After years of getting the short end of the stick, TikTok has declared that the little guys deserve the royal treatment.

“Short kings is the new wave. Sorry to all y’all giraffes,” one fella celebrated on TikTok with a dance.

Dubbed “short king spring” on social media, single New Yorkers are looking for love for less than 5’8″, a group who have been notoriously short-sided on dating apps.

“Anyone taller than 5’11” no longer qualifies,” one female with a tall order announced.

“We love shorties,” declared another lady.

The TikTok tag #ShortKing has more than 329 million views, with some users calling the increase in interest “Short King Spring.” The trend is perhaps inspired by Tom Holland and Zendaya, as iD pointed out, whose height difference — he’s 5’8″ and she’s 5’11” — doesn’t deter their romance, but, rather, breaks the internet.

Among the shorter men of Manhattan is Sam Bacherman, who clocks in at 5’4″ — and “three-quarters” — and just “makes it work.”

“I played sports growing up and I always wished I was taller more for sports than for dating,” the 24-year-old said, adding that he’s never faced rejection for his height. “Most of the girls I’ve dated, they don’t really see height as an issue.”

In fact, he’s experienced the opposite. Recently, he went on a date with a taller woman, who said she “likes them 5’6″ and shorter.”

But the playing field hasn’t always been historically even, according to a 2014 study which said short men have less chance of getting married. NYC is even more brutal out the gate, since men under 5’9″ have a 1.2% chance of matching online.

New Yorker Matt Evenden — who is 5’7″ or 5’8″ depending on who you ask — has also tried his luck with women who are 5’10” or taller, saying height has never been an issue.

“Coming from someone like myself who has not dated a lot of girls who are taller than me, it was kind of weird,” he said. “But after the first 15 minutes when you’re on the date, it just kind of becomes OK.”

But having a girlfriend the same height as him for most of college shielded Evenden from some women’s tall orders, especially when they say they “prefer taller guys” or are “looking for someone who’s over 6 foot.”

“It was more surprising because I had not experienced that,” the 23-year-old said of being rejected for his height — or lack thereof. “I was like, ‘Really? This is an issue?’”

For those who are less picky, the “short king” trend is not new. In fact, it may have been brewing for a while, after one app called Short King Dating for men 5’8″ and under debuted in late 2020. “F–k tall guys, date a short king,” the website advertises.

While short men are now in big demand, there are still some that are down on their dating luck.

Photographer Adam Kassman, 24, said he regularly gets the short end of the stick in the dating pool. He recalled meeting a girl for the first time who greeted only the tall men in his friend group, leaving the others under 5’10” hanging.

“Judging someone strictly on their appearance that they can’t even control is a really unfair way to go about it,” Kassman said. “I think it’s one of the few areas where people can still just exercise a ridiculous level [of power] over a stupid detail.”

Internet personality Serena Kerrigan, who doubles as somewhat of a dating expert, offering advice to her devout followers online, said women’s height preference is no different from how men critique women’s bodies.

“Women are constantly scrutinized for the way they look,” she said. “It’s the one place that they’re able to kind of take back that power.”

Since she doesn’t recommend dismissing potential dating options, she always tells her followers to go on the date — even if the guy on Hinge doesn’t have great photos. 

Jack Hymowitz, a 24-year-old architect, said even his 5’8″ stature isn’t tall enough for some picky men in New York. In fact, many dudes ghost him when he finally reveals his height on dating apps.

“Physical attributes are a huge part of deciding who you want to date, and with those physical attributes comes sort of stigmas of what kind of person you are, or like, what role you might play in a relationship,” he said. “So, sometimes I feel like, being on the shorter side, I’m already sort of boxed into a corner.”

Some guys, he said, equate being taller to being more masculine, which plays a role in picking out a potential partner. But he doesn’t think something as “minuscule” as height should matter.

“I’m more than my height,” he said. “Those kinds of things, they don’t matter if someone’s the right person.”

For Caroline Vazzana and David Lopes, overlooking height allowed them to fall in love. Lopes, 31 and who stands at 5’7″, said the difference never crossed his mind nor caused insecurities.

“I feel like average height,” said Lopes, who even bought Vazzana a pair of heels when she graduated from college years ago.

“He isn’t ashamed or embarrassed to stand next to me in 6-inch heels.”

“Dave’s a one-in-a-million in terms of being super confident,” internet personality Vazzana gushed of her soon-to-be hubby. “He isn’t ashamed or embarrassed to stand next to me in 6-inch heels.”

The couple is a testament to Kerrigan’s personal mantra: that beauty comes from within.

“Anyone who meets the perfect person that they want to marry and is going to throw that away because they look taller wearing heels is bulls–t,” Kerrigan said. “I personally think that’s very shallow to completely pass a perfectly amazing option.”