Meghan Markle joined Prince Harry at a special New York City event to honor veterans ahead
of Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the U.K.
And the internet's reaction to her dress was instantaneous and absolutely savage.
And since Joan Rivers is no longer with us, in this video I'm going to explain why this
dress did not work as expected.
Welcome back, my body language buddies! my name is Jesús Enrique Rosas, I'm the Body
Language Guy, and it would be great if you join us by just liking this video, subscribing
and hitting that bell! let's get down to it!
First of all, I absolutely disapprove and condemn any kind of personal attack on people's
build and figure.
And I have to say that Meghan got the worst part of it in the last 24 hours.
And that is just not right.
But people think that when you are going to talk about a dress, you also should talk about
the person who's wearing it.
And I don't think that's true, because you might remember that I talked about Catherine's
golden dress and at no point I made any reference at her, personally, how she wore it.
And that's a very important distinction that at the same time has a lot to do with mental
health, because if you get anything from this video, is that bodies should not fit dresses,
but the other way around.
Dresses should fit bodies.
So, the only real rule is that your dress should fit you in a way that enhances what
you want to project.
In this case, Meghan wants do draw attention to herself.
That is not bad in itself but in this case she was attending an event where the real
protagonists should be the veterans and their families, so drawing too much attention...
might not be the best idea.
Especially if you are using the most stimulating color, that is red.
I love red, it's the color of passion, of revolutions, and there's no shortage of amazing
red dresses through history.
And I think it goes very well on Meghan.
Again, maybe it was not the best choice for the moment, but there are other reasons why
this dress just didn't cut it.
And that is lines.
And not just any kind of lines, but the lines that the dress draw in space.
The lines and shapes of a dress will always be a roadmap for the way we look at the person.
Wether it's horizontal lines, vertical lines or diagonal lines, they are going to guide
everyone's eyes over you.
That's why I want to point out one of the main problems of this dress, and it's the
back.
The design of the dress is not letting Meghan do what she intends, what she wants.
She wants her figure to look more vertical.
That is helpful so you can look taller.
And that's normal since Harry is way taller than her.
And in this case she's also using her hair, high up, so it adds to that 'taller' effect.
So there's no doubt that this is was Meghan's intention.
But there are a few problems with the back of the dress that completely derail that.
First, theres a full contrast line defined by where the dress ends and her back skin
begins.
There's an absolute division that marks a horizontal line.
That cuts her figure, bluntly, in two areas and creates a STOP in the way people perceive
her presence.
Ideally, you'd prefer your dress to not have any hard visual stops, so the eyes can sweep
up and down and emphasize your vertical dimension.
The other problem with this is that if the dress doesn't cover your shoulders, you must
be aware that you'll be drawing attention to them.
And shoulders that attract attention is usually a masculine trait, it's something that makes
us men look broad and strong.
So, shoulders are naturally related to a horizontal or wide dimension.
So we not only have a high contrast line with the edge of the dress, but at the same time
the uncovered shoulders enhance her horizontal dimension.
Maybe if you're a taller woman, and your shoulders are not that broad, then you can get away
with showing them.
But again, the lines of your dress should be mostly vertical.
These are the kind of details in which it helps to develop your observation skills.
And for that, you can download my 100+ body language tips right in the description of
this video.
And that's when we get to the straps.
The straps are diagonal, so in some way they help add some verticality to the dress.
But the problem is the dimension of the straps.
They are really tiny, and there's this phenomenon of contrast by just looking at something with
a reference.
Let me explain.
If I show you this rectangle, you are looking at it with no other reference to judge its
dimensions.
But if I add a second, wider rectangle, you might say that the original one is slimmer,
right?
And if we change the second reference and instead, add a very thin rectangle, that perception
of the first will change.
You'll now say that it's wider.
But in the end, it's still the same one.
Now, what happens with the dress straps? they are very thin.
So, you're looking at their shape and at the same time you're looking at Meghan's back
and shoulders.
So, since the straps are so tiny, then her back, her shoulders and her arms are going
to be PERCEIVED much wider than they really are.
Again, those tiny straps are reinforcing the horizontal effect that was NOT Meghan's intention.
There are details like the v-shaped cut at the front that were designed with this in
mind.
Diagonal lines are closely related to vertical lines in the sense that they will help you
look taller and slimmer.
And that pattern was repeated with the straps at the back, which, as any diagonal line,
have this visual effect of separating, like falling to the sides.
That falling to the sides draws EVEN MORE attention to her shoulders, and more attention
to her horizontal dimension.
It doesn't help much the volume of the dress itself, with a triangle or bell shape.
Some claim that the dress' volume was too much over the top, and maybe it was, for the
kind of event that they were attending, but I'm much more concerned about the way it occupies
so much field of vision.
Now, it's obvious that Meghan wanted to draw attention to herself, there's little doubt
about that.
But the dress she chose was actully drawing attention away from her, so instead of helping
her achieve her desired goal, it was subtracting from it.
Because one thing is drawing attention, and one very different is, distracting.
And that was one of the main sources of so much vitriol on the internet, that I insist,
I dont' support any of it, and I think every single one of us should be better than that.
This is why the term 'fit' can be so frustrating, especially for women.
Because it's not enough that a dress is the correct size, and fits your body in a bespoke
way, but at the same time you want the dress to enhance the image that you want to project.
And yes, there are women that are not interested, at all, in looking taller.
For example, Carla Bruni.
No fashion analysis could be complete without mentioning her shoes, which I think they were
OK, save for the color.
I think their color was trying to compete with the red of her dress.
Shoes of a clearer tone would have helped her legs to look longer, and she already knows
it, but that's exactly what she did this time.
Notice that the no straps approach looks really good on her.
That's the beauty of fashion design.
And that's why sometimes designers create a piece with certain person in mind, but not
every woman has the luxury to be an artisans muse.
As always, it helps a lot if you learn to identify these codes of perception that are
the same, no matter if you are looking at a dress, or at a cathedral, or a photograph.
But the essence is to be comfortable with your own body, and realize that we are all
different, and we are going to feel under pressure sometimes.
I mean, I'd like to have Ryan Reynold's abs, but at the same time I love English Breakfasts,
so... it is what it is.
Just make sure you dedicate some time to reflect on the current state of the flesh temple that
you live in.
It will be well invested time.
If you want to support my channel and help me make more videos, all you have to do is
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My name is Jesús Enrique Rosas and I'll see you soon, my body language buddies!