FROM Molly-Mae Hague to Rochelle Humes, it appears that more and more celebs are loving the new ‘power stance’ pose.
The casual but clever posture, which sees celebs with one hand in a pocket, isn’t just ‘sassy’ and ‘self-assured’, but it could also be lining them with cash too according to body language expert Judi James.
She says: “Suave, slouchy, and shouting ‘don’t mess with me’ – the one hand slung in the trouser pocket pose is a signal of cool, casual, cocky confidence and sassy charm.
“Influencers sell via ‘the science of sensation’ – how they and the products they’re promoting will make a girl feel when they buy them.
“With poses like this, the fans and clients will feel they’re buying cool, composed confidence and a sense of control in their own lives.
“It’s often assumed it’s the bare-all thirst trap poses – women posing in very little – that bring in the big money.
“But powerful women tend to adore the narrative of the strong, professional female behind the glamour façade.
“Women will buy into the brand they’re promoting, and that means money for the celebrity who is promoting it.”
According to Judi, the pocket pose dates back to the 1880s and it holds many hidden meanings too.
“Suffragettes made demands for women to have the same right as men when it came to having functioning pockets in clothes, so they could walk freely without a handbag,” she says.
“The famous ‘It’s got pockets!’ line to celebrate women’s love of a pocket shows how, by flaunting the pocket by thrusting one hand into it, we’re silently celebrating financial wealth and emancipation.
“But even today, clothing manufacturers tend to pare costs by making women’s pockets either too small, decorative-only or even tightly stitched up.
“Owning pockets that are deep enough but which don’t ruin the line of the outfit is still a sign of wealth.
“Women like Coco Chanel and Jackie Kennedy were controversy-stirring ground-breakers in terms of posing with their hands in their pockets, in a gesture that was considered primarily masculine.”
Here, Judi looks at the mega-bucks celebrities who use the pocket pose and the meanings behind their snaps…
Love Island star and mum-of-one, Molly-Mae Hague, 25, who has recently gone through a public split with her ex-partner Tommy Fury, 25, loves a pocket.
Judi reveals: “Molly ticks all the power boxes here in this outsize masculine jacket: that slouchy hand with the thumb carefully out of the pocket; the splayed legs and the challenging head tilt and side-eye gaze into the screen all scream strength and casual, laid-back attitude.
“Tommy might be sorry he messed with this girl if he catches her in this mood, which looks a world away from her usual projection of sweetness and amiability.
“It’s a timely reveal from a woman who is very publicly nursing a broken heart and it’s this type of attitude that she might need to draw on during the next few months as she sorts her life out after the split.”
The mum-of-one – who owns fake tan brand Filter, is a brand ambassador for Beauty Works and cashes in on sponsored posts – has a net worth of £6 million, mainly thanks to her popularity on social media.
She also announced a new secret project at the weekend.
It’s a case of ‘me pleasing’ not ‘man pleasing’ when reality TV star and mum Sam Faiers, 33, perches one hand in her pocket.
Judi says: “The setting looks like a corporate washroom for this very CEO-style business look for Sam.
“Her knee is raised for an added, intimidating kick and she’s got the thumb sticking out of her pocket along with the pulled-back elbow and the hard stare into the screen to suggest she’d do as well on The Apprentice as TOWIE.
“This pose suggests ‘me-pleasing’ rather than ‘man-pleasing’ with a refreshing hint of steel behind the signature glam branding.”
Sam is one of the richest Towie stars, mainly thanks to her brand Revive Collagen, which she promotes on socials.
She has a net worth of £9 million.
She’ll forever be known for her time with The Saturdays, but This Morning presenter Rochelle Humes, 35, is another who has raked in the cash, potentially from such a pose.
Judi recognised: “Rochelle has gone way out of her usual zone of Daytime TV elegance and polite, friendly amiability here as she strikes a laddish, punk pose that only needs the flying V signs to finish it off.
“The arched back, jutting hip and the splayed legs look challenging, strong and rebellious and the hand in the jeans pocket is positioned round towards front of her pelvis to add a hint of sexual confidence to her signature brand of agreeableness and social confidence.”
Judi also recognised that the positioning of a celeb’s thumb can also make a difference in the message portrayed, as she explains: “The projection of power is dependent on the detail though.
“A thumb tucked into the pocket along with the fingers can suggest a desire to hide or it can even project feelings of depression or low self-esteem.
“If the thumb is out, the message is the opposite. Thumbs-out suggests the opposite.
“Hook both thumbs into the pockets of your jeans and let your hands dangle and you signal the kind of sexy arrogance that stars like James Dean used to be famous for.”
Since her pop band days, Rochelle has amassed a net worth of £5.4 million.
She’s made her cash by presenting This Morning, launching clothing ranges with Very, M&S and New Look, and launching her own kids brand called My Little Coco – which is now sold in Boots.
The former grid girl and reality star, who is now a classy WAG and TV presenter, Olivia Attwood, 33, is another pocket pose regular.
Judi says: “Looking shiny, sleek and polished for a working day in the City, Olivia throws both hands in her trouser pockets here for a totally slouchy look.
“The over-the-shoulder, amused-looking glance at camera suggests cocky confidence and the raised foot ‘walking’ pose suggests a fast-paced, competitive streak.
“Olivia all but buries the Love Island brand here, revealing a propensity for power and even leadership.
“Her body language is flirty here but it’s flirting on her own terms rather than the scattergun sexual flirting of her glamour photo-shoots.”
Like Molly, Olivia leveraged her already hefty social media following to make herself one of Love Island’s most successful stars since leaving the show.
She mainly cashes in from reality shows and presenting documentaries – all of which she advertises heavily on Instagram.
She has a net worth of £2 million.
The 36 year old who recently tied the knot to her man Ercan Ramadan, 30, is another successful celeb that signals her power through her posing.
Judi adds: “Vicky’s suiting might be full of sharp angles to make it resemble aggressive, competitive power-dressing but her hand in the pocket gesture reveals a warmer and less confident side.
“She’s gone for the sassy look but the way she’s hooked her thumbs into her pockets rather than her fingers suggests the high-power vibe might secretly not be totally her thing.
“She’s going for a tough pose here but that smile has a tinge of shyness to it as though she feels slightly out of her comfort zone with this boardroom look.”
Vicky makes millions from Instagram endorsements, a partnership with Pour Moi and her podcast The Secret To…
She has a net worth of £5 million.
According to Judi, this particular pose not only sends out “signals of power”, but it also portrays an individual as “sexually confident too”.
She reveals: “It isn’t just the act of putting one hand in a pocket that sends out the signals of power.
“That one movement sets off a chain reaction in the body positioning that can even affect the facial expression.
ACCORDING to Judi James, the 'power stance' pose has specific characteristics.
She says: “One hand slung in a trouser pocket pose is a signal of cool, casual, cocky confidence and sassy charm.”
She claimed that men have used this pose for decades but now, smart female celebs are using it to project power.
She added: “The current fashion for baggy, masculine tailoring has added to the scope of this very nonchalant-looking gesture.
“It’s a comfortable, self-assured power signal and the partial hiding of one hand can suggest you’re keeping some of your thoughts to yourself, as we normally use two hands to gesticulate while we’re talking.”
“The ‘pocket’ arm that is crooked will create a partial power-splay, with the elbow pushed outward which presents visually as confidence.
“The shoulder will then ideally be relaxed and be angled sideways, creating a tilting of the shoulder line that is exaggerated by the wide padding of the jacket.
“This widening effect at shoulder and elbow level creates a signal of aggressive arousal, like an animal puffing its chest to ward off an opponent.
“Wide padded shoulders are a classic symbol of power-dressing as they create a sense of intimidation in business.
It’s a challenging, sexually-confident but also businesslike ‘Don’t mess with me’ look
Judi James
“The re-alignment of the torso will help to create a more powerful-looking leg pose, too.”
Judi said many popular female poses actually “diminish” our power.
“Women can have a tendency to self-diminish physically when lacking feelings of power or confidence, producing more passive poses like crossing the legs at the ankles or the classic beauty queen pose, with one leg crooked,” she says.
“But once that hand is in the pocket, the only way to finish the pose is by splaying the feet or the knees, which creates a triangular body shape with a wider base signalling physical confidence.
“The body loves role-play and it is almost impossible to adopt this ‘changed state’ power-look without bringing it to the facial expression, making cheesy smiles and selfie pouts off the menu and head-tilts and challenging stares on it.
“It’s a challenging, sexually-confident but also businesslike ‘Don’t mess with me’ look that combines Al Pacino in The Godfather with Don Draper from Mad Men.”
