Conversations about social inequity and diversity, especially in healthcare settings, center on racism, sexism, classism, and ableism. They are undoubtedly and rightly recognized as key factors of human diversity and discussions on social injustice. However, there are four other key factors that can easily become forms of discrimination that are rarely discussed but still profoundly impact all our lives: heightism (height bias: tall people generally are advantaged and viewed more favorably than those who are of shorter stature), lookism (attractiveness bias: attractive people are generally advantaged and viewed more favorably than those who are not), sizeism (weight bias: thinner and more muscular people are generally advantaged and viewed more favorably than those who are not), and language-ism (linguistic discrimination) (language bias: those who speak English without a thick accent are often generally advantaged and viewed more favorably than those who do not). These four "isms" reflect biases and stereotypes that profoundly shape our perceptions, interactions, and opportunities, yet they remain underexplored, not only in healthcare discourse but also in academic, occupational, and mainstream discourse more broadly.
Heightism, or discrimination based on height, is a form of bias that disproportionately affects shorter individuals, particularly men. Studies (Robinson, 2015) have shown that taller individuals are often perceived as more competent, authoritative, and even more attractive. This bias can influence various aspects of life, including hiring practices, leadership opportunities, and social interactions. For example, taller people are more likely to be selected for leadership roles or receive higher salaries,........