Taylor Swift was left “embarrassed”, “shocked” and “upset” after being met by a chorus of boos during Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, according to a body language expert.
The 35-year-old was attending the American Football game to show her support to boyfriend and Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce as his team took on the Philadelphia Eagles in the hotly-anticipated encounter.
Sadly for Swift, Kelce and Chiefs fans everywhere, the team slumped to a rather hefty defeat at the hands of the Eagles but for the singer, there was another reason for her to feel rather aggrieved.
At one point during the match, Swift’s face appeared on the Caesars Superdome’s big screen and prompted thousands of football fans to boo loudly in response.
The moment was a stark contrast to the cheers and applause US President Donald Trump received when he appeared on-screen in what was a historic moment in US politics.
Swift appeared to ask fellow musician and attendee Ice Spice what was happening as she chuckled at the incident before the cameras diverted to elsewhere in the arena.
Taylor Swift confused by the boos ☹️ pic.twitter.com/zzstUEmDfp
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However, while she may have put on a brave face for the camera in light of the booing, one body language expert has pinpointed the exact moment she shared her true feelings to the reception.
“At the point the crowd starts booing, Taylor’s eyes open wide,” body language expert Darren Stanton said, highlighting the moment in which Swift became affected by the booing.
He went on: “Initially, we see a combination of shock, disbelief and feeling pretty embarrassed.
“She tries to laugh it off but it’s clearly caught her off guard and hit a nerve.
Taylor Swift watched the Super Bowl from the stands as she showed her support for Travis Kelce
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“Ice Spice does a shushing motion with her finger, as if to tell the crowd to be quiet, as she’s aware of Taylor’s feelings and is embarrassed for her.”
The widening of the eyes was far from the only give-away from Swift that demonstrated her horror at the booing, according to Stanton.
Later in the incident, Swift supposedly showed a “fake smile”, something the body language said “was a masking gesture”.
“In the short response, she shows a massive masking smile. These are normal, genuine reactions from Taylor, it’s real emotion and she does absolutely feel embarrassed here.”
Swift then proceeded to “tuck in her chin”, a move Stanton claimed indicated she “wanted to make herself physically smaller, and show her upset at the boos”.
“She knows they’re not there for her, but this wasn’t the response she was expecting,” Stanton continued, speaking on behalf of Slingo. “This gesture comes from us feeling internally affected, and is something people do to help them feel less stressed.
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“The more confident someone is, that’s when we get gestures like hands on hips and feet wider apart. But when we want to ‘disappear’ we make ourselves smaller.”
Swift is yet to speak out publicly following the booing incident, but she did find herself on the receiving end of support from tennis superstar Serena Williams.
The former Wimbledon champion penned a message of support to the Love Story hitmaker before she took to the Super Bowl half-time show stage alongside Kendrick Lamar.
“I love you @taylorswift13 dont listen to those booo!!” Williams penned. (sic)