Short kings swipe left, with Novara Media’s Ash Sarkar

A recent survey by dating app Bumble states that 60% of women on the app are looking for a man over 6ft tall, with just 15% open to dating men shorter than 5ft8. Tinder, meanwhile, is trialling a new feature that will allow users to filter by height. These developments reflect a growing phenomenon seen on dating apps, with height representing one of the most prominent physical preferences mentioned on app profiles. But where does this obsession with the 6ft threshold come from? Where does that leave short kings? And what does this tell us about the nature of romantic engagement in the digital sphere, our hyper-fixation on physical characteristics, and the difference between our stated preferences and true desires? In this episode, Matt is joined by Novara Media's Ash Sarkar to discuss how dating apps can warp our romantic ideals, and prevent us from finding the meaningful emotional and physical connections we seek.  

Follow Ash on Instagram @ayocaesar

You can order Ash's new book "Minority Rule", which interrogates the role played by minority elites in stoking culture wars, here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/minority-rule-9781526648334/ 

And keep up with the podcast on Twitter and Instagram - @thelovecupboard