The essential guide to Megan Fox

Best opinion: The Frisky, NY Mag, The Awl

This week's New York Times Magazine includes a 5,000-word cover story on 23-year-old actress and "self-aware media genius," Megan Fox, star of films such as Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The epic article has generated commentary, dismay, and even poetry in the blogosphere. Following are some noteworthy points from the piece:

Adjectives and phrases used by NY Times writer Lynn Hirschberg to describe Megan Fox:
Sly, canny, vixenish, frankly sexual, "small and narrow," dainty, ladylike, self-contained, "vaguely Indian," willowy, "a bit wary," demure, outrageous, virginal, controlled

Fox's clothing, as described by Hirschberg:
• "leggings, low-cut t-shirt and long cardigan"
• "like a midwestern mom"
• "tailored slacks and a navy, short-sleeved top with a demure scoop neck"
• "not at all bohemian or willfully cool or hipsterish"

Aspects of Megan Fox's cleavage, as described by Hirschberg:
• "silicone breast enhancers [that resemble] raw, skinless chicken cutlets"

Three of Megan Fox's "seven or eight" tattoos, as documented in the story:
• An intricate tattoo of Marilyn Monroe
• A reference to 'King Lear' ("We will all laugh at gilded butterflies") in gothic calligraphy on her upper back
• Her boyfriend's name tattooed "next to [Fox's] pie"

Megan Fox on nudity in films:
• "I would never be naked in a film. You should never say never, but my body parts are all I have left that are only mine. The world owns everything else."
• "I have to pull back a little bit now."
• "I like a job that doesn't require my boobies."

Foods enjoyed by Megan Fox while being interviewed by Hirschberg:
• Steamed spinach
• Truffled French fries

Seemingly contradictory observations made by Hirschberg about Megan Fox:
• "She's not daring in her personal life or performances — in fact, she is provocative only in the pages of magazines or on the web."
• "For a girl who has made a career out of being unpredictable and lewd, she was curiously demure."
• "Megan Fox is a fox."

Hirschberg on Megan Fox's noted wariness:
• "She will answer any question, but resists true dialog."
• "With Fox, it's not a conversation but a presentation."

TV shows enjoyed by Megan Fox:
• "The View"
• "Jon & Kate Plus Eight"
• "Ghost Hunters"
• "Say Yes to the Dress" ("I don't know why I love it but I do")

Highlights from Megan Fox's resume, as documented by Hirschberg:
• Brief stint as a catalog model
• Acting role in "Holiday in the Sun," "an Olsen Twins film that went straight to DVD"
• An extra in "Bad Boys II" ("They put me in a scene under the waterfall. You got $500 extra if you were willing to get wet.")
• "The role of Lindsay Lohan's enemy in Disney's 'Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen'"
• "Co-star on [the Kelly Ripa sitcom] 'Hope & Faith'"

Megan Fox on the impact of meeting long-time boyfriend, "Beverly Hills 90210" star Brian Austin Green, for the first time:
• "He accidentally touched my leg. I remember literal electricity shooting through me and out from every direction."

Megan Fox on women:
• "The instinct among girls is to attack the jugular."
• "Girls can be a nightmare."
• "Women tear each other apart."

Megan Fox's observations on celebrity (in her own words):
• You have to be put in a box in this industry so they can sell you."
• "I've learned that being a celebrity is like being a sacrificial lamb."
• "At some point, no matter how high the pedestal that they put you on, they're going to tear you down."

Question posed by Hirschberg (unanswered by Megan Fox):
• How do you stay this year's girl when the year is almost over?"