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Discuss anything in our forums!The Deal With Leg Lengthening
- Topics: Active | Unanswered
- Member
- Steve Park
- Short Cadet
- Height: 5'6
- Location: New York City, NY, United States
- Joined: Nov 01, 2024
- Posts: 9
- Reactions: 0
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- LowerViewCa$h: 9
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Started by
StevePark
The Deal With Leg Lengthening
I remember the first time I ever heard about leg lengthening. It was in 2009 and I was about to enter the final year of my twenties. I was surfing early YouTube and checking both my MySpace and Facebook accounts (remember those days?). Barack Obama had just entered the White House and people all over the country were panicking about their finances. I have zero idea why this appeared on my feed, but a news story popped up about some Indian-American student in Florida paying $80,000 (yes, you ready that correctly) just. to become two inches taller? Really? Did some kind of medical breakthrough emerge that would allow people (read: shorter guys) who already passed puberty the “privilege” of growing taller still? Is the “curse” of being short now a thing of the past? Not quite. Read on.
Introduction
What a mind screw that was. Even at that age, I thought to myself, who has $80K to drop to do such a thing. Now, I wasn’t interested in this surgery for myself, but in the procedure for my own knowledge. Well, learning about it did it for me. They intentionally cut bones in your legs, put on an external metal fixator, have you turn rods one millimeter a day for close to two months (i.e. two inches). You have to be careful, as infections can occur at the sites where the pins of the fixator make contact with your skin, and then all of this is followed with months of physical therapy. Who has the time for this? What if you’re a career guy? What if you can’t take more than two weeks of vacation from your job? Then, what will you tell people when they try to figure out how you grew at 28, 32, 41, or whatever.
Okay, so that is how long ago my discovery of this was. Things have changed significantly since then. At this time, it appeared that a number of doctors (enough to count on one hand) offered such a procedure. Now, doctors all over the world provide this. The technology has gotten better. They can insert rods into your bones. This is still not a quick in and out surgery. You have to be monitored for months and you may not be back to normal for a year or two. Yes, all for a few inches. The price of this procedure today, at least in the United States falls in the $80K-$130K range.
Going back to the rabbit hole, around this same time, I came across forums where people discussed their journey. From discussing what drove them to the procedure. For many, it was the feeling of inadequacy, exhausted from constantly being underestimated, being rejected from the vast majority of women they approached or being mocked by women they didn’t approach. Some of these posters were as young as nineteen and as old as sixty. Who at sixty years old, would still be bothered by this? Well, on this forum you found hundreds who were most likely quiet about this in the real world. Some were even married! Go figure.
Okay, with this long introduction, I am in no way disparaging the recipients of said surgery. Even as successful as I have been as a compact gentleman, every one of these sentiments echoed by the people on that forum I have experienced in some form? So why them and not me? I do not say this to put down anyone, but I am okay with who I am and really could care less what others think (most of the time). I have worked hard for my lot in life and know too many taller individuals who may be winning on the social scene (more like won when they were younger, but now not so much), but are not feeling as at peace and as accomplished as myself. Still when I read about the many who are now a bit more open with preparing for and going through the journey, I usually say to myself, “ I get it”.
How It Became A Thing
The surprising things are the facts from research. Leg Lengthening was developed by Soviet Doctor Illazarov in 1951. This means the procedure is nearly eighty years old, though originally, it was intended to correct leg deformities, not for cosmetic purposes. The procedure predates silicone breast augmentation, which is now a common procedure for women by about eleven years (Timmie Jean Lindsay was the first woman to receive silicone breast implants via surgery in 1962). It also predates Gastric Bypass surgery, the de facto procedure to force weight-loss (before Ozempic became the holy grail) by about fifteen years. I make these comparisons because these tend to be the most talked about sources of female insecurity, envy and dysmorphia.
In the current social and new media spaces, just the idea of a man undergoing this procedure is typically met with vitriol. “Accept yourself”. “All of that for just a few inches”. “Enjoy being crippled from now on”. “Your kids will still be short”. Seldomly will you find this backlash with the same intensity directed toward breast augmentation, gastric bypass, Ozempic usage, hair transplants, Brazilian but lifts, or pick your cosmetic procedure. “Hey, your kids won’t inherit that new nose either?” might be the appropriate response. This is not to say that there isn’t any strong criticism toward other procedures, but not quite with this gravity. View posts on social media or or comments in online articles for the latter. You’ll find plenty of critics, but also many defenders. This does not seem to be the case with LL. Almost unanimously will you see disappointment, shunning and shaming. The same people with this attitude will be the first to scold the patient for going in this direction and will find a way to insult him for his height on the same post.
The Ugly
About ten years ago (sheesh, it’s been that long), I read an article in the magazine Medium about an Indian American woman who mourned for her genius brother who went on to work for some big tech companies after college because he passed on due to complications from cosmetic leg lengthening. I remember being a bit unnerved because while she recognized that being under average height plagued him, and that she used to clown him for his height, and that she flaunted her monolithic height preference, she still managed to blame his “patriarchal views” and “misogyny” for his own death. She then painted herself as the victim (of said patriarchy) for the majority of the article, i.e., the death was a minor footnote, her blaming him for her own problems was the bulk of the writing. Yuck.
Well, yes, complications can arise from this procedure, and death is a remote, but rare possibility. This seems to be the faux-source of a lot of the harsh criticism of LL. I have to say, “So?!”. There are no overall stats to track deaths from the procedure, however, data from pooled cohort studies show a zero percent fatality rate. Severe complications include nerve damage, hardware failure and bone healing. The percentages there are five percent on the low end. How about other cosmetic procedures? Capsular Contracture (hard scar tissue squeezing an implant) affects around 19% of breast augmentation patients. At least once or twice a year, I read news reports of people dying on operating tables from Brazilian butt lifts (modern estimates 1 in 14,900). Overall complication rates from LL fall in the 35% with the majority of them being infections near fixature pin sites. BBLs on the other hand have a complication rate of 38%. What is the point of these comparisons? It is not to disparage those who undergo BBLs, breast augmentation, rhinoplasties, etc. Rather, all surgeries have complications risks. All. Period. Full stop.
But LL isn’t a BBL. It requires months to recover, and as pointed out earlier, a year or more to return to complete normalcy. There is always a possibility of some issue down the line. On that note, there are plenty of stories about implants rupturing years down the line. You get my point. You need your legs man (you need your other body parts too, but how will get walk to the train if you’re out of commission due to complications?) It’s why orthopedic surgeons get paid so much.
The New Ones
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by
StevePark
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Started by
HarrellEvensen
Last Minute Summer Deals
Disclaimer: As this article is very time sensitive, we will include links to stores. Product links will be to similar product categories, but not the actual item as the sale may no longer be available.There is nothing I fear more than seeing that alert from major media outlets on social media that the last sunset after 8 PM for the year is upon us. Oh-no, colder weather is on the horizon! Fear not, it’s still August (though the end of August), the hot and humid weather is still here, and we still have a full calendar month left of the season (those people who insist that summer ends after Labor Day are just fear-mongers, I tell you!). See Also: Summer Wardrobe Essentials For Shorter Men
INTRODUCTIONEvery season, retailers need to clear their shelves for new stock, and what better way to get rid of last season’s items by discounting them? This tactic, in theory, gets you into stores for one reason — FOMO (fear of missing out!). It almost always works without fail. Many of us who wish to save have no issue waiting until this period to pick up items and just wear them when the season comes back around the following year. In an economy where everyone is talking about cutting back (I can’t get through one day of YouTube without seeing some gloom and doom around finances, and it’s completely warranted), this is a smart strategy. I vividly remember my mother and father waiting until after Christmas to shop for wrapping paper and gift bags, for example, while others were busy waiting in lines to make returns (Queens Center Mall here in New York City was particularly brutal!). I laugh just thinking about it. Just for a quick historical aside, closeout deals can trace their modern origins to the mid-19th century alongside the rise of the modern department store. Just like today, stores needed to clear out inventory before it became “dead stock”. The term “White Sale” was used to describe post-holiday clearance sales of white linens following slow sales in late-1870s Philadelphia (wow — almost 150 years ago!). Okay with that quick background, it’s now time to highlight some last-minute summer deals. We’re going to break this down by clothing type and present brick-and-mortar stores and online options. SHIRTSJust a few weeks ago, I walked into Express to pick up one of their crisp 1MX Performance Tech shirts for work and was immediately wowed by their clearance wall (I hadn’t been in the store consistently enough to remember about their clearance sales). You know I am a major Express fan boy, but their prices aren’t the most affordable (well, maybe they are compared to Brooks Brothers lol). As one of the dominant retailers, Express rarely misses when it comes to their stylish offerings. The value goes up ten-fold when you’re able to catch their end of season sales. First come, first served though. To give you an idea, at this time of writing, one of their aforementioned shirt lines clocks in at $78 a shirt. My purchases, were between $12 and $20. Solid colors, floral and dot patterns—I’ll be damned. Make sure you check the tags and look thoroughly for your size. When I was a youngin’, I couldn’t stand waiting for my mother to rummage through sales bins in department stores. Here’s where I took a page out of her book. If you’re in one of the larger metro areas, don’t be afraid to visit multiple locations because stock varies. With just $60, I managed to pick up three button-down shirts and a pair of chinos. Their knitted wool polos at this time of writing were $58 a pop, $30 a piece on clearance. In the same mall, I walked in to Aeropostale to purchase some graphic tees for the gym at $30 for three (advertised as buy one, get two free). Their polo wall sported shirts at $15 a piece—not bad for items that were asking for $30 earlier in the season. The price most likely had as much to do with it being back-to-school season as it does with it being the end of the summer (remember that many school uniforms include polo shirts). Still yet, enjoy the savings. In both stores, be sure to sign up for points using your email or phone number. A few months back, because of the points I racked up for buying two suits, one of my purchases had a huge discount. It’s always worth the hassle of signing up, even though you’ll get annoying texts at the oddest of times.
While not specifically “clearance”, H&M almost always (at least for the last few years, and currently) has their famous EZ-Iron line of button-down shirts for $19.99 a piece. They’ve expanded their color selection from Navy, Light Blue and Black to now include Charcoal Gray, Pink, Burgundy and Olive Green. If you’ve read my articles here, you know I swear by this button down line. For me, these are some of the best quality button-down shirts I’ve ever owned. I rarely dry them in the dryer (clothes line for me), but they’ve survived hundreds of washes and maintain their color. At nearly $20, this will forever be a deal to me, so here I am reminding you about them! American Eagle Outfitters by far had the largest clearance sale compared to any of the mass retailers I visited. By “largest”, I mean they had the most available stock. They had a huge assortment of short sleeve button downs in a plethora of solid colors, prints and patterns. Their Downtown Brooklyn location had signs all over their second floor advertising those button-downs for $20! Men’s Wearhouse is another one. I will admit that I don’t shop there often, but walked in recently to check out their suit collection. To my surprise (again, at this time of writing, remember this will change), they had a selection of decent quality button-down shirts from $14.99 all the way to $30. Remember, Men’s Wearhouse is a bit like Macy's in that they carry a plethora of brands, so the markdowns—and the quality—will vary from shirt to shirt. With that, I was able to find several fabrics (cotton and not surprisingly linen, since it will be out of season) along with different prints and patterns. In all of the places mentioned here, I found sizes down to XS. With brands that didn’t follow the XS, S, etc. convention, I found neck sizes down to a 14. PANTS & BOTTOMWEARWhen I entered my early twenties and didn’t quite have my current knowledge of fashion, Dockers were my go-to, and why not? In most department stores, this brand was usually the most affordable. That has not changed! You can find deals on Dockers in many places, with Macy’s and Kohl’s being the most easily accessible big retailer options. At this time of writing, their chinos which are usually priced at $50 can be found for as low as $25 a piece. With Dockers, you get the classic earthy khaki, navy, olive, deep tan, black and beige, so grab them for your work wardrobe. Aeropostale never misses with their offerings. Available in the same colors as the Dockers’ offerings, you can grab a pair for $30 each. Aero has sizes down to 27x28, so they are shorter guy-friendly. The same goes for Uniqlo; select lines are $30. They’re currently blowing out their chino shorts for $19 a pop—definitely a steal, as they were selling for double that just a few weeks ago. Perfect to stock up for next season. If you’re a linen guy, my visit to Banana Republic Factory up in Yonkers, NY will make you smile. Depending on the style (from striped and solid to textured and soft-colored), you may be able to snag a pair from $28 to $63. Their original price? $90 a piece. If you visit them online, you can save an additional 15% by signing up for their texts. As I alluded to earlier, I have a love/hate relationship with these text systems, but sometimes the right deal pops up just when you need it to. I had an event earlier in the summer and needed a pair of navy pants. A text alert saved me when I was able to pick up a pair of quality dress pants for $20, so there’s that! ACCESSORIES
Sunglass wearers rejoice. While I was waiting for my train in the IRT Union Square subway station, an older lady asked me why I didn’t have on sunglasses. An odd thing to ask inside, but she went on to tell me how she wishes she wore sunglasses when she was younger because she believed they would have delayed her cataracts. Okay, off topic, but just showing one functional aspect of sunglasses before talking about deals (and what great older lady doesn’t have a story to tell!). Sunglasses are one category some will not skimp on. I am more liberal in this regard. If they look great, then I’m all for it. So with that, in the budget camp, you can’t go wrong with Aeropostale and H&M. At H&M, I came across aviators, wayfarers and round tortoiseshell frames (oh my!) for less than $20. Polarized options were available. In particular, I fancied their black polarized wayfarers because they didn’t have the studs near the lenses—sleek and minimalist. As I’ve said, go in as soon as you can. While their stock is somewhat plentiful at this time, when I stepped into the H&M location in Downtown Brooklyn on Fulton Street (a two-floor fairly large store), one of the staff members brought me a case to see the few they had left. The stock they had left was literally in his hand. Likewise, the American Eagle Outfitters location was all out of flip-flops. Currently, you will have to head to their online portal to grab what they have left! FOOTWEAROkay, technically speaking, the flip-flops and sandals we spoke about above would fall into this category, but I’m going to focus on sneakers and boat shoes for this one. This category is even trickier because at least for sneakers, low-tops aren’t just for summer wear, so premium options might not fall into a “clearance” category wherever you go. That said, there will be items, even the premium ones that retailers will want to clear out for the season, and that’s where you get to save. Going back to the venerable H&M, they had a pretty decent selection of budget low-top sneaker options when I went into their Downtown Brooklyn location. They had a bunch of faux-leather and suede options for $39.99 covering neutral and earthy tones (from black to gray to taupe). A few of them screamed adidas, but in this case sporting two stripes instead of three. Speaking of Adidas! Many of their low-tops, at this time of writing, are marked down to $39 from $70, certainly a deal. I am not a fan of low-tops generally; I prefer mids—short enough for warmer weather, high enough for the colder weather (i.e. I can wear them year-round). So you can imagine that I was a bit annoyed that my options for mids were quite limited over the summer. Well, more options may appear now as Adidas appears to be discounting some of these styles to clear their shelves to bring in the high-tops and winterized version of their sneakers. DSW, Designer Shoe Warehouse at this time also has a bunch of markdowns. Their Vance Co Pitch casual low-top with nice suede and an all-black exterior is going for $40 (and at least looks-wise, looks a bit higher in quality than what H&M was offering). A couple of Reebok low-tops are hovering around $40. If you’re a Nike guy, their famous “Court Vision” line is being cleared out for $50, down from $80. At this time in their stores, the Nike options are White/Gray, and White/Burgundy—both with gum-bottoms. I almost always recommend gum-bottoms, which can save you some time between cleanings as white-bottoms get dirty with each wear. Here at The Lower View, we always want you to look your best, even when the items are on clearance.
See Also: Stores Which Sell Clothing For Shorter Men
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Started by
RhettPaul
Man Posts On Women's Board For Reassurance. Leaves With Brutal Height Pills Instead.
Dude had no idea what was coming. Go figure... |
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by
joshbaskins
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by
RhettPaul
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She was okay with dating shorter men until her tall friend said this
Do you see how quickly she was able to walk her back from her stated preference? This is the battle with dating some of those who claim to be okay with shorter guys, You can find the original Instagram video here. |
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Buncome
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