The end of “short king spring” may be in sight as the summer months arrive and the popular dating app Tinder tests a “height” filter.
A spokesperson for Tinder told Newsweek, “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.”
Why It Matters
When it comes to dating, preferences about height have often sparked debate. A 2013 study from ScienceDirect found that women prefer their partners to be 8 inches taller than them, while men prefer to be 3 inches taller than their partners.
As of 2022, Tinder, one of the most popular dating apps in the U.S., had 75 million monthly active users. The platform, long seen as part of “hookup culture,” is undergoing a rebrand in a bid to appeal to Gen Z. Spencer Rascoff, the CEO of Match Group, the app’s parent company, hopes to make Tinder known for more serious dating.
What To Know
Tinder is testing the new feature for its gold and premium subscribers. According to the company, the feature is a preference rather than a hard filter, so it doesn’t outright block or exclude profiles but acts more as a guidepost.
Popular dating apps, such as Hinge and Bumble, already have height filters available behind a paywall for premium users.
Though height filters aren’t new among dating apps, and height preferences for both men and women have long been well documented, the new filter has sparked a fierce debate online.
On X, formerly Twitter, user @uncanny_eli, a media and culture writer, wrote: “Men and women alike are derangingly obsessed with men’s heights in theory but it doesn’t really translate irl? every day i live my short guy life and it’s not much issue meanwhile the popular wisdom on being a 5’6″ man is ‘Kill Yourself Now.'”
Other users asked for a “weight filter” for women. User @Rich_Cooper wrote, “When is age and weight verification coming for women?”
“Do we get a weight filter,” user @Cryptoking commented.
Though the filter has upset some social media users, others have poked fun at the online response. User @kmmyvu wrote on X that it was “hilarious seeing short men act like they’re oppressed.”
Hinge and Tinder are owned by the same parent company, and as of July, Rascoff is set to lead Tinder in addition to being the CEO of Match Group.
In a LinkedIn post published on May 28, Rascoff wrote, “We are rethinking not just what we build but how we build it.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, Rascoff recently told a group of investors: “This generation of Gen Z, 18 to 28—it’s not a hookup generation. They don’t drink as much alcohol, they don’t have as much sex.” He added, “We need to adapt our products to accept that reality.”
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for Tinder told Newsweek: “This is part of a broader effort to help people connect more intentionally on Tinder. Our new product principles guide every decision, and this one speaks directly to a few: prioritizing user outcomes, moving fast, and learning quickly. 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.”
X user @enemycharlie wrote: “Not to side with the men here, but why do women 5’3″ and under have such strong preferences for men 6ft+. you are a hobbit, 5’8″ is tall enough. you can’t even tell when your 5’8″ boyfriend is lying about being 6’0″ because you’re so short.”
Bodybuilder Jeff Nippard wrote on X: “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?”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether more features will be released as part of Tinder’s rebrand.
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