Althouse: "Tina Fey picking a 5 foot tall husband might suggest that she views those other taller men as potentially dangerous at a subconscious level."

April 30, 2014

"Tina Fey picking a 5 foot tall husband might suggest that she views those other taller men as potentially dangerous at a subconscious level."

"Finally, you have the answer to why this post is titled: 'Tina Fey Scar = Short Husband?' Crazy speculation?"

39 comments:

Bob Boyd said...: Tina Fey can see Russia from her house but her husband can't.; 4/30/14, 10:22 AM
rhhardin said...: How many will notice that Tina Fey is in the objective case.

Nobody pays any attention to grammar anymore, this inherited from Latin indirect statement.; 4/30/14, 10:26 AM
CJinPA said...: I love Tina Fey. Sadly, because of my dangerous extreme dangerous politics, she hates me.; 4/30/14, 10:36 AM
James Pawlak said...: Illegal practice of Psychology or Psychiatry without a license?; 4/30/14, 10:38 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Link fixed. Thanks to all who pointed it out. Sorry.; 4/30/14, 10:38 AM
traditionalguy said...: Tina probably feels Tall People Guilt for the centuries of being one of those privileged people who arrogantly look down on the short guys if they even knew they were there. Why even the original Napoleon syndrome corporal wasa tall guy compared to a 5 footer ...is he a Jockey?; 4/30/14, 10:41 AM
Wince said...: The "Manny" who wrote this psycho-babble, projecting his obsession with celebrity height on to another person's childhood trauma, must be a real piece of work.; 4/30/14, 10:47 AM
rhhardin said...: Watching Germaine Greer on the C-word, I notice YouTube offers me a lot of additional Germaine Greer suggestions plus "Female 757 Captain Landing at Zurich."; 4/30/14, 10:47 AM
rhhardin said...: Heights should be measured diagonally, like TV screens.; 4/30/14, 10:51 AM
Chance said...: I'm curious why Althouse stumbled on this article nearly four years after it was posted. Was there an interest in Tina Fey's scar or women with smaller men...; 4/30/14, 10:54 AM
madAsHell said...: The story of the stranger slashing her face sounds like it was crafted by a publicist. Taking that story, and extrapolating to her selection of a husband is a bit far fetched.

The 24-year-old virgin story sounds a bit far fetched as well. A nice looking woman with a huge personality will not be overlooked.; 4/30/14, 11:01 AM
Robert Cook said...: The baggy shorts her husband is wearing in the photo at the linked article is certainly not the right clothing for a short man.; 4/30/14, 11:04 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "I'm curious why Althouse stumbled on this article nearly four years after it was posted."

Because I idly clicked on a piece of trash titled "14 Sexiest Celebrities With Ugly Significant Others" as was surprised at the fact that Tina Fey's husband is only 5 feet tall, so I googled for some more info. I thought the story of her scar and her avoidance of sex until the age of 24 was interesting.; 4/30/14, 11:04 AM
Ann Althouse said...: BTW, in that "14 Sexiest Celebrities With Ugly Significant Others," there were some couples where I either had no idea which one was supposed to be less attractive and some where I thought I knew but had it reversed!; 4/30/14, 11:06 AM
RecChief said...: why must everything be politicized?
And if you don't this headline is politicized, you're asleep.; 4/30/14, 11:14 AM
Big Mike said...: Or maybe she just likes him as a person and doesn't much care about his height?; 4/30/14, 11:15 AM
madAsHell said...: 14 Sexiest Celebrities With Ugly Significant Others

I must live under a rock, or else everyone is a celebrity today.; 4/30/14, 11:21 AM
mccullough said...: How tall is Tina Fey's Dad?; 4/30/14, 11:38 AM
MadisonMan said...: I think the linked-to article is very rude. I feel cheaper for having read it.; 4/30/14, 11:42 AM
Jaq said...: I have heard from more than one woman that short men have their compensations, like Toulouse Lautrec, whom the girls used to call "teapot."; 4/30/14, 12:32 PM
Tibore said...: I don't really see the point of that writer associating the attack with her husband's height. Not only are there so many other physical or behavioral characteristics (hair color, eye color furtive demeanor, decisive one, etc.) that could have an equal effect on a person's psyche, but there are also so many other attributes that go into how one chooses a mate that associating male height and fear from that attack without any better unifying evidence is just plain sloppy thinking. Correlation is not causation.

Does anyone think Jenna Elfman was similarly traumatized in her lifetime? Her husband Bodhi is similarly statured.

One of the problems that can lead people astray when trying to be analytical is drawing conclusions from associations simply because they exist. Associations merely provide the opportunity for testing a hypothesis; they are not confirmative evidence. I won't buy the thesis of childhood trauma affecting Fey's marriage decision until I see more evidence that she distrusts any tall person, and even then I'd wonder why she had apparently gotten along fine with Alec Baldwin (6 feet tall) and Will Ferrell (6'3") but supposedly distrusts everyone else who's tall.

That's just a poorly reasoned article. Even after taking into account the fact it's little more than pop psychology.; 4/30/14, 12:59 PM
David said...: When we first started to get serious, my (eventually to be) wife informed me that I was the shortest man she had ever gone out with. I am 5-10 and she is about 5-8, but her first husband was 6-6 and her children (male and female) are all over 6 feet tall. Her father was also 6-6.

I was not sure what to make of this, but took it as a challenge, which I think it was. We have been together for 13 years now and it's all going very well. However I do not think I would have been given the time of day if I had been shorter than she is.; 4/30/14, 1:41 PM
William said...: I clicked through the article. I suspect some beards and can a billionaire truly be described as ugly?.....I never had a physical type. A few worthwhile erogenous zones was all it took.; 4/30/14, 1:43 PM
CatherineM said...: If you read her book, Bossy Pants, she discusses her lack of luck with men before her husband. She was in love with either gay guys (and in HS her male theater friends were gay too), or straight guys in college who were friends and wanted nothing more, but she hung around hoping that would change. So it makes sense and she's normal.

What girl (especially before people were out in HS) didn't have crushes on the super cute well dressed/groomed guy who you didn't know was gay until the 20 year reunion? "OMG I'm totally buggin! He was REALLY into shoes..."; 4/30/14, 2:35 PM
MadisonMan said...: I'm tall.

Love this song.; 4/30/14, 2:57 PM
Brando said...: How can they post that picture of Sarah Jessica Parker and then claim that she's the one who married the ugly one?; 4/30/14, 2:59 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Tina Fey addressed her short-man attraction issues in a 30 Rock episode with Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones fame.

Here’s a thirty-second youtube clip of their first meeting.; 4/30/14, 3:00 PM
geokstr said...: He must really enjoy slow dancing with her.; 4/30/14, 3:15 PM
B said...: Nice to know women only pick short men because they're scarred physically and emotionally.; 4/30/14, 3:41 PM
Jeff with one 'f' said...: A study was done a few years ago where women were shown headshots photos of various men and questioned about their suitability for dating. The information about them included education, occupation and height. A handsome man who was supposed to be a doctor but was described as being 5' 4" was unanimously rejected. Even the taller men who had working-class jobs or criminal records were rated higher. The researchers then asked additional questions about the reactions to the short doctor- one woman indicated that she 'might' date him, but only if all of the taller choices were murders/rapists.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alison-denisco/dating-women-men-whos-taller_b_1527117.html; 4/30/14, 4:04 PM
befinne said...: Maybe they're in love; 4/30/14, 4:27 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/30/14, 4:50 PM
test said...: B said...
Nice to know women only pick short men because they're scarred physically and emotionally.

Don't despair, it might be because they have no other dating options.; 4/30/14, 5:12 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: I spent the rest of the article distracted after the part about how a total stranger walked up and cut her face. !!!

I'd never noticed she had a scar.; 4/30/14, 5:30 PM
B said...: Althouse said:

BTW, in that "14 Sexiest Celebrities With Ugly Significant Others," there were some couples where I either had no idea which one was supposed to be less attractive and some where I thought I knew but had it reversed!

If Dax Shepard is too ugly for Kristen Bell, then I must be a troll.; 4/30/14, 6:10 PM
Anonymous said...: @Jeff with one 'f'

Odd link. I think the author was justifying her own decisions.

Coincidentally, I know a doctor who is quite short and every female loves him, and not in a friendzone way. Smart, funny, into music, great hands. Those women in the study were looking at a digital description, which isn't the same thing as real life.

That's the greatest thing about a strong sexual/love connection or vibe; it's the most fun when it comes out of nowhere and breaks all your former rules. What a pleasure to be unburdened form your own petty bullshit - really.; 4/30/14, 8:41 PM
rcocean said...: Some women are quite obsessed with height and it can be quite funny to listen to some 5' 3" female talk about how she doesn't like "Short" men and won't accept any man under 6 feet.; 5/1/14, 1:03 AM
rcocean said...: Of course, its really the flip side of some geek like Bill Maher - whose face would scare a gargoyle - talking about "ugly chicks" and "Dogs".; 5/1/14, 1:05 AM
grackle said...: Sure he's short for a man. I'll try to put this delicately … Maybe he has length in some other area. Some women seem to be able to sense this from a distance. Kind of a sexist remark, I guess, but fun to post anyway.

Also, I know someone about the same height but has women hitting on him all the time. He's one of those "bad boys" feminists love to jump into bed with. The fact that he looks like James Dean with dark hair doesn't hurt him either.; 5/1/14, 7:03 AM