5ft 3in influencer brands London club night for men over 6ft ‘shallow’ and ‘weird’

The ‘Land of the Giants’ party is for men of a certain height only (Picture: @legrandgdr/ @abssdoesstuff)

‘It’s weird to try to make individuals feel less than over things they can’t control,’ self-proclaimed short king, Michael Legrande, tells Metro.

At 5ft 3in, Michael, who is now engaged, says that dating as a shorter guy is already ‘difficult’ — and a new London club night won’t make it any easier.

Land of the Giants, a ticketed event which has popped up at various nightclubs around the capital, including YOYO and One Ninety Four, only admits men who are 6ft or above.

Described as a party ‘designed around height, presence, and status’, it’s the brainchild of founder, LeGrand (no relation to Michael) who stands at 6ft 5in.

Men are measured on entry, to create a night ‘where tall men are the standard’. Meanwhile, there is no height restriction for women.

Footage at a recent event shows shorter men being turned away.

For short king Michael, who shares fashion and fitness tips on his TikTok, @shortkinglifestyle, it perpetuates a double standard.

‘I believe that everyone is entitled to their own preferences,’ Michael explains. ‘On the other hand, I find it difficult to believe it would have been socially acceptable to do the same with someone’s weight.

‘If the cards were reversed, where a group of individuals would judge whether or not another group of people can enter a club depending on their physical appearance or weight, I think there would be more outrage.’

So why is there such a concern over a man’s height?

‘For men, tall has historically been seen as both better and superior,’ BACP registered psychotherapist, Sumeet Grover, tells Metro.

‘As children, people in positions of power and authority often appear physically bigger than us, and this early experience can shape an association between size and strength, influence, or capability in adult life.

‘We project power and potency onto taller men, even though height has very little to do with one’s intellectual or physical abilities.’

Sumeet continues that getting the tape measure out at the club door, feels particularly cruel.

‘Measurement in front of an audience assumes that men have some special abilities to not feel the emotions of being judged, evaluated or shamed.

‘In this scenario, men are reduced to a single physical attribute, rather than being recognised as people with real feelings and real insecurities.’

At it’s core, Michael believes the Land of the Giants is ‘shallow’, and the event is designed purely to ‘spark outrage, create noise and get as much attention as possible’.

Two ‘Land of the Giants’ nights have taken place, and people aren’t impressed (Picture: YOYO)

‘Do I think it’s a great policy? No. Can I say I’m surprised this is coming from a nightclub? No,’ he adds.

‘They’re quite superficial — no offence to anyone who enjoys them, I used to go to them a lot — but they focus on superficial things that are trivial.’

Others have managed to poke fun at the event.

After 4ft 11in TikToker Denz, was turned away from the club, he stood outside the venue with a collection pot and a sign reading: ‘Donate inches’.

But not everyone in the comments has found it so easy to see the funny side.

One commenter dubbed organiser LeGrand ‘height supremacist’, while some compared the male height requirement to women being made to step on scales before entering, or not being allowed to wear makeup in the club.

‘Now imagine one with a weighing scale at the entrance,’ one person pointed out.

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