This story was first published in October 2022, and was re-published in April 2024.
Since Rishi Sunak officially took the top job on October 25, 2022, becoming the first UK prime minister of Asian descent and the youngest one too, a lot of people have been obsessing over something else entirely.
Nearly all of us have strong opinions about the government, but the public awaits to see how the latest leader of the Conservative Party will lead the country. His policies aren’t the only thing people are discussing though, the public have another obsession regarding Rishi: his height.
The UK’s prime minister is 1.7m, which means that he’s 5ft 7 – and people have strong feelings about this. The average height for men in the UK is 5ft 10, a fact which has made the PM’s height the talk of the town.
Some people are mocking his height
Others think the discussions around his height are unfair and mean
But some of the ‘short kings’ are celebrating
Jokes about men’s height aren’t new, but they’re getting old. If you know it’s wrong to comment on women’s appearances, the same grace should be applied to men.
Men are more than just their height, but unfortunately, people do take the height of men into consideration.
A study conducted by the researchers at the University of St Andrews in Scotland found a link between height and the perception of masculinity. Whilst another 2005 study stated that men who said they were 6’3” or 6’4” got about 60% more messages on dating sites than men who were 5’7” or 5’8.
But the tide is slowly changing for short men. The term ‘short king’ increased during awards season when celebrity couples Spider-Man’s Tom Holland and Zendaya took to the red carpet. Though she is taller than her partner, she clearly couldn’t care less about height.
So the next time you want to critique Rishi Sunak, make sure it’s about his policies, not his height.