Short Men, Would You Pay $250,000 To Be 3 Inches Taller?

This story contains spoilers for the movie Materialists.

In the new movie Materialists, Pedro Pascal plays Harry, a heartthrob with a chiseled jaw, a dreamy swoop of thick hair, a $12 million penthouse, and staggering BDE — such an outrageously eligible bachelor that Lucy, a matchmaker played by Dakota Johnson, dubs him a “unicorn.” It goes without saying that this perfect specimen is 6 feet tall. At least, he is now.

As Lucy later discovers, Harry was 5-foot-6 before he underwent leg-lengthening surgery, which left his limbs streaked with scars. Written and directed by former matchmaker Celine Song, the film shines a harsh spotlight on how society flattens three-dimensional humans into a string of numbers — height, salary, age — and lionizes tall guys as the ultimate catches. It also begs the question: Is this really a thing?

Also known as limb lengthening or stature lengthening, the operation involves breaking the femur and/or tibia, inserting rods, and over the course of months, turning them by up to one millimeter a day as new bone fills in the gap. The painful, multi-surgery process can add up to 6 inches, though most patients gain 2-3.

Globally, just a few hundred operations were done in 2019, per a BBC report. However, according to two leading surgeons in the field — Dr. Shahab Mahboubian in California and Dr. Yuksel Yurttas in Turkey — popularity is on the rise. In 2023, Mahboubian told NBC News he expected to perform 50 procedures that year. Yurttas tells Bustle that his business has been steadily growing by 10-15% a year. Costs vary wildly depending on practice and location, and can surpass $250,000.

Though there’s plenty of online chatter about leg lengthening, it’s mostly driven by morbid curiosity, not patients sharing their actual experiences. “I don't know of anyone who has gone through it,” says Mike LeGrand, a 5-foot-3 creator who goes by @shortkinglifestyle on TikTok.

While a few men are taking extreme measures to be taller, most wouldn’t dream of it — even in a world where many are “looking for a guy in finance, trust fund, 6’5”, blue eyes.” As one anonymous man tells Bustle, “Why do it for only three inches?”

“The Fantasy Of Reinvention”

No doubt, height impacts how people are treated. “Short men aren't respected, even tall men shit on us, we struggle finding employment, and barely get promoted,” says Anony, who is 25 and 5-foot-6.

But there’s a vast gulf between wishing you were a smidge taller and actually forking over five or six figures to snap and stretch your bones. The surgery is so grisly that some say they’d only do it to improve their odds of finding a relationship. “The fantasy of reinvention to find love is very, very real,” says Sean, who’s 33 and 5-foot-5.

S., 17 and 5-foot-8, takes it a step further. “The only reason why anyone would do leg lengthening — a life-altering surgery — is for women.”

Still, Sean says the surgery is “9,000 times” his rent, but he’d “100% take it” if it was offered for free. “It’d be a calculated Hail Mary, a last-ditch effort to get seen — literally — by a world that unfortunately says height equals desirability.”

Several men say the appeal declines as they age. “If I had a time machine, I would go back to my 20-year-old self and tell him to get the surgery,” says Allen, who is 41 and 5-foot-4. However, he wouldn’t have been able to afford it back then, and now that he owns multiple businesses, balancing his career with a long recovery would be too difficult. “The effort doesn’t seem as worth it anymore.”

“Short & Proud”

Most of the short men who spoke to Bustle think like 5-foot-6 Benjamin, who says he has “somewhat embraced” his size. “I ran D1 track in college and was OK-ish, and struggled with dating at times,” he says. “I do think being taller would be a solution, but not a necessary one.”

Height doesn’t have to be a barrier to romance, success, or happiness, though it can be tempting to see it that way. As LeGrand says, “I’m living proof that finding love is possible. You don’t need to be tall. You need to be secure with who you are.” He’s been with his girlfriend for five years.

On its own, he says, longer legs won’t deliver that confidence. “If you chase validation, it won't stop with surgery – there will always be something else to fix,” he says.

That’s why Paul Aaron Travis, a certified sexologist, helps men take a different route. “There’s a quiet superpower in choosing not to conform, and instead learning to be captivating — not because you’re tall, but because you’re grounded, funny, emotionally attuned, and real.”

At 5-foot-4, he says, “I’m short and proud. Not because I should be, but because I’ve done the inner work to know my value isn’t measured that way.”

“The Most Insane Thing”

Of course, the price, healing period, and excruciating pain make the procedure a no-go for many. In the U.S., bilateral femoral surgery can cost $120,000 or more. Combined with bilateral tibiae surgery, the total can exceed $250,000.

So, it’s no surprise that many American men aim to save money by going abroad. In Turkey, Yurttas saw over 100 patients in 2024. Most opt for a version that costs about $25,000, though 20-30% spend about $62,000 on a slightly more comfortable procedure. He sees 10-15% more interest every year.

Going international has drawbacks, though. As Sean says, “Who wants to fly to Turkey, get their legs broken, and then hobble through customs on the way back?”

While any medical procedure comes with risks, the potential side effects here include infection, scarring, and nerve damage, according to a TikTok by Dr. Daniel Barrett. Recovery can take months, requiring the use of mobility aids such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and canes, plus physical therapy multiple times a week as patients relearn how to walk.

For some, that’s too much to bear. “This is the most insane thing I’ve seen for a long time,” Dr. Michael Varshavski said in a June 15 TikTok as he pointed to X-rays showing broken bones and scattered pins.

In Materialists, Harry underwent his transformation alongside his brother, and describes the aftermath like this: “It changed our lives. With women completely, of course. Women just approach us and talk to us now, which never happened before. I haven’t struck out since. But you can also tell the difference at work, and at restaurants, and airports. You’re just worth more.”

Sean disagrees. "C'mon, Pedro, you specimen of a man. We know it's a movie, but let's get real, honey." Harry would be a catch at any height.