How tall is Vladimir Putin? There is a lot of speculation about that, but about one thing there is not: he is short. Estimates range from 163 cm to 170 cm. The average height of a Russian man is 177 cm.
The man pictured, however, is much taller than average. However, it is one of the few shots in which Putin is shown in relation to a tall man. The laughter of the audience in the video below will not have pleased his PR team.
It can be considered certain that he has a problem with his height, because adept as he is at deception, he also cheats massively on his height.
Life on high heels
The pictures of his shoes show an unusual shape that makes him appear taller by up to 10 cm. These so-called „elevator shoes“ not only have a raised visible heel but another one is hidden inside the shoe.
This type of insole raises the heel higher. As a consequence, the shoe must then be cut higher and then extends relatively far into the trouser leg. Not very comfortable and there are many shots of Putin trying not to stand too long or restlessly pacing around.
We have already reported on tricks used by politicians to increase their height. The following clip of Vladimir Putin’s appearances gives us an idea that he literally takes the deceptions about his height to a whole other level.
Is it the „Napoleon complex“?
The „Napoleon complex“ is regularly cited as the reason why men try to appear taller and also resort to aids for this purpose.
According to this, men try to compensate for a small body size with externally visible successes and status symbols or to conceal it. Their desire for recognition then often leads to aggressive and narcissistic behavior. Scientifically, this thesis has never been clearly proven. For example, there is a recent study that confirms it, as well as some that refute the „Napoleon complex.“
In my personal experience, I have not experienced any significant differences concerning the traits of particularly short or particularly tall men. The proportion of „casuals“ versus that of „jerks“, was independent of height. In this respect, I would be very cautious with the conclusions of the „Napoleon complex“ in general.
In the specific case of Putin, however, the non-sovereign handling of his body size, in combination with an aggressive and narcissistic personality, is obvious.
Unfortunately, the 10 cm high heels were not enough to prevent the worst manifestations of these traits for Russia and the rest of the world.
Is it the „Napoleon complex“?
Whether or not the term „Napoleon complex“ is accurate here, is misleading. Contrary to popular belief, Napoleon was not particularly short, but rather taller than average with a height between 166 cm and 169 cm, depending on the source.
That the term „Napoleon complex“ was established due to both conversion errors and the „propaganda“ of his enemies, who wanted to make him look smaller.
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