Celebrities With Unique Hands And Feet

It's not always advantageous for public figures to have unusual hands or feet. On the one hand, the argument can be made that having distinctive digits can make celebrities more memorable to the masses. On the other hand, having unusual hands or feet can bring unwanted scrutiny to public figures who may already be dealing with insecurities. 

However, when celebrities embrace their unique features rather than hide them, they normalize them. For instance, by openly talking about her unique thumb, Megan Fox inadvertently shone a light on how common congenital hand differences are. Congenital hand differences, a term used to describe features people are born with, occur in about two in 1,000 births (via the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons). There are two primary reasons for these differences: environmental factors (like infections and medication use) and genetics. 

Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham's and Steven Tyler's foot conditions have brought attention to the fact that not all of these features are the result of genetics. For example, putting too much strain on your feet and regularly wearing ill-fitting shoes can alter the appearance of your feet. You can also develop unique hands and feet through injuries, inflammation, conditions like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and brain diseases. While some unique foot differences may cause people pain, others might be completely harmless. To better understand the complexities of unique foot and hand features, let's look more closely at the celebrities who have them.

When Steven Tyler was photographed strolling on a beach in Hawaii in 2012, people couldn't help but wonder why one of his toes appeared to be smushed atop his big toe. Notably, during a May 2011 Billboard interview, the Aerosmith frontman explained that he had been dealing with foot pain for quite some time, saying, "My feet have been my best friend for the last 40 years. I've just been a dancing fool on stage, and after awhile you just kind of wear them out."

The Grammy winner then revealed that he had developed a condition called Morton's neuroma, a condition in which an inflamed nerve in the foot becomes swollen and thickened. For many, this can cause pain that's akin to having a pebble stuck in their shoe when walking. It can also make people feel as if they are constantly walking on a marble or pebble right around the ball of their foot. While most people don't require surgery for Morton's neuroma, it is an option for those dealing with unbearable pain while walking. 

During Tyler's interview with Billboard, he revealed that he had undergone surgeries to help with the condition. The "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" singer admitted that the recovery process from the procedures had been grueling, since he had to endure the pain that came with walking on his reconstructed bones and the surgery scars. Ultimately, he was glad to have taken on a judge role on "American Idol" because it allowed him to give his aching feet some well-deserved rest.

Many might not be aware that Megan Fox is among the many celebrities who have unusual physical traits. The "Transformers" star appears to have a thumb condition called brachydactyly, which people on the Internet have deemed a "toe thumb." In a chat with Women's Health, Dr. Alejandro Badia, a board-certified hand and upper extremity orthopedic surgeon, explained that brachydactyly is a condition in which a person was born with a naturally shortened bone at the tip of their thumb. Per Dr. Badia, the condition can't be altered with cosmetic surgery, and attempts to do so can cause "damage or deformity to the nail matrix which is responsible for nailplate growth and appearance." 

While Fox's thumb occasionally becomes a point of discussion among social media users, she doesn't seem to be all that bothered by it. Speaking to Sports Illustrated in 2023, the model shared that she couldn't understand why people chose to zero in on her thumbs, saying, "I don't know why people are so fascinated by my thumbs. Like, I never thought that was a weird thing or an embarrassing thing. They're just kind of short." For Fox, the attention surrounding her thumb seemed particularly fascinating because she felt she had "other flaws" that didn't spark similar discussions. 

Meanwhile, during a 2012 appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (via SheKnows), Fox said that she had once speculated that she had developed brachydactyly because her mother had consumed tuna, a common source of mercury, while she was pregnant with her.

When Denzel Washington appeared on "The Graham Norton Show" in September 2014, the titular host questioned why his pinky finger appeared oddly bent in older photos. "I went up for a pass playing American football and dislocated it," the "Training Day" star explained. "And it's happened so many times over the years that if I just opened my hand like that it would pop that far." 

Washington then admitted that he made a conscious effort to cover his pinky finger in movies so that it wouldn't steal the scene. However, whenever the Oscar winner was at home, he would proudly show off his "magic finger" to his kids' friends upon their request. Naturally, the move was enough to terrify the little ones. Although Washington eventually had his perpetually dislocated finger fixed, he still felt as if the inside were made out of gummy bears or some sort of a mix between rubber and candy.

Most finger dislocations don't require surgery and usually heal through an easy process over a month or two. However, if the accident that dislocated the finger damages the ligaments or tendons that hold the joint together, it can keep slipping out of place, as Washington's did. Time would only worsen this wound and cause further wear to the tissue that would all but eliminate the possibility of it holding the joint in place. Indeed, Washington's repeated football-related injuries could have easily damaged his joints and ligaments, causing the odd physical trait.

Victoria Beckham's love for high heels has often left fans wondering about the state of her feet. In a February 2016 interview with The Telegraph, the fashion icon admitted that she had had just about enough of her wardrobe staples. "I just can't do heels any more. At least not when I'm working," she shared. "I travel a lot. Clothes have to be simple and comfortable." However, she ultimately couldn't resist the pull to high heels, and was spotted wearing them only a month later.  

It seems that Beckham's feet have paid dearly for her loyalty to her fashion favorite, as she appears to have developed bunions. A bunion is a bony bump that may form around the big toe due to misaligned bones in the front area of the foot. The joint of the big toe begins to jut out, and the digit starts to overlap the smaller toes. 

People who regularly wear high heels seem to be at a greater risk for developing the foot condition because they push the toes toward the front and compact them together. Wearing high heels can also irritate existing bunions, since they repeatedly brush against them in a narrow space. Although it's important to remember that many bad things can happen to your body when you wear high heels every day, there are other causes of bunions, like poorly fitted shoes, genetics, and conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

During Ashton Kutcher's April 2008 appearance on "The Jonathan Ross Show," the titular host questioned if he had something "freaky" going on with his toes. The "That '70s Show" alum shared that while he had webbed toes, he doesn't consider them "freaky," adding, "When everything else is this good-looking, something has to give!" As he showed his pair of webbed toes to the British talk show host, he revealed that they were only partially connected. It's safe to say that Kutcher has fully embraced the fact that he has a rare body feature that most people don't have. 

What is commonly referred to as "webbed toes" is a birth defect called syndactyly. Syndactyly is more likely to occur in babies who are white, are male, or have relatives with the condition. While Kutcher's revelation of his webbed toes led to screams of surprise from the audience, the birth defect is fairly common, affecting one in every 2,500 babies (via Boston's Children's Hospital). 

The majority of babies born with syndactyly in their toes do not require surgery. However, surgical intervention is necessary for babies with webbed hands, since the condition would hinder their daily functioning as they grow older. For most infants who need it, surgery is typically recommended when they are about a year old.