If you notice someone standing with one leg serving as a buttress, take a look
at the direction in which the toe of his buttress foot is pointing. The direction
the foot takes frequently points to the object the person is thinking about. It
may be pointed in the direction of someone who’s caught his eye, but it most
often points in the direction of his escape route.
Scissor stance .....................................................................................
Think of your legs as if they were the two blades of a pair of scissors. Cross
one over the other, keeping your knees straight, and you’re in the classic scis-
sors stance. This is an obvious defensive gesture, because the person is
doing his best to protect his most precious parts without resorting to putting
his hands over his jewels. (For physiological reasons it’s easier for women to
adopt the tightly closed scissors position than it is for men.)
When one leg is crossed over the other and one of the two knees is bent, the
position is called the ‘bent blade stance’. Someone standing in the scissors
stance or the bent blade stance is demonstrating his immobility. The feet are
placed in such a way that a speedy departure is impossible without legs and
feet struggling to uncoil themselves.
Crossed legs, especially in the standing position, relay varying messages:
Negativity, defensiveness, and insecurity: Crossing your legs is a defen-
sive position. The gesture often accompanies the crossed arm position,
reinforcing the barrier. If legs only are crossed, the suggestion of defen-
sive or negative feelings is less strong than crossed arms.Commitment and immobility:A person standing with his legs crossed
when in conversation is showing that he’s committed to the interaction
and has no intention of leaving.
Submission:The crossed leg position comes across as submissive
because the stance conveys no sign of impatience.If someone tells you that he’s standing with his legs and arms crossed
because he’s cold, see how his hands and legs are positioned. Someone who’s
really cold tucks his hands into his armpits, or hugs himself. His legs are stiff,
straight, and pushed tightly against each other.
In a gathering of people, those who don’t know one another well tend to
stand slightly apart from each other, with their arms and legs in a crossed
position. Their jackets are likely to be buttoned as well, giving a complete pic-
ture of people who are feeling submissive or defensive because they are sym-
bolically denying access to themselves.
Chapter 10: Standing Your Ground 171