# Man, this is so mean. I am sorry. No I'm not. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 6, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920 "2004-05-06T22:19:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/1 "2004-05-06T22:19:50Z")
I kept my mouth shut when Shrek came out. I didn’t say a word. Not to her, and not to any of our friends. But now Shrek II is out. I can’t help it. You see, I know this girl And well, you see, well, she looks just like Fiona. Not Fiona the princess. Fiona the Ogre. Exactly, except the green skin, and the funny ears. But other than that, it her. Right down to the shy blinking and baby expression. I mean, I know it’s mean. And I won’t say it to her. But how sad is that? And funny? Tris ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/2 "2004-05-06T22:40:45Z")
For what it’s worth, I thought Fiona-the-Ogre was cute. Waaaaay too cute for the “OMG I’m so hideously ugly how could anyone every love a grotesque thing like me” story. And Donkey affirmed it! And people screamed and fainted in horror at seeing her! WTF? Yeah, she’s green, big deal. I loved the movie, but that one part smacked of adorable little 13 year old girls looking in the mirror, seeing zits and/or braces and sobbing 'cause it means they’re obviously going to spend the rest of their lives alone. Get real. Ahem. Anyway, I’ve know a few people who bear a passing resemblance to Fiona (squat button nose, chubby cheeks, etc.) and not one of them ever elicited screams of horror from passerby. I doubt your friend does. That said, I probably wouldn’t mention it to her either. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/3 "2004-05-07T01:08:57Z")
When _Tootsie_ came out, I (at the age of ten or eleven) said to my mother on the way out of the cinema, “Man, she sure looked like Dad’s mom, didn’t she?” Referring, of course, to the unfortunate but undeniable resemblance between Dustin Hoffman in drag and my grandmother. My mother’s response: “Yeah, it’d be best if you didn’t say anything.” Me, thinking about it: “Oh. Okay.” ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/4 "2004-05-07T01:47:37Z")
I’m female and straight, and therefore only marginally qualified to judge, but I thought Fiona-Ogress was adorable! Not super-model material, obviously, but cute as a button. Granted, the snub-nose look isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I have trouble imagining a guy who did like that cute-girl look turning her down (okay, not counting the green aspect - that would be a tad disconcerting!) ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/5 "2004-05-07T02:27:25Z")
I don’t think my friend, or Fiona, for that matter, is ugly. Not at all. But . . . there is an ogre cartoon character that looks exactly like a girl I know! Do you understand just how hard it is to have a normal conversation with her? I am not talking about a slight resemblance in the nose, here. They might well have traced a photo of her for the animation! This is a fairly nice girl and I actually like her some, aside from a bit of annoyance over her need to be rescued. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/6 "2004-05-07T02:46:20Z")
She looked like a lot of women from where I grew up. Nice country girls, mostly a mix of British Isles and Norwegian heritage. And for the record I thought Ogre Fiona was way cuter than Human Fiona. I guess I just like cuddly girls. I don’t know, I thought that nose was adorable. It was definitely a case of Hollywood Ugly. (Oh, just take off your glasses, let down your hair, you’ll find you actually resemble a supermodel.) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/7 "2004-05-07T03:02:41Z")
I look like her too, only brown. I also look like Shirley Hemphill who, in turn, looks like the Fiona. The difference between me and Fiona is that I have the temperment of one of those old fashioned, bone-crushing, blood-drinking type ogres. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/8 "2004-05-07T12:45:13Z")
I wanted to give Fiona a hug. She looked cuddly. (Is that even a word?) ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/9 "2004-05-07T13:56:27Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I look like her too, only brown. Well, I guess this is what you were getting at but when I saw Shrek, I thought Fiona-Ogre looked like some black women I come in contact with. And was built a little like a couple. All through the movie, I was thinking “they made her look black and called her ugly. What’s going on here?” For the record. I thought she looked black, but I didn’t think she looked ugly – I was just suprised she was supposed to be so hideous. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/10 "2004-05-07T14:01:13Z")
I didn’t think Fiona was ugly either, but then, I don’t think they were really trying to make her ugly - just so hideously different from everyone else. I mean, even Shrek himself wasn’t ugly. But I did know a woman that looked _just_ like Esmeralda (I think that was her name) from the Smurfs. Anyone remember her? I mean, right down to the wart on the nose. I could barely look at her without wanting to just giggle, simply because the resemblance was so striking. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/11 "2004-05-07T14:19:22Z")
I know Shrek’s facial features are patterned after Michael Eisner. I wonder if there also was a real life model for Fiona? ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/12 "2004-05-07T14:21:37Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > But I did know a woman that looked _just_ like Esmeralda (I think that was her name) from the Smurfs. Anyone remember her? I mean, right down to the wart on the nose. I could barely look at her without wanting to just giggle, simply because the resemblance was so striking. That was Gargamel, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/13 "2004-05-07T14:51:53Z")
> [@TwistofFate](#): > > That was Gargamel, wasn’t it? Nooo not Gargamel… The female equivalent of Gargamel. She lived by the river. \ Huh her name was actually Hogatha. How the heck did I get Esmeralda? O pitiful day when I get my cartoon characters mixed up. ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/14 "2004-05-07T14:58:00Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I know Shrek’s facial features are patterned after Michael Eisner. I wonder if there also was a real life model for Fiona? No, Eisner was the model for the bad-guy in the the first movie. The little dude, whose name completely escapes me at this point (Farquat?) No way would Katzenberg model a \*hero \* on Eisner! ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/15 "2004-05-07T15:31:08Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Nooo not Gargamel… The female equivalent of Gargamel. She lived by the river. \ > > Huh her name was actually Hogatha. How the heck did I get Esmeralda? O pitiful day when I get my cartoon characters mixed up. wasn’t esmerelda the named of gargamel’s cat? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/16 "2004-05-07T15:32:22Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > wasn’t esmerelda the named of gargamel’s cat? no, **trunk** that was azrael. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/17 "2004-05-07T15:33:25Z")
Aargh, yep, several Google hits say you’re right, including… > [@](#): > > The many subtle gags directed towards the studio include a reference to Michael Eisner (who, as rumor has it, actually serves as the model behind the Lord Farquaad character)… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/18 "2004-05-07T23:24:26Z")
But Farquahd looks just like the actor who does his voice…John Lithgow… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/19 "2004-05-08T14:02:47Z")
He doesn’t look exactly like Lithgow. And in case you didn’t get the joke, Farqhuad is a corruption of “f&ck wad” and it’s also making fun of Eisner being short and his whole Disney kingdom. Personally, I love when real life stuff like this gets rolled into films. I wonder if they’ll do anything like that in II. Oh, and I love having kids so I have an excuse to catch all of the kids’ films. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920/20 "2004-05-08T14:52:30Z")
a) I got SO tired of people who thought the inside jokes were dumb, and kept criticizing the little jokes (“please keep off of the grass, clean your hands wipe your…FACE…”) and acted like they were above all that. Then again, that’s what I get for obsessively reading **Fametracker**. 2: Fiona _was_ adorable. That’s the one thing I really hated about that movie…“put a few pounds on her and turn her green and she’s…HIDEOUS!” Yeah, well…Chuck U. Farley. She was adorable AND had a better range of facial expressions in her Ogre form. Third - I can definitely see where one wouldn’t want to tell a friend about the resemblence, though. “You look JUST like Ogre Fiona from ‘Shrek!’ No, I mean, _I_ thought she was cute. For an Ogre. I mean, cuter than Human Fiona because she looked cuddlier. LET’S GO GET COFFEE AND FORGET THIS CONVERSATION HAPPENED.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-this-is-so-mean-i-am-sorry-no-im-not/243920.md?page=2)