We’ve seen Meghan give piercing looks to anyone who dares to steal the spotlight from her. But this moment, when Harry forgot to ask permission to talk, is special for one disturbing reason that you’re about to find out.
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This was a meeting with young leaders of the Commonwealth when Harry and Meghan were still working royals. They were chatting outdoors, taking turns to share their ideas, and then, this moment happened. They are in a sort of circle, Harry is the one talking at that moment, and we can guess that everyone was listening to him. Way to go, Harry! Pretty normal situation if it wasn’t for Meghan’s reaction, especially with her face.
We are used to Meghan’s mask slipping, when she is trying to come across as nice and then, for a split second, she displays an entirely different emotion. But these 30 seconds have a special ingredient that we have not seen before. One of the characteristics of that special ingredient happens right at the beginning of the clip.
This is right before Harry begins to talk. There’s a woman we cannot see because she has her back to the camera and she’s talking to the Sussexes. We can spot that both Harry and Meghan are looking directly into her eyes. Well, there’s the issue that both of them look really tense in their facial expressions. Meghan is trying to smile but she’s failing, and Harry is showing some disgust. We don’t know what the topic is, but let’s guess that it’s something delicate or controversial, and maybe that’s why they display those faces.
If this is a meeting of young leaders of the Commonwealth, they could be talking about specific challenges of their nations, that could be concerning or controversial topics. But then, Meghan does this.
I’m sure you spotted this gesture right at the beginning, or the first time you saw the clip. She gave that up and down look that was… a bit mean. Well, it could happen that the woman was holding something in her hands and she was showing it, or making a reference with a hand gesture, and it would make sense to look at her midsection or her hands. Because the woman was actually gesturing at that moment. But both Harry and the man behind them never looked down. So there was no explicit reason to give that look to the woman. Also, there is a big difference when someone turns their head and eyes purposefully at the same time, and something really different is when someone keeps their head fixed and just lowers their gaze. You know, like scanning and scrutinizing the other person.
That’s what happens here and that’s why Meghan’s look projects a negative or even hostile feeling. She’s literally giving the woman an up-and-down look right on her face, and nobody likes to be seen like that, from anyone. Well, maybe Ryan Gosling gets a free pass, just for that
That’s what happens here and that’s why Meghan’s look projects a negative or even hostile feeling. She’s literally giving the woman an up-and-down look right on her face, and nobody likes to be seen like that, from anyone. Well, maybe Ryan Gosling gets a free pass, just for that meme.
Of course, this can also happen by accident if you’re establishing eye contact and want to rest your eyes for a split second, make sure you do it to the sides to avoid these kinds of looks on other people. But that’s when Harry begins to talk, and this happens.
It’s important to remember that when Meghan talks, or she’s giving a public speech, or the spotlight is on her in any way, she always has her face muscles relaxed. The moment someone else begins to talk, or interrupts her, or upsets her presence in any way, this is the same pattern all the time.
First of all, the tension in her jaw. You can spot jaw tension in many ways, especially in the way the sides of the jaw, the jaw muscles, tense. This is easier to spot in people with thinner fat layers on their faces or overall low body fat because the jaw muscles are more noticeable. But there’s also that chin jut, that is visible when the person projects their chin forward. That is a very easy signal to spot and interpret because the meaning is almost always concealed anger or frustration. By all means, a chin jut signals a strong emotion at the moment.
But it’s not only the jaw projection. It’s also the fact that she’s moving her lips at the same time and showing her lower teeth.