Reports of Justin Bieber's abrupt engagement to Hailey Baldwin only seem sudden. Sure,
the duo, who was rumored to be dating in 2016, appeared to get back together just few weeks
before upgrading their relationship status. And yes, they got coupled up just a few months
after Justin appeared to part ways with former girlfriend Selena Gomez, shortly after they'd
allegedly rekindled their romance after some time apart.
Body-language expert Blanca Cobb says, Justin's interactions with his ex-girlfriend were very
different from the way he's been behaving around his future wife.
Take a look.
Justin trails behind Selena rather than walking
by her side. He leads with his right foot while she leads with her left. "They're just
not in sync," Cobb says, surprised to see no hand-holding or any hint of physical closeness
— particularly on Valentine's Day, when the photo was taken. "To me, they're two strangers
walking into a building at the same time. There's no passion — none at all.".
Justin walks shoulder-to-shoulder with Hailey. Although they aren't holding hands or looking
at each other, Cobb notes, they're much closer together, as you'd expect from two people
who are attached to one another. They also lead with the same foot — the left — which
shows they are in sync. "He looks physically closer to Hailey," Cobb says of Justin's stride.
"Their body language definitely says they're [emotionally] closer.".
Above are two instances in which Selena has
the upper hand — literally: By crossing her arm over Justin's to clasp his hand from
above, she asserts herself as leader in their relationship, according to Cobb. "Every couple
has to define themselves," she says of establishing dominance within a partnership. "But over
time, this can cause some problems in a relationship." In both photos, there are other signs of strain:
On the left, Justin slips his left fingers into his pants pocket, which hints at discomfort,
Cobb says, also noting the way he keeps his left elbow close to the body, as though he's
trying to make himself smaller. "It's like his body is imploding on itself — something
isn’t right," Cobb says, looking past his facial expression. "The easiest thing to fake
is a smile." Meanwhile, on the right, there's tension in
both Selena and Justin's fingers. "When you apply pressure with your fingers, there's
usually some anxiety," Cobb says, although this could be situational rather than a reflection
of relationship issues. Here, Hailey and Justin interlock fingers,
and look at that: Justin's hand is in front, meaning he's taking the lead in this relationship.
There's no apparent tension in either partner's hands or body, and Justin looks markedly more
relaxed, with his arms held away from his sides. "When you're confident, you take up
a lot of space," Cobb says, begging a question: Could this have something to do with the pride
he takes in his partner? Despite Hailey's stoic expression and Justin's
nonchalance, Cobb insists this couple is super in sync. After all, they both lead with their
left legs, and their stride is a similar length. They also hold their personal items — Hailey's
bag and Justin's phone — in their outside hands so as not to distance themselves from
each other. "Nothing is getting between them, and that's what you see with happy couples,
even if their faces don't reflect it with smiles," Cobb says.
Although this photo was taken eight years
ago, when Justin was younger, Cobb doesn't need to card either celeb to see this kiss
for what it is: "It's puppy love," she says. "It's different from mature love, and it's
not as developed." Never mind that their noses, lips, and chins
appear to be smushed together, while Justin keeps his hands to himself and Selena's spine
remains erect, just barely leaning into the kiss. "I wouldn't say, 'whoa, they need to
get a room,'" Cobb says — mostly because Justin's eyes appear to be open, and, by the
corners of their mouths, you can tell both Selena and Justin are smiling. "You don’t
smile while you kiss when there's a lot of passion," Cobb says.
"He’s in control of this kiss," Cobb notes, which is consistent with the way the couple
holds hands, with Justin taking the lead. "He's leaning down toward her, and she's tilting
her head more than he does, which exposes a vulnerable part of her body and conveys
comfort and trust.". Although there's no soundtrack on this Instagram,
the couple appears to be dancing as Justin pulls Hailey close — see the curve of his
fingers? He's gripping her, pulling her close to his chest, Cobb notes. "This is a lot more
passionate than his kiss with Selena.".
It's plain to see that Justin carries himself differently around Hailey. "What he had with
Selena was probably important to him at that time, but your views of love and how you express
it change over time and with experience as you get older," she says, by way of explanation.
That said, she never could have guessed that Justin's fling would become his bride so readily.
"Body language can give you a sense of how affectionate people are with each other and
how they feel about one another, but when they make the decision to get engaged, there's
a lot of talking about values and dreams that you don't see."