If she were standing up straight she would be taller than him. It almost looks like she made herself shorter than him on purpose for the picture.
She’s got one leg locked, so there’s no way she’s scrunched down that much. She has poor posture and is clearly taking a bit off of her height by standing awkwardly, but there’s no way she’s the same height as him, let alone taller. There’s only so much slumping you can do with one or both legs locked.
I agree she’s likely wearing sandals to accommodate his manlet ego. I think Russ books short prozzies on purpose, or prefers them, because he feels taller. Not sure why he went after Taylor Swift in all her tallness…perhaps once they were dating, he’d force her to always be sitting or kneeling by his side, even on the red carpet.
Also can’t find it now but someone mentioned that Russ may not see himself as much disabled as he wants others to see him. I think he compartmentalizes his self-perceptions:
In box A, Russ is a total stud and physically plenty good, everything is great, he’s got muscles and coordination and ability to be a musician and a dancer and a hard worker and everything, and is almost totally a 9/10, except for that pesky facial paralysis, which is a
minor flaw.
In box B, Russ is a poor, woefully disabled victim, twisted by a cruel god, suffering from his disability but still fighting through it like the bravest little warrior ever. His disability is huge and tragic and affects every single aspect of his daily life and the fact he gets anything done at all is a miracle and an inspiration.
Russ vacillates between these two images depending in his need: when he’s bothering women on instagram, he’s fully Box A. When he wants special treatment and favours, he’s Box B. But it’s not a ruse: he
really believes them both equally, despite them being contradictory, via mental compartmentalization. It just depends on which is more convenient at the moment.
Overall I don’t think HE thinks he’s as disabled as he claims he is. He’s almost like a kid who is home sick from school with a horrible illness, but he believes he’s only
faking sick to get out of classes, and that even though he’s a bit under the weather, he’s exaggerating and really quite all right to go to school.
Either way, he also believes he is is totally entitled to whatever special treatment a disability will get him. Basically just:
“I’m handsome and cool and talented and SO much better than all those other guys and totally not some gross fully disabled person!”
“But I do get perks and second-chances and special treatment for being disabled…
and I deserve special treatment, because my face is messed up and girls don’t like that and it’s not fair.”
“But I’m still
barely disabled, not like other limbless freakshows who aren’t cool studs like me, I can do anything I try to do….which means my disability doesn’t really hold me back,
but I still deserve special treatment…” etc etc in a neverending cycle
.
He actually reminds one of a teenager who waffles between “total independent adult tough guy” when they’re confident and things are going well, to “scared kid in need of parental protection” when things get too difficult. Just an endless cycle of bravado and cowardice.