It looks like medieval torture, from the metal rods inserted into sawn bones to the months of agonising recovery. But to some, travelling to Turkey to gain a few inches is a (very high) price worth paying
  • Awa@lemmy.worldMEnglish
    1·
    5 days ago

    Thank you all for your participation, but if you cannot be civil in your discussions, the post will be locked down.

  • Dagwood_Sanwich@lemmy.worldEnglish
    62·
    7 days ago

    If you’re under 5’5" what you do is exercise and bulk up, then grow a magnificent beard and speak with an extremely aggressive tone.

  • dbtng@eviltoast.orgEnglish
    3·
    7 days ago

    I have long thighs and short lower legs. Pretty hairy too. I already look enough like an ape. No thx.

  • Jonathan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    841·
    8 days ago

    Fucking hell. I mean… fuck.

    I wish the world would lose all of its stupid societal stigmas that make people feel less human than their equally human peers.

  • captainlezbian@lemmy.worldEnglish
    604·
    8 days ago

    I firmly believe in the right to bodily autonomy and the freedom to modify one’s body in accordance with their wishes. But also this definitely fits in the same mental category as breast augmentation where I hope people discuss their body image with a therapist first.

    I’ll admit, as a tall woman I’m probably the least likely sort to really understand, but I am sympathetic, even if I was attracted to men it would be unlikely for any given partner to be significantly taller than me, and as I’m not it’s downright rare. There’s lots of gendered awkwardness in being taller than most men, and I’m certain that short men aren’t lying when they say the inverse is also true. But also, the short men in my life still feel pretty damn manly to me and the ones who own it have a certain extra charm that comes from that.

    Also, the article mentioning guys over 6’ doing this, and I really hope those guys talk to someone about it, because that sounds like it might be dysmorphia.

    • scytale@piefed.zipEnglish
      27·
      8 days ago

      Also, the difference here is that while still an invasive operation, breast augmentation is way less destructive and still somewhat reversible compared to leg lengthening surgery. Not to mention the long and painful recovery process. And it’s not even guaranteed you’ll recover normally.

    • Skua@kbin.earth
      211·
      8 days ago

      As a fellow fairly tall person, even beyond how it looks to be tall, you don’t need to be much over 6’ before it starts getting downright inconvenient. I’m just shy of 1.9m / 6’3", so by no means exceptionally tall (for my country and gender, at least) and like… there are a lot of times when it’s just troublesome. I don’t fit in places or things. A lot of clothes don’t fit me well. I hit my head on things. A lack of legroom is often uncomfortable. I feel like I’m ruining the view for other people at concerts. The idea of people close to my height actively going out of their way to make themselves even taller - even if it was a trivial process, which it clearly is not - is madness to me

      Of course I do understand that it’s a self-image thing and such things do not care about practicalities. Everyone’s got to find a way to be happy with themselves. I get that. It’s just… god I hate hitting my head on stuff, that shit hurts

      • blarghly@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        8 days ago

        As someone who is 6’4", yeah, I feel similarly. Airplanes are terrible and I always hit my head on things. I kinda understand guys who are, like, 5’5" doing this. Most women like their partners to be taller than them, so it could significantly increase your dating pool to be 5’7". But once you’re at 6’, not only do most women not care at all if you are taller - they can’t even tell.

      • Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        6·
        8 days ago

        My husband is 6’3" and works in a university kitchen.

        The tables are too short causing him to be hunched over all day. The doorways are too short, there are overheads on the cookware and he hits his head on both these things if he’s not paying attention.

        He’s size 14 shoe and can’t just buy them off the rack and cost more. His knees and back are already failing him and he’s not yet 40.

        On a less serious note, I never wear heels. Taking photos together is a nightmare.

        I’m short, 5’1". I’ve dated men from my height to his and dont really have a preference other than confidence in one’s self.

        People don’t get to choose their height, and being tall is not all it’s cracked up to be. I bet my husband would trade some height to be pain free if you asked him.

  • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.worldEnglish
    442·
    8 days ago

    isn’t this just body dysmorphia?

    also, men are also vulnerable to body image issues, and we’re also given unrealistic body standards in the media.

      • Fizz@lemmy.nzEnglish
        12·
        6 days ago

        This is a terrible example of gender affirming surgery.

        • ᓚᘏᗢ@piefed.socialEnglish
          1·
          6 days ago

          How? These men believe that being tall is masculine, and they are uncomfortable emough in their bodies to literally get painful surgery for some extra height so they can feel more masculine.

          • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            6 days ago

            it’s a good example in the sense that it is a perfect example of gender affirming surgery.

            not good as in the procedure is good, but as in a good fit for gender affirming

          • Fizz@lemmy.nzEnglish
            11·
            6 days ago

            I’m going to directly compare this to top surgery or bottom surgery in trans people because i believe those are the best examples of gender affirming care but this also applies to hrt. I’m not trans and im not a pysc so take this with a grain of salt.

            These men dont feel Dysphoria over their height what they are feeling is Body Dysmorphia. Body dysmophia is obsessive-compulsive disorder over a body part being ‘wrong’ or defective. An extra inch or two of height is not associated with being male. They will still be recognized as male before and after. They feel like they are male both before and after the surgery and gender never comes into the equation. They are obessing over height because of a mental health condition causing them to hyper fixate on this ‘issue’ that might not even be real. There are men who are like 6’1 getting height surgery.

            Now if we look at top surgery for a comparison. Gender Dysphoria is described as an psychological distress where they identify with a gender other than the biological gender they were assigned at birth. FTM trans men might feel dysphoria from having breasts and top surgery directly addresses the root cause of the dysphoria. Breasts are a primary sex characteristic so this makes sense, something like botox would not be considered gender affirming care I believe.

            It gets blurred because a lot of trans people also suffer from body dysomorphia and hyper fixate on body parts but there seems to be a clear distinction between the two conditions and height lengthening surgery doesn’t fit the criteria for gender affirming care.

            • ᓚᘏᗢ@piefed.socialEnglish
              1·
              6 days ago

              These men get gender euphoria from being tall and had gender dysphoria from being short. They believed being short was not masculine. They got surgery to feel more masculine. This is an example of gender affirming care, just like breast implants and hair plugs.

              • Fizz@lemmy.nzEnglish
                11·
                6 days ago

                I cant see anything that links this to feelings of gender discomfort or euphoria and it doesnt make sense that this would be gender related. Its body dysmorphia and the treatment is therapy.

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      7 days ago

      Apparently yeah, I was only aware of the delusional variant (where the obsessed on flaw is not present).

      I’m seeing dysmorphia run fucking rampant in men over the past several years. It was initially mostly noticeable with incels, but it’s gotten much more noticably widespread.

      • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        6 days ago

        sorry to go back to this topic, but even if it’s they social pressure or romance related it still disphoria, as long as you’re uncomfortable in your own body.

        the previous snippet conversation was overly snippy, I’m asking if you’re ok?

        • Porco@feddit.orgEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          Claiming it’s (just) body dysmorphia implies that the problems those people experience are just in their heads or at least exaggerated.

          But as the article states this is not the case. Being a short man leads to lots of disadvantages and probably the most important one being having far fewer chances finding a partner. So there may be different ways of coping with the problem like acceptance but trying to change your appearance is not irrational - even though I wouldn’t opt for that. But then again I don’t have that problem - fortunately…

  • MintyFresh@lemmy.worldEnglish
    365·
    8 days ago

    Being tall sucks. I’m a dude and 6’6, if I could trade in for a normal sized body I’d do it in a heartbeat.

    People are still dicks. Women don’t fall from heaven onto my dick. I don’t fit in cars, forget about flying. Finding clothes sucks ass. All furniture the world is child sized.

    I can find people in a crowd though, for what’s that worth…

    • Cypher@lemmy.worldEnglish
      241·
      8 days ago

      the world is child sized.

      This is sort of what short men’s insecurities are rooted in.

      Short people get infantilised to a degree which makes them feel less manly, which drives negative behaviours (short man syndrome?) and reinforces their insecurities as they fall into a sort of incel ideology.

    • truite@jlai.luEnglish
      121·
      8 days ago

      The world is not child sized. I believe you when you say being tall suck. I am 1,5m, something like 4"11. So, the size of a child. I fit in cars, but I need a cushion. Lot of counters are so high that only my head sticks out. Finding clothes sucks too. My feet often don’t touch the ground when I’m seating on an adult chair. I have to climb so much things. I can’t reach all my shelves, even with a stool. Sometimes, sinks are a little too high.

      I’m absolutely ok with my size, and I really think being small is easier than being really tall, but the world is not made for people my size. Really not.

      • Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        5·
        8 days ago

        As a 5’1" person, who, I’ve watched all the women in my family shrink with age, so I likely will too, I empathize with this statement.

        The cabinet above the refrigerator in my home is empty. I cannot reach it even with a stool. I send my son up on the counter go get stuff from the top shelf for me. My feet also hang from many a chair. As a child, all my pants had to go to the seamstress to be hemmed. I remember finding a pair of capris pants in middle school, not realizing they were capris, and just being excited the length was right for pants on me. My mother used a cushion in her car as far back as I can remember, and I’m greatful new cars have more seating settings so I don’t have to do that.

        The best positive is I can buy child sized shoes and save a buck. But I do enjoy being short overall. I’d rather be short than so tall. But yeah, the world is made for the middle height people. Folks on either ends of the height scale have to make accommodations.

    • CommanderCloon@lemmy.mlEnglish
      2·
      7 days ago

      Reading the article, the guy didn’t care to be tall, he just didn’t want to be short. He had several bad experiences because of it, but also just wanted that for himself

    • Valmond@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      8 days ago

      Heey 6"6 here too, with slight back pain.

      Nothing is made for us, socks, dispensers, ceilings, you name it.

      Fun fact: in Sweden where I grew up, I was considered ‘too tall’, men shouldn’t be over 1m86-ish.

      • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
        2·
        8 days ago

        Can’t design society around extremes…

        Everyone hates avg but being 160-180cm is the sweet spot for both me and women lol

        And these people just don’t get the struggle because the world is made for their side lol

        • Valmond@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          8 days ago

          No one asked society to be “designed around extremes” lol, make place for everyone IMO!

          Your height range is bullshit too, and not even what people “look for”, sweet spot pulled out of your behind lol.

  • Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org
    343·
    8 days ago

    Being 5’3", I’ve thought about this kind of thing in the past. But the risks are too great, and I’m not looking to live with more pain through my life than I already have, just for the cause of being taller.

    • arin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      145·
      8 days ago

      There are plenty of women who would date a 5’3 man, and plenty of the women are shorter than 5’3

      • Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org
        182·
        8 days ago

        I’m going to say this simply, given my dating history. Any man who’s a halfway decent person can find someone who will love them and ignore relatively minor physical issues (and sometimes major physical issues too). Any man who’s complaining about not getting dates just because he’s short has one of three situations:

        1. He has the wrong social circle.

        2. It has nothing to do with his height, and the prospects he’s approaching recognize the red flags.

        3. His own insecurities make it impossible for him to prioritize another person.

        Of those, I have sympathy only for the first. Finding love is not easy for anyone, and it is possible to simply not know where to look. Otherwise, it’s not about his height, it’s either about his demeanor, or his own issues around his height.

        My reason for wanting to be taller is extremely pragmatic: I need to be able to reach stuff in my kitchen cabinets without standing on the counter or getting a ladder. I need to be able to shop in stores without having to stand on the shelves to get stuff up top. Simple stuff. I’d also just once like to be able to see over someone’s head in a packed movie theater, so that I don’t have to choose between going only to shows that I think will have low attendance (matinees) or sitting so close to the screen that it’s overwhelming.

  • Seefern@piefed.socialEnglish
    323·
    8 days ago

    I’m a 5’5” dude and I love it tbh. My wife is an inch taller than me. Idk man, it’s never bothered me for a moment.

    Going this far to be a bit taller seems insane, I’m almost certain the pain later in life from a surgery like this will really suck.

  • Deflated0ne@lemmy.worldEnglish
    282·
    7 days ago

    So all these short kings are getting gender affirming care?

    Cuz that’s what I’m hearing here.

        • Tudsamfa@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          5 days ago

          Yes, it’s in the article. The “(shortness) is the last acceptable prejudice in society” quote is attributed to a female patient.

          While it still seems like a gendered issue the way the article talks about it, the lengthening surgeries being done mainly on men and the rarer leg shortening on women; implying that women don’t do this at all is wrong.

  • Waldelfe@feddit.orgEnglish
    22·
    8 days ago

    When I grew up it seemed like everything was only about women’s bra size. Don’t expect a man to want to date you if it is less than a C! Men want real women, not children without boobs! I’ve had classmates with <C who were planning their surgery by age 16. There was also a list circulating that some boys wrote where they judged the girls look based solely on boobsize.

    Then we finally got rid of that bullshit and all agreed, that all boobsizes are ok. Just to turn around and replace it with this shitshow. It’s like we can’t just agree that everybody has different preferences, we just have to push the narrative that X property of a gender has to be a certain size, otherwise they are completely undatable.

    It’s really so sad to watch this shit happening over and over again…