It is a surprising and little-known fact that stunningly beautiful Megan Fox, also known as the “Sexiest Woman in the World”, has a condition called Brachydactyly. This condition causes her thumbs to be shorter than the rest of her fingers. For those of you living under a rock, Megan Fox is an American actress and model who is basically drop dead gorgeous.
Megan’s looks have definitely impacted the career of the outspoken actress. In a 2009 Jimmy Kimmel interview, Fox explains how she’s been treated like a sex symbol since the age of 15. Unfortunately because of this, society and the industry have pigeonholed her career and not always allowed her to be more than just a pretty face. For the most part, Megan has taken this in stride and used it to her advantage, creating a successful career in spite of society’s limitations. She also never allowed her Brachydactyly thumbs to slow her down. Before we get into the details of that, let’s examine Megan’s childhood and early career.
Megan’s childhood
Megan Denise Fox was born on May 16, 1986 in Tennessee. She was raised by her mother, Gloria Darlene and her step-father Tony Tonachio in a very strict Pentecostal household. She started modeling at age 13 and, after testing out of high school, she moved to Los Angeles at age 17 to fully pursue her career. She did not fit in with the other kids at school, mainly keeping to herself.
Megan’s big break
Megan’s first on-screen role was in the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen film Holiday in the Sun as Brianna Wallace. Other early career highlights include the Lindsay Lohan film Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith.
Megan’s big break came in 2007 when she was cast as Mikaela Banes in the live-action Transformers film franchise. This role would bring her quickly to international fame but it was not without some drama. Director Michael Bay fired her from the third film. Megan and Bay did not work well together on set and she compared him to Hitler in an interview with the press. Transformer producer Steven Speilberg did not take that comment lightly and had Bay fire her for it.
Megan was famous for not filtering herself in interviews and that could sometimes backfire. Looking back Megan told Cosmo UK this was a difficult life lesson to learn. “That was absolutely the low point of my career. But without – ‘that thing’, I wouldn’t have learned as quickly as I did. All I had to do was apologize – and I refused. I was so self-righteous at 23, I couldn’t see [that] it was for the greater good. I really thought I was Joan of Arc.”
Transformers legacy and beyond
Even though there were some bumpy moments along the way, Transformers launched Megan’s career. MTV’s Craig Flaster mused “Transformers broke Fox into the mainstream, immediately turning her into a household name and international sex symbol.” She would go on to be named “Sexiest Woman in the World” by FHM, included in People Magazine’s 2012 and 2017’s “Most Beautiful at Every Age” and consistently make Maxim‘s “Hot 100” lists.
Megan’s career after Transformers has broadened outside of the realm of blockbusters and “hot” girl roles. She played Jennifer Check, a possessed high school cheerleader in the cult feminist horror film Jennifer’s Body. While this film was not initially successful, it has found a cult following. She appeared as Reagan in the hit show New Girl allowing Zooey Deschanel to take maternity leave. She hosted the Travel Channel mini-series Legends of the Lost with Megan Fox which explored ancient sites and the mythology and truth behind them.
Megan has a number of projects coming out in 2022 and 2023. These include Brian Petsos’ dark comedy feature film debut Big Gold Brick, The Expendables 4, and a reimagined Bonnie and Clyde story Johnny & Clyde. Megan is on a roll and is clearly not held back by her thumbs.
What does Brachydactyly mean?
Let’s circle back to Megan’s condition. Brachydactyly is a congenital condition. Brachydactyly basically means one’s fingers and toes are shorter than the rest of one’s body. It is caused either by genetics or when a mother takes certain medications during pregnancy. There are five different types of the condition and most of the time it does not impact the person’s quality of life.
Does Megan Fox have toe thumbs?
No, silly. Brachydactyly doesn’t work that way. Megan has Type D which only affects her thumbs. They are not “toe thumbs” as internet trolls would call them but thumbs with shortened bones.
Megan Weighs In
Clearly, Megan’s thumbs have not slowed down her career or diminished her status as a sex symbol. Megan even appears to have a good sense of humor about it. In a 2012 Tonight Show with Jay Leno appearance Megan even joked about them. She was telling Leno about giving up sushi when pregnant and how she told her mom about it. Her mom told her she never did that. Megan joked: “I was wondering if that was what happened to my thumbs. They’re weird, and they’re really fat, and there’s like a weird knuckle.”
Fox is currently planning her wedding to musician Machine Gun Kelly.
