Meghan and Harry revealed their non-Christmas card and at the same time the first pic of
Lilibet.
But beyond the image they wanted to project, there are a handful of signals that are nothing
short of unsettling.
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Before we get into the body language I need to get the Sussexes' message out of the way.
"This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world.
Archie made us a 'Mama' and a 'Papa', and Lili made us a family."
I guess that if you're an only child, according to Meghan and Harry you don't have a family.
Well, that is if you care about their point of view.
Like, for example, saying "Happy Holidays", instead of "Merry Christmas" because I guess
the word "Christmas" is too controversial, especially if you are riding the woke bandwagon.
Now, body language.
I have to say that the very first impression I got from this photo was of a spontaneous
moment.
Especially because none of them is looking at the camera so that's a golden star for
Meghan.
You go, girl.
But she had to be, in some way, the protagonist of the image, so that's why her head and face
rest in the intersection between the geometric and visual centers of the frame.
Having said that, the member of the... family that gets the most attention is Lilibet, who
is in the area of the picture that draws the most visual attention, since we read from
left to right.
At the same time she's dressed in white and against the dark backround, she stands out
with very good contrast.
And that's something that you might say about Meghan, that she's wearing the darkest tone
in the picture just to stand out, but... in defense of our Duchess, darker tones always
tend to go to the background and lighter tones tend to stand out.
So even if Meghan is in the center of the composition, it's Lilibet and Archie the ones
that really stand out.
What IS strange about Meghan's choice of clothing is that this picture was taken in the summer,
or at least that's what Omid Scobie said on his Twitter account.
So why did Meghan have a sweater?
Mystery.
The same way it's such a mystery that her posture in this picture is disturbingly similar
to one unearthed by eagle-eyed netizens, of Diana and Baby William.
That... cannot be unseen.
Just like it's so hard to understand how Meghan's hand works.
Why would you hold a baby, let alone YOUR baby in a way that you don't use the two most
important fingers of your dominant hand?
And why is her index finger pointing upwards?
I don't know about you, but I don't see her other right hand fingers doing much, either.
I understand that you want to look spontaneous and be seen like you are normal human beings,
because I guess that normal human beings hold their second baby in a really stange way.
But couldn't you just photoshop that finger out?
I mean, like this?
Because, since you already used Photoshop on Harry's hair, couldn't you get a discount
on a thumb?
I have to point out that it's refreshing to see Harry with a genuine smile.
I think I hadn't seen him smile since, what?
2014?.
His lip corners are up, his cheeks are pressing his eyes and the same happens with Meghan's
face.
It IS a genuine smile.
And their eyes form a nice triangle with Lilibet, which again, it's like she's the protagonist
of the picture, just like Simba was the protagonist of the Lion King.
Maybe this photo op was part of the deal with Disney.
Now, I feel a little uncomfortable with Archie's posture.
It's great on one hand, because he looks really active and full of energy.
That's great in children and maybe they wanted to celebrate his personality.
But again, he looks really uncomfortable, like he wants to run away.
And following the order of how we have perceived the elements on this picture, we get to the
bottom third.
Like, if you divide the photo in thirds, the bottom one is a Levi's poster.
There's no way around this.
All their jeans are washed out, torn...
I mean, Harry has a hole on his knee.
Does he want to look like a cool kid or something?
there are all kind of patches that he could use, even with the image of his grandmother,
which I would be absolutely NOT surprised if he used it.
Also, all of them are barefoot except for Meghan, who's wearing some sort of clear sneakers.
I don't know the exact word, so I'm sure you can help me with that one in the comments,
besides sharing with me why do you think Meghan is the only one that is not barefoot?
But that's how they want to be perceived, as cool, regular, normal people if you will,
and again, that's the first impression I got from this photo.
And there's two things that really help with that first impression, that have NOTHING to
do with either Meghan or Harry.
First is the palette.
For a start, I don't know if making the card itself burgundy was the right choice.
I think it's a tone way too dark for these festivities, but... it works.
But this improves a lot when you go for the photo itself.
The browns and the blues form a nice color scheme.
It's really pleasant to the eye, and it's usually a problem with this kind of pictures
that the colors are a bit washed out due to the exterior lighting, so the color saturation,
the intensity of the colors, was pumped up a bit.
This is important because you want the photo to look warm.
Also, the composition works really well because it describes a rising line.
Something that gives hope, something that points to a better future, something that
depicts a promising 2022.
I did not expect to say so many good points about this picture, but It's nice that Harry
and Meghan form a nice couple dynamic, with Harry sitting almost in a straight line, and
Meghan leaning into him.
That's a more traditional way of looking at a couple, where you have a strong independent
woman but at the same time she wants to be able to lean into her man, who should represent
the strenght of the family.
And I absolutely endorse that traditional depiction, through body language.
Now, there is one big problem with this picture.
There is something to be said about Meghan and Harry's track record for this year.
Yes, they have earned the distinction of being the 'villains' for the British Royal Family.
In fact, they have preached privacy, living a normal life, keeping their kids from the
spotlight, and all their actions have been almost the exact opposite of that.
And that brings me to the main problem with this picture.
This, as a standalone photo, works.
I will say it, I like the vibes of this picture, and I have the bragging rights both in photography
and personal branding to say that this photo is a hit.
But what people find so shocking is everything that has happened up to the publishing of
a picture that, otherwise, would work.
It's like watching the whole story of a person whose actions have been... let's say, questionable,
and all of a sudden they present you a 180 degrees turn in their personality.
In this case is a turn in the way they depict themselves.
That previous record is what people find so unsettling, disgusting and fake of this picture.
It's not a fake photo per se.
It's just that everything that they have done this year up to this point, doesn't add up
to this moment.
If you have a certain kind of fame, you cannot shake it that easily.
I'm really pleased that FINALLY they look like they are really trying to look natural.
Even if that is something that doesn't come naturally to them.
And I know that Harry and Meghan would need a little patience if they want any shift on
how the public perceives them.
Because this kind of depictions, good as they are, are prone to be seen as hypocrytical.
It would be like a toxic personality that finally decides to behave with kindness, and
expects everyone to applaud them for their sudden, Scrooge-level change.
That is simply not how this works, guys.
But, nice try.
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My name is Jesús Enrique Rosas and it will always be a pleasure, my body language buddies!
Much Love, and Bliss.