Perceptions of Men’s Height and Self-Objectification: Critical Social Perspectives Across Gender and Age Groups

Body image depends equally on how individuals perceive themselves and how society sees them. There is however a void of research about self-objectification and the impact of height on men’s body image. Thus, this study examines the social perceptions of male body image and how they are impacted by men’s height among sexes and age groups. In addition to an extensive literature review on related topics, a total of 364 usable surveys, including 173 women and 131 men of different ages, were collected as part of this study. Our findings support the extant literature stance that physical stature is an important criterion in the selection of male dating partners. More importantly, however, this study demonstrated that height becomes less significant in shaping male body perceptions if other physical attributes are considered. The study also revealed that women and young people are generally more concerned with body weight, physical attractiveness, and sex appeal than height. Lastly, the study found no statistically significant differences between genders (age groups) in terms of their perceptions of male physical attractiveness and level of income in relation to their height. The exception was the perception of men’s dating advantage. Surprisingly, older participants were more concerned about physical stature than their younger counterparts. Lastly, the study reveals that the prejudice of “heightism” toward shorter men continues to exist and permeate modern day society.