Does Tinder's new height filter spell doom for 'short kings'?

Fingers art concept of couple with taller woman.

For 'singles on the digital prowl' it seems size really does matter

(Image credit: Alamy / Victoria M)

published 13 June 2025

"I'm a feminist, but as women we don't always help our cause – especially when it comes to the realm of romance and relationships," said Helen Coffey in The Independent.

Scratch beneath the surface and our "blatant" heightism has always been a problem. Now, though, Tinder's trial of a new feature that allows paying members to screen potential matches based on "how tall they are" has brought the debate "kicking and screaming back into the light".

As part of the trial, users who subscribe to Tinder Platinum can sort potential matches depending on a list of options including height, minimum number of photos and whether or not they have a bio. "Technically, these are 'preferences', rather than outright filters", said Shivali Best on the Mail Online. While potential matches won't be ruled out altogether based on their height, preferences will influence the recommendations made by the app.

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Research has shown that men prefer to date shorter women, while heterosexual women tend to seek out taller men. But Liesel Sharabi, an associate professor at Arizona State University who studies the impact of online dating on modern love, points out that by enabling its users to filter by height, Tinder is "telling you what you should be prioritising". And the narrower your idea of a "perfect match" becomes, the harder it is to forge real-life connections, she told the broadcaster.

Any man who has used a dating app will know that "most of us are only there to make up the numbers", said Simon Bourke in the Irish Independent. In the online "world of swiping", only the most "attractive" and "determined" men will succeed. And now, women will be able to "eliminate all those undersized halflings", leaving just the men who meet the "universally accepted 'sexy height' of six foot". Because, if you're a man, you'll know that, for many women, meeting this criteria is non-negotiable. "Those are the rules of engagement. Nobody said it was fair."

Dating apps certainly "incentivise pickiness", said Andrew on CNN. "But singles who want to improve their chances of finding someone kind, who makes them laugh and shares their interests, might consider putting a little less emphasis on how tall that person is". For Natasha Burns, who is six inches taller than her husband, who she met on Tinder, it's possible that if they had been able to use the new height filter, the pair "would have written each other off based on measurements alone".

Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.