Body Language

132 Part III: The Trunk: Limbs and Roots

Gestures of the rich, famous, and royal

During the Middle Ages people viewed royalty

as all powerful, a perception that extended to

the belief that people who suffered from the

glandular disease, scrofula, commonly referred

to as ‘the King’s evil’, could be cured by the

monarch’s touch.

Just because someone is continually in the

public eye doesn’t mean that he’s comfortable

being on show. Celebrities, politicians, and

members of royal families have subtle gestures

intended to demonstrate how cool, calm, and

collected they’re feeling when inside every-

thing’s screaming, ‘Get me out of here!’

The most common gestures you see public per-

sonalities adopt involve gestures where an arm

crosses over the body. Instead of folding both

arms in an obvious protective barrier or grasp-

ing hold of one arm, the person touches a per-

sonal object on himself such as a watch, shirt

cuff, or ring. The gesture has no purpose other

than to disguise nervousness. Here are a few

other gestures you may have noticed:

Holding a handbag:The Queen is rarely

seen in public without her handbag. Yet

unlike most women, queens and celebrities

carry little if anything in their handbags.

They have other people to do that for them.

The accessory simply serves as a comple-

ment to her outfit and as a means of keep-

ing distance between herself and others.

Holding the bag over her arm immediately

sets up a protective barrier between herself

and her public. When she’s feeling nervous

or insecure, the Queen can hide behind a

handbag and fiddle with its contents.

Playing with a pocket: Prince Charles has

devised a way of slipping his right hand into

his jacket pocket that’s intended to give an

impression of a relaxed attitude. The astute

observer realises that what he’s really doing

is hiding feelings or holding back an

impulse. Firstly, he turns up the flap of his

pocket. He then fingers the flap before he

finally places his hand inside. He often

leaves his thumb protruding so that his

entire hand is not hidden. Leaving the thumb

out of the pocket is a ‘macho’ gesture as

demonstrated by tough guys who hook their

thumbs over their belts or shove their hands

into their trouser pockets leaving the

thumbs exposed.

Fiddling with cufflinks: Another gesture

particular to Prince Charles is the cuff-link

fiddle. During public walk-abouts he fre-

quently adjusts his cuff links as he moves

towards his destination. This gesture allows

his arms to cross in front of his body and

serves no purpose other than to give him-

self a sense of security. Tony Blair, the

former Prime Minister, would often adjust

his cuffs before speaking in public. Roger

Moore, when playing James Bond, also

adjusted his cuffs before facing an adver-

sary. These gestures are defence mecha-

nisms, designed to reduce anxiety.

Tidying a tie:Men in public view often

straighten their ties as they move from one

spot to another. This is particularly true

when a man is about to make a formal

speech or is simply preparing for what’s

coming next. This gesture is a symbolic way

of making sure that everything’s in place

and nothing’s on show that shouldn’t be. For

example, when Tony Blair gets out of a car

wearing a jacket and tie he often straight-

ens his tie as he walks towards his destina-

tion. This is his way of preparing himself for

what’s coming next, making sure that what’s

already looking good stays that way, and

displacing any anxiety he may feel.