Tech Workers Paying To Get Taller (gq.com) 330
joshuark writes: A Las Vegas surgeon reports tech workers are paying $70,000 to $150,000 to get surgery to increase their height by 3-inches. The doctor is paid to break their legs (both femurs) and then inserts adjustable metal nails that are slowly tweaked over time. "I joke that I could open a tech company," Dr. Kevin Debiparshad told GQ. "I got, like, 20 software engineers doing this procedure right now who are here in Vegas. There was a girl" -- because girls can be tech bros too. -- "yesterday from PayPal. I've got patients from Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft. I've had multiple patients from Microsoft."
A new twist, borrow $70K to $150K from a loan shark in Las Vegas, and they'll break your legs later... "Since the onset of the pandemic's work-from-home era, the LimbplastX Institute (where Dr. D performs his procedures) has been seeing twice its normal number of patients, and sometimes as many as 50 new people a month," reports GQ. "That claim is backed up by a BBC report suggesting that hundreds of men in the U.S. are now undergoing the procedure every year."
"According to a 2009 study of Australian men, short guys make less money than their taller peers (about $500 a year per inch); are less likely to climb the corporate ladder (according to one survey, the average height of a male Fortune 500 CEO is six feet); and, for the cis and straight among us, have fewer romantic opportunities with women (a 2013 study conducted in the Netherlands found that women were taller than their male partners in just 7.5 percent of cases)," adds the report. "The promise of Dr. D's institute is that, for a price, you too can increase your odds of becoming a Fortune 500 CEO. And people are willing to pay..."
A new twist, borrow $70K to $150K from a loan shark in Las Vegas, and they'll break your legs later... "Since the onset of the pandemic's work-from-home era, the LimbplastX Institute (where Dr. D performs his procedures) has been seeing twice its normal number of patients, and sometimes as many as 50 new people a month," reports GQ. "That claim is backed up by a BBC report suggesting that hundreds of men in the U.S. are now undergoing the procedure every year."
"According to a 2009 study of Australian men, short guys make less money than their taller peers (about $500 a year per inch); are less likely to climb the corporate ladder (according to one survey, the average height of a male Fortune 500 CEO is six feet); and, for the cis and straight among us, have fewer romantic opportunities with women (a 2013 study conducted in the Netherlands found that women were taller than their male partners in just 7.5 percent of cases)," adds the report. "The promise of Dr. D's institute is that, for a price, you too can increase your odds of becoming a Fortune 500 CEO. And people are willing to pay..."
Size matters. (Score:5, Insightful)
Just not in the way you assumed.
And yeah. That's fucking weird.
Re:Size matters. (Score:5, Interesting)
Data from dating sites shows that size matters for both men and women.
Women like tall guys. Most women set their profiles to exclude men shorter than themselves. Many set their minimum to at least a few inches taller. I am 5'11'', but I stated 6-foot in my profile because so many women had that set as their cut-off. My spouse is 5'4" and had 6-foot as her minimum -- Yup, eight inches taller than herself. We would have never met if I hadn't lied.
For men, it is the horizontal size of women that matters. Even listing "A few extra pounds" will dramatically lower a woman's response rate.
Re:Size matters. (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, people are shallow. Whether you want a relationship with somebody like that is a different question.
Re:Size matters. (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, people are shallow. Whether you want a relationship with somebody like that is a different question.
It took me a long time to realize, but a much better choice for a friend or companion is one that's pretty on the inside.
It's difficult. We're constantly fighting conditioned viewpoints for what we should find attractive, both from an evolutionary standpoint and current social influences.
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... , but a much better choice for a friend or companion is one that's pretty on the inside.
And extra length gives extra (beautiful) inside. Profit!
Re:Size matters. (Score:5, Interesting)
Never had much of a problem with having too high standards looks wise.
I'm an aspie. I married my first girlfriend... the criterium that made me go for it and ask for a date was that she was the first person I could see myself spending a day in the same apartment with without going bonkers.
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True - but as OP points out, if he hadn't lied about an inch of height, he'd never have even got the chance to *talk* to his (now) wife. She'd never have found how great he is, and their relationship would never have even started.
Modern "filters" are so brutal that you throw out a lot of possible "hits" without even knowing about it. It seems then, having a more human filter is more successful than letting a computer do it. Your friends, or a professional match-maker, you mum or whomever else won't worry ab
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True - but as OP points out, if he hadn't lied about an inch of height, he'd never have even got the chance to *talk* to his (now) wife. She'd never have found how great he is, and their relationship would never have even started.
I am unsure whether a relationship based on a lie is a good thing or not. Depends on the details and whether the other side actually admits it having been a good idea. But were do you stop?
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Modern "filters" are so brutal that you throw out a lot of possible "hits" without even knowing about it. It seems then, having a more human filter is more successful than letting a computer do it. Your friends, or a professional match-maker, you mum or whomever else won't worry about an inch here, or a few pounds there - they'll look more at the whole person and try for matches on that basis.
No kidding, 6 feet or above is only 14.5% of the US male population, so that excludes 84.5% of men right off the bat. It seems like that's relatively mild by some people's standards. Statements like "No short guys, no-one under 6' 2"!" are pretty common even though that would exclude 96.1% of all men. Even for just over 6 feet, if you add even one more criterion, that will probably end up excluding 99% of men. Now, I have to say, there's nothing actually wrong with that people want what they want. Everyone
Re:Size matters. (Score:5, Interesting)
And the majority of men prefer prefer women on the thin and shapely side - are you suggesting that's NOT shallow?
Most women are shallow. So are most men. That's just reality, nothing against either sex. We all appreciate beauty - and beauty is by its very nature skewed strongly toward superficial traits, as they're the only ones you can see without investing a lot of time getting to know someone better.
At the risk of being inflammatory I would even go so far as to suggest a preference for tall men is arguably MORE shallow than a preference for thin women - height is something a person has no control over (expensive, invasive surgery notwithstanding), while being overweight is always a choice. And I say that as a tall man who would love to knock an extra 5-10 inches of middle-age spread off his waistline, but is unwilling to make the sacrifices it would require. My weight, like everyone else's, is a reflection of my priorities - on the person within the body. And I clearly value neither my appearance, my health, nor my athleticism enough to eat less or exercise more.
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I think it's just men finally finding out what it's like to be on the receiving end of this shallowness.
In general I feel women are a bit less shallow on that front, but unfortunately for us, the two hard lines I've come across is height and baldness. As you say, this is stuff that's impossible to address without expensive and/or dangerous medical intervention.
Many might be able to overlook it if given the opportunity if you meet f2f fist, but otherwise nothing to do but move on.
Re: Size matters. (Score:3)
Re:Size matters. (Score:5, Insightful)
Do women like tall guys who broke their legs to get that way? Because that's gunna come up some time.
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Do women like tall guys who broke their legs to get that way? Because that's gunna come up some time.
The guys will simply hide it or make up a story to excuse it away, the same way women hide the number of sexual partners they had in their past.The "My past shouldn't matter" thing may as well be as good for the goose as it is for the gander.
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Why did your spouse set her cutoff at 6 when clearly, she's happy with shorter men?
This isn't a pointed question, I'm genuinely curious (I've been out of the dating scene since before online dating was much of a thing). I know a few short guys (in the 5'6" range) who have no trouble at all (two are married, the other seems to be on a somewhat successful quest to complete Tinder). But I've also known men who have galloping short man syndrome.
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A few years ago he said he had a contract with his wife, something like contributions to her pension and bank account in exchange for sex three times a week. I'm not judging, just saying that perhaps we shouldn't draw too many conclusions from his apparently somewhat atypical marriage.
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Why did your spouse set her cutoff at 6 when clearly, she's happy with shorter men?
Because people consciously want what they've been subliminally programmed by their culture to want.
What can make them happy has far less to do with that.
When I was young, I aimed for a certain type of woman. In retrospect, I think that preference was unintentionally programmed into my by my father's commentary on women.
When I became a sexually active teen, anything that walked and was decent enough to look at sufficed, but I still aimed at that preprogrammed target. I was just flexible.
When I grew up en
Re: Size matters. (Score:2)
As much as the current culture wants people to lie to themselves and others, what people acutely want and what makes them happy to see in a potential sexual partner has changed very little over the years, and is unlikely to change in the future.
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What the current culture seems to be finally acknowledging is what programmers have known for years: what people think they want and what actually makes them happy are usually different..
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When you look at some of the old/short/fat dudes dating super models, it's clear that the great equalizer is the heft of one's wallet when it comes to finding a partner.
$$$ trumps it all in many cases.
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For men, it is the horizontal size of women that matters. Even listing "A few extra pounds" will dramatically lower a woman's response rate.
But the bigger the cushion, the better the pushin'.
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I suspect that a woman who thought 5'10" would be fine and maybe a really fit 5'8" would be ok, she has to put 6' because if she put 5'8", she would be flooded with a bunch of proposals from the 5'4" men.
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Men going their own way. It's a "polite" way of saying misogynist. I mean, I'm sure there are those that just aren't interested in spending time on dating that become that, but the vocal members are anti-feminist douches. And no, not anti-militant-feminist. Anti-feminist, and for the most part anti-female.
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Having met some self-proclaimed MGTOW, I'm just saying what's plainly visible. The idea that women are the only haters now is absolutely laughable to me. It's exceedingly delusional to believe that, as I said, there aren't a vocal minority of MGTOW folks that are women haters. The vocal minority are always loud-mouthed assholes, but the sad reality is we have to acknowledge those vocal minorities. Acknowledging reality does not make me a man hater anymore than being married does.
Re:Size matters. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: Size matters. (Score:3)
Re:Size matters. (Score:5, Insightful)
The situation as I understand it:
age 30-and-below, men and women have lots of casual sex.
age 30-and-above, women want to get married and raise a family. Men don't want to marry a 30-and-above woman because:
1. She has had lots of sex, and so he believes (true or not) that she will not be satisfied with him, will not bond with him, will not truly love him.
2. She might have an STD from all that sex, which he does not want.
3. She might have a kid, which is not his so he doesn't want to start his new family as a stepdad.
4. She might have debt or a low income, making her a financial liability, especially if a divorce is waiting a few years down the road, in which case she can really devastate his finances.
5. HE might be accustomed to sleeping around, and simply doesn't want to commit at all to anyone.
6. He might have an STD from all his sleeping around, which she does not want.
7. He might be making child support payments, and as such his net income is too low
8. He might be one of the unattractive ones who got rejected for sex, who is now embittered against romance or just "emotionally independent,"
Sounds like an unfortunate position to be in, for someone who wants marriage/family. Getting married in one's 20s seems to be the way to go. However, many men are hesitant to do even that because they consider divorce law to be terribly lopsided, making the prospect of marriage outright irrational (I am in this category). If the marriage is "traditional" in which the man makes most of the money, then after a few years that means that a divorce results in the woman taking most of that money with her, including child support and alimony, thus legally forcing the man into becoming an indentured servant. Even if this is how everyone thinks it should be, few men want to put themselves in a position where this could happen to them.
So, I think that we can take a huge step towards repairing the institution of marriage and family if we even-out divorce law such that marriage does not bring with it the specter of lifelong indentured servanthood (for either gender).
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The reason women prefer taller men goes back to prehistoric times. It is not some sort of modern conspiracy. Humans are animals like any other. There is also a reason men prefer women of child bearing age. Both sexes will never change their preferences on that particular criteria.
Perhaps, but remember, we're not in a place where we're no longer choosing partners based on who we meet in the real world around us anymore, we're choosing based on catalog-shopping. This means that people are choosing based on what's unrealistic to them, both in terms of supply, and in terms of what frankly they'd be likely to achieve based on their on characteristics.
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Nope.
For different women, it often takes a bit different game to get them into bed....but, just was stating that's the ultimate goal in all of this.
Re: Size matters. (Score:4, Insightful)
Hey, if you can find a modern woman you can trust and will love you and have a real man/woman relationship, for kids, etc....more power to you.
They are out there, but you have to get lucky. I'm a bit older, so, if I go more age appropriate, there are still more traditional minded women out there that would fit the bill and don't have a high body count.
I do feel for the younger men out there...as that much of what others have posted here are correct and it is a VERY slanted game NOT in their favor at all.
Younger women, going either for the "perfect" male types (tall, etc)....who are taking advantage of their status and just mostly getting laid and moving on, or, they are going for older men, mostly as sugar daddies.
All the while they are building up a high body count and that is pretty high by the time they want to settle down in their 30's and have kids.
And like many have stated here, many of our young men here are catching on that this is not something they want....a well used woman likely isn't going to bond with you, may well already have kids from the bodies before you, and if you marry, you stand a very good chance of them suing for divorce a few years later and seriously hurting your bank account you as a young man are starting to put back towards retirement.
I can't blame them really.
And, the whole life partner thing, isn't for everyone. I've had a few very long time partners...hell, some of those women I'm still in touch with, amicalble partings as friends, but at my current age, I'm much happier with a wide number of friends that I spend time with in meatspace, and I have girlfriends I swap out ever so often for that type of companionship.
At my age, not wanting any new kids....not wanting to get married and put any of my savings and retirement in jeopardy.
I'll never say never, but the times have changed and you have to watch yourself as a man. The legal system is NOT in your favor, and the risk reward for a marriage, long term relationship often is just not worth the risk.
As a man, what do you get out of marriage these days?
You no longer get someone to be primary house keeper of your home...primary caregiver to your children, in trade for you to be primary wage earner, protector, etc. In the years back in more traditional male/female roles, both sides got something out of marriage...but, these days, it is very much slanted towards women and all the risk is on the male end.
So, what makes it truly worthwhile today for the male to lean towards the traditional obligations and risks...when the traditional rewards and benefit to him are no longer there?
It's easy to get laid today...much easier than in the past, and well, that's part of the problem. Why stop doing that and tie yourself down to one and risk losing at least half you assets, much less the emotional toll you are setting yourself up for?
It's weird only if you're not short (Score:5, Informative)
I remember my first visit to the Philippines, while flipping through the TV channels, I came across an ad selling magnetic insoles that claimed to make the wearer grow taller [rappler.com]. I laughed, thinking who would fall for a cheap gimmick like that? But then I remembered I was in the Philippines, where the average adult male is only 5'4". The people want to be taller, so they can be easily manipulated by some snake oil salesman selling that solution. Over the course of my stay, I found -a lot- of products being sold that claimed in advertising to help people grow taller.
Or how's this for weird: Chinese parents are feeding their children Human Growth Hormone. [scmp.com] But then think about it...you have your one child, and you want to give that child every economic advantage possible. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess.
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It might also stem from the possibility that even if the charlatans could prove you were personality-deficient, it would be quite difficult to sell you a replacement, or even, an extension.
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It's the same issue as photoshopped models in magazines. Unrealistic and toxic notions of beauty and the ideal body.
Some Chinese women go abroad to get cosmetic surgery, including leg extensions. Interestingly the ideal in China is a small bum, where as in some other countries it's wide hips and a big round peach. There is surgery to obtain both.
By the way, the one child policy ended years ago. Now it's just the same problem as in developed nations: children are really expensive to raise so many couples onl
What happens long term ? (Score:2)
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What happens long term ? What is the health risk later in life from this type surgery ? Old saying: Big 4-wheel truck driven by short guy ! Seen that too many times and had an uncontrolled laugh !
None. This is no different than breaking your arm falling out of a tree. The difference is this breaking is done in a methodical way under medical supersvision.
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This is no different than breaking your arm falling out of a tree.
Not quite. The extra 3 inches applies not just to the bones, but to the whole leg. Arteries, veins, muscles, nerves, tendons - everything must be stretched - and in a way that (so to speak) nature never intended.
It might turn out fine - and then again, it might not.
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The Russians have offered that procedure, I think, for 30 years or so now. Hence there should be experience with the long-term perspective. No idea what the insights are though.
Russians only break - you need to extend yourself. (Score:5, Funny)
Russians only break your legs - they do not help to extend them.
Though the procedure is free - they may take your cell phone or rug or toilet seat though...
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> everything must be stretched - and in a way that (so to speak) nature never intended.
Are you sure? Nature designed everything to stretch as the bones grow. This happens a bit faster than a teenage growth spurt, and no doubt causes some short-term trauma - but nature also designed us to recover from trauma, often becoming more robust in the process (weight training being the obvious example).
I would be more concerned with the bone grafts themselves - you're introducing foreign material into the body a
Re:What happens long term ? (Score:5, Insightful)
While that is true (controlled surgical break in a hospital), if you read the article the patient winds up with freakishly long thighs due to the extension of the femur. There's also several months of pretty constant pain as the bones are slowly mechanically lengthened to allow the soft tissues to extend. A forward thinking partner who wants to have kids with someone who has been "extended" will likely figure out at some point that any children are going to inherit those "short genes." But fear not, the kids can be subjected to the same operation to achieve that desired aesthetic.
One need only look at how much people spend on plastic surgery to see how powerful of a motivator vanity can be. Personally, I think it's rather silly, but there are a lot of people in the world with poor self esteem so I suspect these doctors will have no shortage of patients.
Best,
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Wow I wouldn't take that for granted. Have a serious break and you may have arthritis or weakness in that area. I had a compound fracture of my wrist (ulna and radius) years ago and it is still not the same. Lifting dumbbells every other day has helped but into a long day of doing active things it will always start to hurt.
Let's do the math (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Let's do the math (Score:5, Funny)
Let's say you work 50 years.
unless everyone starts doing it. this could start a, well, not an arms race... but i'm pretty sure this is how the Irkans ended up led by the Tallest.
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not an arms race...
Make it a legs race then :-)
Re:Let's do the math (Score:5, Insightful)
hilarious take on some really creepy stuff.
but i don't expect a "legs race" to happen because i highly doubt this actually works. indeed being taller makes a difference, but it is only one parameter of many. if you don't have enough clout, ambition and necessary psychotic traits to overcome a 3-7 inch height difference over your ceo-wannabe peers then you never really had an option to begin with.
these people won't double their salary, they won't become ceos and they won't get laid more, they will simply get a temporary boost in self-confidence and then will slip again to their natural base line.
Re: Let's do the math (Score:4, Insightful)
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I'm 6 feet 4 inches, and have been since I was 15. I never saw that my height did me the slightest good in terms of pay, promotion, or even being listened to. In a bar, I could stand patiently right in front of the bar person and never get served, or even noticed, unless I yelled.
Personality is a lot more important. I've seen small men and women with plenty of attitude, who compelled attention and just took over the room.
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I never saw that my height did me the slightest good in terms of pay, promotion, or even being listened to
How on earth would you know that? You don't have a control of you-with-the-same-personality-but-12-inches-shorter.
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All jokes aside, I suspect he is right. I’ve known many short people with commanding personalities, and many tall people who get ignored, and everything inbetween. Attitude and personality win.
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It's probably not one or the other though. Height can give you an advantage/disadvantage as can personality. The latter is stronger than the former, and you can't remotely make up for the latter with the former. But that doesn't mean it has no effect.
And statistically, the evidence is it does make a difference.
Re:Let's do the math (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm 6 feet 4 inches, and have been since I was 15. I never saw that my height did me the slightest good in terms of pay, promotion, or even being listened to.
There have been all kinds of studies done way back showing that taller men do get an edge on exactly those behefits you mentioned. It's the same kind of hardwiring responsible for the fact that blondes have more fun.
You just didn't notice, or maybe you had other disadvantages (such as personality) that defeated your natural advantage. Or maybe (I don't remember) there is a cut-off, and you're 1/2 inch too tall. Or your other body proportions aren't right (too skinny).
One of the effects of being a little taller man is a more self-assured confidence. That's self-reinforcing, of course.
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My friend was about to kick off until I told him it wasn't worth it. He then proceeded to tell me that it upset him as tall people brush him out of the way like he was nothing and, being tall, I couldn't possibly understand.
My friend is very successful in business but his view of the world is different to mine. We were both shoved out of the way by the s
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Ceiling height and bed length requirements for camper trailers, campervans, etc. Believe me, it's a big problem where shorter people have a definite advantage.
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Re:Let's do the math (Score:4, Funny)
Rather more likely that he’s the nicest guy I will never meet, I suppose.
Re:Let's do the math (Score:5, Insightful)
A personal annecdote is no match for a big set of data. I think it equally absurd you think you would *notice* when you being tall got you what amounts to a few more dollars in your salary or was directly responsible for a promotion. This is about subtle physical biases on a population scale, not "Hey bob, you're pretty tall, so I think I'll make you VP of Eastern sales now!"
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Have you ever noticed the substantial advantage being male gives you? If you're white, have you ever noticed the substantial advantage that gives you as well?
As a very smart, tall, white man raised in a two-parent home I can say with confidence that I've never really noticed any of the advantages those give me. However, as an observant person I have noticed the disadvantage my female and dark-skinned peers face - which is the same thing. And the statistics don't lie - those disadvantages (and thus my adva
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But you get laid for 50 years or more...
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Australia says nothing of the sort, because it doesn't measure height in inches.
And how do we know it isn't AUD?
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It doesn't really matter if it's USD, AUD, CAD or something else, it's still a cost of 70K to 150K divided by 500 for each extra inch per year. Financially it doesn't seem to make any sense.
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Google "elevator shoes". There is a market for normal looking shoes that add several centimetres to your height.
It should be possible to test them with reasonable confidence, but it looks like there are no peer reviewed studies of them.
I wonder if you even need to subtle about it, or if wearing obvious platform shoes would have the same effect once people got used to your retro footwear.
April 1st falls early this year (Score:5, Funny)
Luckly we all know that the most important body part doesn't contain a bone.
Re:April 1st falls early this year (Score:4, Funny)
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Ask any Gallamite.
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knee balls (Score:2)
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You probably don't want to be jumping that high or that much with these modified legs.
So if the loan shark breaks my legs (Score:2)
he's baically handing me a stimulus check, right?
How not to make a study relevant (Score:2)
Perform a study about height on the giants in the Netherlands and make a link to the midgets in Las Vegas in a country that doesn't even make the top ten in height...
I'm 6' and 6" (Score:2)
...and I'm happy with those numbers in both dimensions.
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Good for you, but how the hell do you manage to live with a six feet penis when you're only six inches tall?!?
Proportions. Other dimensions. (Score:5, Interesting)
Getting taller alone will make your other limbs look shorter by comparison. You'll look like the scarecrow. Furthermore, femurs are the most important load-bearing bones in your body. By breaking the bone you're destroying it's integrity and making it weaker. Whether it is on purpose or not, it will most likely result in long-term side effects, some of which may persist until the end of your life, such as not being able to do any high-impact sports or getting accidental future fractures at the least.
brains are overrated on Slashdot (Score:2)
I'd like to say you heard it here first, but let's face it, if you've been here for any length of time you've noticed already
Race? (Score:2)
The article doesn't mention any details from the tech sector, but I'm wondering if race plays a part in this. Caucasian males average 5' 9" in height, which is taller than those of Indian (5' 8"), Asian (5' 7") and Hispanic descent (5' 7"). In the tech sector there are a larger number of non-Caucasians, thus those individuals may be looking to get a leg-up (see what I did there?) on the Caucasians. The work from home trend lately facilitates this, as a person can recover from the surgery without their col
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How would being taller give you any advantage if you work from home? Wouldn't it be much easier to just point your camera a bit downward to make it look like you're taller?
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Over (Score:2)
If you wanna climb, it's known its better to have others fear crossing you than the other way around. I suppose this is a part of it.
Presidents have always wanted to appear tall (Score:2)
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/... [go.com]
But they usually just stand on a box.
Men obsessed with their appearance / height (Score:4, Funny)
probably aren't that great at technical skills.
First, how many nerds grew up being popular for how they looked? Most of us learned to live with the stigma and focused on what we were good at: making computers do things.
Second, somebody who is that concerned with their height, especially in a Zoom era, likely has a fragile ego and cares more about looking good, than doing good work.
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Dated stereotype: Most good ones are attractivish (Score:5, Interesting)
probably aren't that great at technical skills.
First, how many nerds grew up being popular for how they looked? Most of us learned to live with the stigma and focused on what we were good at: making computers do things.
Second, somebody who is that concerned with their height, especially in a Zoom era, likely has a fragile ego and cares more about looking good, than doing good work.
I've found the opposite. The most reliable and best engineers have their shit together, including appearance. Most good ones are athletic. I've been a software engineer in the business field for 25 years. I've easily met 2000 engineers. Those loud fat, unfuckable nerds? They're mediocre to shit engineers. They're just louder than the good ones and more memorable.
When I think of the last 20 superstars I've met, including in the open source world. Most were good at most things in life and very focused on their work. Most run or do something athletic in their free time...not too crazy, but They tend to have
I don't know where that stereotype came from, to be honest. From university level down to corporate, the extreme nerds are just socially inept, not smarter. I've seen this in scientific research, medicine, finance, tech. Now, some superstars are a bit socially awkward and nerdy compared to say a frat boy. Some are mediocre at conversation as they can focus heavily on their interests. Many have a small gut, but nothing out of the ordinary for white-collar worker their age. However, they're never the ugliest one in the room.
Every superstar I've met is also happily married or in if he/she is young, in a long-term relationship. I've known many unfuckable nerds who wear shirts they should have thrown out a year ago, have really really really strong opinions on Star Trek they're ready to unload on people who don't care, are in scary health, and clearly don't give a fuck about what people think about how they look or act in public. I've directly worked with them. They fucking suck. It's a front for their insecurities and most of them either are clueless on how to do their job or are so fucking inconsistent and dysfunctional, you cannot rely on them. They tend to bounce from dept to dept and company to company because people either want them gone or they never advance.
When I think superstar, they usually look like ex-military (although rarely are): clean-cut, unassuming, generally above average. They run or work out to balance the long hours at the desk. They're well groomed...nowhere near metrosexual, but definitely showered that morning. They're very serious and focused and they listen a lot more than they talk. They often don't make a huge first impression. When I first join a dept or company, I don't even notice them at first because they have their heads down and are working. Within a few meetings, you figure out they know their shit and are keeping the team together. Smart, effective people tend to be smart and effective across the board. Your job is important, but so is your health, so they eat right and exercise. Your relationships are important, so they tend to be happily married and are probably amazing husbands/wives. The pattern is they focus on what needs to be done and they accomplish it. If you're smart enough to do your job well, you're smart enough to know you need to take care of yourself and your loved ones.
Nerd is a meaningless term today. Anything that was nerdy 20 years ago is mainstream. Superhero films are top grossers. Science fiction is popular and cool. Computers are beloved by everyone. Anime is now pretty mainstream The jocks of my childhood are an endangered species. Their number is slowly dwindling each generation. Kids want to be connected and smart and have a good job and think diverse people and interests are cool. Being different made me a social outcast as a child in a small town in the 80s. Being different today makes you interesting. The nerds won and thus what you call nerdy is just normal for most kids.
Slight issue (Score:2)
China been doing it for decades (Score:3, Funny)
The Chinese were mainly doing it for their love life. Because of female infanticide / sex selection for males, they had really bad ratio of male to female, at least at one time.
So the men wanted to be taller in order to get a wife.
Let me emphasize that, they wanted a wife, not a girlfriend. People tend to pretend that men want sex not marriage. But considering the monetary cost, time cost (takes over a year), and pain (particularly harsh surgery), nobody is stupid enough to do this for a date. If you commit that kind of money, and time to go through that much pain (talking about the surgery, not the marriage), you want a permanent benefit, not just a date.
Just get some boots (Score:2)
1â with your average Caterpillar safety boot, get one of those platformer boots and you add 3-5â.
There is a reason (short) women wear heels and was pretty fancy in France for men around the time they got their heads chopped off for wearing it.
Seriously? Nobody said it after 94 posts? (Score:4, Interesting)
Alright then, I'll do it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
I instantly remembered Gattaca (Score:2)
Remember movie Gattaca? 1997. The main hero wasn't genetically engineered or altered, like the majority of his contemporaries, so to impersonate someone that was had that same procedure where they broke his legs. Kind of an IT worker too in a way.
That's horrible... and yet I understand. (Score:2)
Dr. Seuss predicted this (Score:3)
Weird correlation (Score:2)
If you are going to be remote, why bother? How will people know your height?
Perhaps people are doing it because they can heal at home and continue to work.
Re: (Score:2)
Are you claiming the height considerations apply equally strongly to relationships that aren't cis and straight?
And my sig is super relevant today!
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So what you're saying is that you don't want any of this woke nonsense, and then you're saying that 'hetero relationships' are woke nonsense?
Or are you just getting your panties in a bunch because 'hetero relationships' is worded differently.
Right.
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Wow you are virtue signalling so hard right now.
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At the risk of stating the obvious, if you have a spare $150k to drop on this, you're probably doing okay in the salary department.
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Unless you just borrow the money. If you don't pay they come and un-break your legs.