The Art of Body Language

Chapter 16

Le Feet/Legs (revolutionised)

Yep, back to everyone's favourite body part; feet! (and legs). Let's see what else we can pull out of this one.

Let's start:

Stance:

     - The Parallel: Pretty much think of this as the basic stance. It is a formal position which portrays a neutral attitude. The legs are straight and feet close together, and could easily be pushed off-balance. The closer the legs are, the more hesitant and unsure they feel, unlike when they are further apart, where they stand firmly and confidently, and could be harder to push off-balance.

     - Legs Apart: About shoulder-width apart, it is a firm and unmoving stance, mostly used by the male species and those who want to have dominance. Also frequently used in communication, even seen in sporting games where players adopt this stance when just chilling. It gives off a masculine feel.

    - Foot Forward: A posing stance of the nowadays, but was also used in the older days by people with higher status to assert dominance. It can be a suggestive stance, as the leg in front points outward, exposing the inner thigh ;) The toes can be pointing to something or someone attractive.

   - Crossed Legs: Often a stance taken on by someone new to a group. They will stand with their legs crossed over, maybe arms even crossed, expressing their unfamiliarity with the social setting.

Curling: When a person's toes curl, it can indicate either pain or pleasure, but it can be suppressed tension if our feet are curled over each other or something like a chair leg.

Moving: A common indicator of lying is when the feet move, especially when seat at a table and their legs are hidden. But it still isn't that difficult to tell when their feet are moving while hidden, as you would usually see part of their upper body moving slightly as a result.

Bouncing: Bouncing on your toes can be sign of excitement and confidence, or anxiety when the bouncing is on-and-off prolonged.

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Once again, a long wait for this quite short chapter and I'm very sorry again.

It's just my motivation to do a chapter is very much less compared to when I had just begun, but don't fret, I will still keep writing this until there is nothing more I can think of!

Oh and I have a quick question; would it be insensitive to write a story in the perspective of a homophobic teen? (mostly influenced by her parents).

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you learnt something new (and feedback is appreciated) !

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Websites used:

http://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap10.html

http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/parts_body_language/feet_body_language.htm