Why do women pose like this??? (fashion, beauty, look, natural)

[kayanne]

For the past two of three years, the trend seems to be for women to pose with their hands on their hips. Perhaps it it supposed to make them look slimmer or something, but I think it generally looks ridiculous. I see this in portraits (such as those taken at weddings or on cruise ships), and in pictures on the facebook ALL the time. I'll admit I have an irrational annoyance about this, and I just wonder how people can think this looks good.

[Back to NE]

But it also comes with a carefully angled leg and hip pose. This makes for a slimming and graceful effect but often the ladies look awkward and uncomfortable, not good for any photo.

[gouligann]

I don't do it and I don't like the looks of it either. I think it looks like showing off.

Sometimes I wonder how to hold my hands if I'm not holding something when posing so they don't look like they are just hanging down.

[ASOT]

It is for slimming effect, and fairly common in clothing ads for plus-sized women.

Not awkward like the invisible bar stool pose.

[Tracysherm]

Sorry, I never come into the photography forum, and I know zero about photography, but I saw this thread on the main page, and had to jump in.

I've noticed this hands-on-hips posing too, among the photos of people I know, and also on TV (perhaps that's where they got it?) For example, on the new TLC makeover show "Love, Lust, or Run" the women, post-makeover, are shown in photos standing with their hands on their hips and their feet apart all the time. I guess they've decided it's a "powerful" or "confident" pose, but it looks pretty silly and even pompous to me.

That's really the only beauty/fashion related TV show I watch, so I have no idea if this is more prevalent on other shows of that type. But I can see it spreading to people who watch the shows, who then do it and post their own photos online, and other people pick it up, etc.

It's kind of like that annoying gang-hand-signs thing (with the two fingers) that kids and even grown women are now doing in photos. Someone whips out a camera and suddenly they are posing and making the hand signs. I recently heard that during school pictures, kids at a local suburban school had to be told to NOT put their hands in the picture, because they were so used to doing it.

[kayanne]

Originally Posted by TracySam

Sorry, I never come into the photography forum, and I know zero about photography, but I saw this thread on the main page, and had to jump in.

I've noticed this hands-on-hips posing too, among the photos of people I know, and also on TV (perhaps that's where they got it?) For example, on the new TLC makeover show "Love, Lust, or Run" the women, post-makeover, are shown in photos standing with their hands on their hips and their feet apart all the time. I guess they've decided it's a "powerful" or "confident" pose, but it looks pretty silly and even pompous to me.


.

POMPOUS! Yes, that's the perfect word to describe it!

[kayanne]

Originally Posted by ASOT

It is for slimming effect, and fairly common in clothing ads for plus-sized women.

Not awkward like the invisible bar stool pose.

Haha, never heard that phrase, but I will think of it from this point forward whenever I see people doing this in a group shot. Too funny!!

[Tracysherm]

Originally Posted by kayanne

Haha, never heard that phrase, but I will think of it from this point forward whenever I see people doing this in a group shot. Too funny!!

I know! I love that! I used to call it the "Betty Boop pose."

[xS☺B☺s]

Prolly shown to sell something to some demographic somewhere.

[ocnjgirl]

I don't think it's anything more than not knowing what to do with your hands, so you just do what feels most natural. I don't think people are putting that much thought into it, OP.