Hajnal Ban – traitor to stumpy brunettes everywhere
May 7, 2009 by Sophie Benjamin
Filed under Latest, Rants
Image from Hajnal Ban fan page
At a recent family function, my grandmother took me aside and said, “Sophie, you may not be tall and glamorous like your sister, but at least you’re cute. Nobody ever says ‘cute big thing’, do they?” Considering my grandmother is so tiny she has to wear special platform shoes in order to reach the pedals in her car, I didn’t take much notice. It did get me thinking about how short people are viewed by the general public.
As someone to short to be recognised by automatic door sensors, the recent story of Logan City Councillor Hajnal Ban both horrified and fascinated me. Ban paid $40 000 and spent nine months in Russia to undergo a procedure that would increase her height. Her legs were broken in four places and stretched a millimetre a day, eventually adding 8cm to her original height of 154cm. That’s $5000 a centimetre. What sort of crippling (excuse the pun) insecurities drive someone to sacrifice such a large amount of time and money to change their physical appearance?
Now, Hajnal Ban is gorgeous, hard working and seemingly quite intelligent. As a lawyer and politician there are many elements of her physical appearance her detractors could use as excuses to not take her seriously – her middle-eastern heritage, her good looks, her gender. Like her height, all of these things were accidents of birth and make her more memorable and notable than her fellow sharks and pollies. Rather than embracing the things about her physical appearance that set her apart from others, she spent an insane amount of money on peroxide and leg-stretching surgery to be just like the other leggy blondes in her professions.
Ban was teased in primary school and called a “midget”. In the lead-up to the 2007 federal election, National Party leader Barnaby Joyce called her a “Barbie doll who’ll bite your head off”, which presumably Ban is much happier about copping.
I think it’s sad. I implore my fellow naturally brunette ‘midget’s out there – Rather than aspiring to be a “Barbie doll who’ll bite your head off”, save your forty grand and, like the Black Knight from The Life of Brian, intimidate your opponents with threats of biting their kneecaps off. It’s much more effective.
hear hear, I’m 156 cm and i like being cute and short.
I agree , I’m a shortie brunette and I like my height.
Don’t give Hajnal too much credit, this is about her book which she wrote about the experience.
Ironically she hasn’t sold a copy and she has never been a MP only a Logan City Councillor.
Hahaha, so insightful sophie! Wow I can’t believe people actually go through with heightening procedures – I just thought it was on shows such as grey’s anatomy.
She’s actually given speeches at a school my mum works at – can’t wait to tell mother about Ban’s history.
Stay short dear
I really just don’t know what to say, except you are what you are!
However I do note that in history all the good woman were short (Mother Theresa, Florence Nightingale, my mum etc) however all the nasty ones were all tall (just look at Nicolette Sheridan from Desperate Housewives, many of my primary school teachers).
The strange thing is the opposite is true for Men (look at Hitler, Stalin, and Napoleon – all little dictators).
So I hope changing her height doesn’t have an undesirable effect on her personality, remember its all cause and effect, rhythm and beat.