Cannes confident Poses
As always, the Cannes festival was full of talks around dresses, awards, who’s who and all the rest. But for us, as avid body language watchers, what caught the attention the most were interesting poses by some of the celebrities that, while they might appear to be poses for photographers, also leave an inspiration of how to appear confident in front of an audience an essential trait for those aspiring for leadership and success.
As a team, we went through a lot of different postures and poses, and below are the ones that made it to our top list of favourites. Do go through them and see if there is any that you can naturally take up during your next public appearance so that you can look more confident and project the leadership qualities necessary for success.
A bit about ‘Confident’ Poses
For those of you who don’t know how exactly confidence gets portrayed through posture, there is one broad thumb rule – if any posture makes your natural body frame appear a bit larger than what it naturally is, you look bigger and hence more confident. Most of us take on these postures naturally when we are feeling confident internally. For others looking to learn and practice poses to look and feel more confident, a reference guide is never a bad idea. And that’s what we are attempting to do here – show you, through these celeb poses, how you too, in your professional life, look and feel more confident a key component of leadership.
And what is more, the poses that we have selected are a bit more novel than the standard “confident” postures that you will come across if you read body language guidebooks. Isn’t that great? To be a bit innovative and different, and thus stand out from the crowd?
Below is the shortlist of our favorites from this year’s Cannes, counting down towards the best pose:
Number 8: Posing Differently
Anya Taylor-Joy arrives at the premiere of the film ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ at the 77th international film festival, Cannes
As Anna shimmers here, just like her powerful presence in the movie Furiosa, what is noteworthy is how she has placed her hands on her hips (a favorite pose for most of the on-stage models) BUT done it a bit differently. Instead of placing the hands directly outwards from the waist, these are protruding backwards, thus highlighting her rounded shoulders (a nonverbal cue of feminity).
Number 7: Interacting with the Camera
Giancarlo Esposito at the premiere of ‘The Second Act’ at the 77th Cannes Film Festival
Now while it may seem that Giarcarlo, appearing suave and showcasing that age is just a number, is not just posing but interacting with his direct audience here, which is the cameramen. And while doing that, he is keeping his hands wide open and palms facing them. Thus he projects a signal of being open and welcoming, both at the same time.
Number 6: Waving to the Fans
Greta Gerwig Saga at the 77th international film festival, during the photo call for the film ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max’
As Greta shows off her wavy curves, what’s interesting for us is how the is using one hand to project her confidence (left hand resting by the side but projecting outwards) while at the same time she is waving at her fans, acknowledging their presence. So while this might seem like an action of interaction, she is simultaneously also using the moment to showcase how relaxed and confident she is.
Number 5: Support on nearby objects
Anya Taylor-Joy poses during the photo call for the film “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” at the 77th international film festival
Anna seems to have mastered the art of posing differently, each time opening up her frame thus putting on her A game, and making it the second time in our list, with another innovative pose. This posture seems similar to Giancarlo in the sense that
her arms are wide open but the interaction that she is doing is with the object around her and not the audience. Smart and interesting a subtle form of body language.
Number 4: Using handheld accessories
Taylor Hill arrives during the premiere of the film ‘The Second Act’ during the 77th international film festival, Cannes
Now if you are already holding an object, like a bag or a purse, why not use that to pose as well? Maybe that’s what Taylor has in mind here. Look at her smart placement of the hand purse such that her arms are naturally projecting outwards, opening up her body frame. There were a lot of celebs with accessories but this one is a clever pose – holding and posturing bigger, all at the same time.
Number 3: Posing with a Signature Style
Alton Mason arrives at the premiere of the film ‘Megalopolis’ at the 77th international film festival, Cannes
At number 3 is Alton, using the victory sign to achieve two objectives – pose, open up the frame, and signal to his fans which is different from the popular waving or blowing a kiss. While the V signal is fairly common, what we like here is how his hand is so far away from his body without looking unnaturally distant. This helping him posture to be larger and bigger, which is key in nonverbal communication. It’s refreshing to see that one need not be too innovative – you can simply see what others might be using as postures but add a bit of your style to it!
Number 2: Using Dress to show the Pose
Lily Gladstone posing at the 77th international film festival, Cannes during the opening ceremony
Bravo Lily! Holding up the dress is a clever way to push one hand away from the body naturally. Imagine her standing with both hands hanging by her body as her right hand is at this moment; that’s what most poses that want to show confidence while simply standing look like. Bring in a twist to that common pose is why, for us, Lily is at number two. This is simply effortless posing and perfect for showcasing leadership qualities.
Number 1: Using Team Support
Chris Hemsworth poses at the premiere of the film ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ at the 77th International film festival, Cannes
Sometimes uncanny is what makes for an alpha’s eye catching pose. Chris here is spreading out his hands around his team (all of them are, but the ‘pose’ is put up just by him here) Using the team’s support to project his confidence made it to our top spot because the mere idea of that melted our heart – wouldn’t it be great if each one of us could showcase that it’s our team that has made us who we are!! This sense of leadership and collective success is truly inspiring!
So, how did you like our list? Which one is your favorite out of these, or do you have another favorite posture that you liked? Make sure to leave your thoughts for us in the comments section.
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