Sailor's Kiss in Times Square at the End of the War

Not everyone knows the background of this famous kiss so let me give you the nonverbal cues that give you insight. This is our iconic image of a passionate kiss, but the kiss is really only the man being very intense in passionate. Notice how his large right hand is holding her in close to him and how awkwardly his left arm crook holds her head and how the fingers of his left hand are not caressing but tensely held together. And see how his kiss pressed down on her face and she doesn’t move up and towards him.  ( Fingers gently curved and touching indicate tenderness and intimacy and I don’t see that here. )Notice her left arm how its pulled back rather than wrapped around him and look closely at the modified fist her curved fingers tense fingers are formed in. This is suppressed resistance and that is also seen in her twisted posture. See how her upper body is being pushed backward and

her head is not pressing towards the kiss. If you look from the legs to oddly hanging arm and body you can see she looks like a soft mannequin or doll limp and passive rather than actively and willingly participating in the kiss. When you under stress one response is to go limp and that’s what she is doing. 


Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

The famous kiss in Times Square in 1945 Sailor's Kiss Body Lanaguage Expert Patti Wood

Not everyone knows the background of this famous kiss so let me give you the nonverbal cues that give you insight into what really happened. This is our iconic image of a passionate kiss, but the kiss is really only the man being very intense in passionate. Notice how his large right hand is holding her in close to him and how awkwardly his left arm crook holds her head and how the fingers of his left hand are not caressing but tensely held together. And see how his kiss pressed down on her face and she doesn’t move up and towards him.  ( Fingers gently curved and touching indicate tenderness and intimacy and I don’t see that here. )Notice her left arm how its pulled back rather than wrapped around him and look closely at the modified fist her curved fingers tense fingers are formed in. This is suppressed resistance and that also seems in her twisted posture. See how her upper body is being pushed back and her head is not pressing towards the kiss. If you look from the legs to oddly hanging arm and body you can see she looks like a soft mannequin or doll limp and passive rather than actively and willingly participating in the kiss. When you under stress one response is to go limp and that’s what she is doing. 

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Michelle and Barrack Obama Dancing Analyzed by Body Language Expert Patti Wood

I love the softly intertwined fingers in this photo. I always look at the hands of couples to see how relaxed the fingers are and how they wrap, rest and intertwine and here we see relaxation and intertwining and note how the fingers on both hands go up at the ends. That shows strength in both partners. His eyes are focused on her with desire and his pursed lips are mimicking the kiss he is imagining giving her and you see her look down and mouth pull up and in crumbled pout of tender “happy tears.”

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Nixon Resignation Photo Body Language Expert Patti Wood

Nixon shows a mixture of emotions The downward gaze and eyebrow and upper eyelid droop of sadness while his nose wrinkles up in disgust and his raised upper lips with the left side of the lip raised higher and the downward turn of his mouth shows suppressed contempt. What is so interesting is that he hold his iconic thumbs-up gesture at slightly below his shoulder level, in the last effort to show he is a winner and that all is well. It's quite the juxtaposition as it doesn’t align with his facial expressions and it effects how we now view all photos of him with his thumbs up before this one.

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
     

Trump Handshake Rebuff House Speaker Pelosi ripping up her copy of Trump’s State Of the Union

Much has been said of House Speaker Pelosi ripping up her copy of Trump’s State Of the Union Address but not everyone saw this moment where Pelosi put out her hand at the beginning of the State of the Union as she takes the address he offers with her left hand and Trump who just handed it to her and should have initiated the shake at that time see her hand out and the moment later, not photographed where he rebuffed her outward stretched hand. This is Iconic because of the controversy including those who said he didn’t see her hand, when clearly in this photo he sees it. What’s also interesting are the facial expressions and other cues Pelosi is leaning forward actually giving Trump a soft smile and her full eye contact as she extends her hand with the fingers tightly and tensely held together, one finger even bent and folded over the others and hand-stretched out and downward. She is showing she wants to fully engage with Trump and shake hands, but it’s not a passive shake offer, nor are the fingers curved in friendship. Trump is looking right at her outstretched hand and leaves his arm down at his side and fingers curved down and towards himself. You see his hand in the curved position your hand typically takes to shake hands and he even has the hand at the ready at the waist position. But his shoulder points to her in slight “cold shoulder” position instead. Notice his downward turned “bad taste in my mouth” and chin and jaw withdraw facial expression.

Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.