Comedian Jaboukie Young-White is widely credited for coining the term in a viral 2018 tweet.
In said tweet, Young-White wrote that he’s tired of “‘short’ being used as an insult.”
He lists several notable figures who stand under 6 feet, including Donald Glover (5’9”), Tom Holland (5’7”), Daniel Kaluuya (5’9”), and Bruno Mars (5′5”).
“Short kings are the enemy of body negativity, and i’ll be forever proud to defend them,” he concludes.
Since Young-White’s tweet, the term has exploded in popularity. The hashtag #shortking currently has 1.4 billion views on TikTok.
The videos under the #shortking hashtag are largely positive, with a healthy dose of humor.
TikTok user @graces.tiktoks posted a video herself singing along to “American Boy”: “I just met this five-foot-seven guy who’s just my type.”
“so basically if you’re short hmu” she captioned the video.
Many videos feature couples with height differences, demonstrating that stature doesn’t have to be a limiting factor in finding a partner.
TikTok user @arliaah posted a video showing her partner jokingly standing on his tiptoes to appear taller.
“We love a short king,” she wrote over the video.
How “short kings” are embracing the moniker
Though the average American man stands at 5 feet 9 inches, many feel that being under six feet tall puts them at a disadvantage.
A 2022 relationship study concluded that “participants on average preferred taller-than-average male mates, and shorter-than-average female mates.”
On SNL, a skit titled “Crown Your Short King” parodied the concept with a Bachelor-esque dating show.
Despite forming emotional connections with the three “short king” finalists, bachelorette Tiffany (Chloe Fineman) immediately leaps at the chance to date tall guy Jackson, played by 6-foot-5 actor Jacob Elordi.
“Look, I loved my time with you guys, but with Jackson I won’t have to weirdly bend my knees in photos,” Tiffany explains.
Romance isn’t the only area in which tall men have an extra advantage. One study found that taller men make more money, and another found that CEOs tend to be taller than the average person.
Given that it isn’t possible to increase your height — unless you’re willing to undergo a painful procedure — the stigma against shortness often feels unfair.
Despite the stigma, short kings are bucking stereotypes and embracing their stature.
Tom Holland and Zendaya are a popular example of a celebrity couple with a height difference, albeit a minor one: Zendaya is 5’10”, while Holland is slightly shorter at 5’8.
The couple expressed their frustration with gender stereotypes around height in an interview.
“It’s a stupid assumption,” Holland said of the expectation that men should be taller than their female partners.
“Be yourself. Be who you are,” Holland concluded.
Spoken like a true short king.
