A body language expert weighed in on Taylor Swift’s reaction to being booed by the audience at the Super Bowl, revealing the singer was “internally affected” by the boos and just couldn’t “Shake it Off.“
Before Taylor Swift bled red and gold, the Pennsylvania-born popstar was a diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan.
Only a few years ago, Swift, who was born in West Reading – about an hour outside of Eagles’ turf – was spotted wearing a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt while strolling through New York City.
She even mentions the Quaker State Super Bowl champs in her 2020 song “Gold Rush,” where she sings, “I see me padding ‘cross your wooden floors / With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door.”
Questioned at the time if she was referring to the “Hotel California” band or the NFL team, the 35-year-old singer replied, “…I saw some people wondering if it was the band Eagles or the team the Eagles,” Taylor during her Eras Tour show, according to E! News. “And I love the band the Eagles, but guys, like come on. I’m from Philly. Of course it’s the team.”
Game over
However, after she started dating Travis Kelce, the tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs, it was game over for Swift and the Eagles.
Since the couple went public, Swift has attended numerous Chiefs games, and she was there on Sunday to support her boyfriend as the Chiefs aimed to make NFL history.
The Chiefs had hopes of becoming the NFL’s first-ever “three-peat” Super Bowl champions, but they were crushed by the Eagles in a 40-22 blowout at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Booed
Kelce had an uneventful game, managing just 39 yards on four catches. At halftime, the Eagles led 24-0, and Kelce had yet to make a single reception. As if that wasn’t bad enough for the Chiefs and Kelce, Swift found herself in the middle of a harsh backlash as well.
Eagles’ fans in New Orleans apparently had not forgotten the “Cruel Summer” singer’s past support for the Eagles before switching to the Chiefs.
When the superstar singer appeared on the big screen, the merciless boos from fans echoed throughout the stadium.
MAGA ‘unforgiving’
Although many believe the boos stemmed from Swift’s shift in team loyalty, Donald Trump had a different take, praising “MAGA” supporters for taking a stand against her.
Immediately after the boos, Trump – reportedly the first sitting President at a Super Bowl game – took the opportunity to heckle the unsuspecting Swift on Truth Social.
“The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!” Trump wrote.
‘Mortified’
The “Fortnight” singer looked genuinely shocked and said something to rapper Ice Spice, who was seated next to her, sparking speculation over their verbal exchange.
Professional lip reader NJ Hickling told the Daily Mail that she believes the “Bad Blood” singer said, “aww what, what’s going on.”
Now, Darren Stanton – a body language expert – is weighing in on Swift’s physical response to the resounding boos.
“At the point the crowd starts booing, Taylor’s eyes open wide. Initially, we see a combination of shock, disbelief and feeling pretty embarrassed,” Stanton suggests of the singer, who can’t seem to “Shake it Off.”
“She tries to laugh it off, but it’s clearly caught her off guard and hit a nerve. 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. Ice Spice then looks at Taylor to see her reaction to being booed.”
“We then see Ice Spice tilt and dip her head down which denotes shame, she’s feeling mortified for Taylor. She’s trying to help her get past the awkward moment as quickly as possible.
‘Internally affected’
Next, Stanton said Swift was “showing the most fake smile,” which he claims is “a masking gesture”
“She shows a massive masking smile. These are normal, genuine reactions from Taylor, it’s real emotion and she does absolutely feel embarrassed,” Stanton said. He adds the popstar was “internally affected” by the boos, and though “she knows [the fans were] not there for her,” the jeers were not “the response she was expecting.”
“Taylor is tucking her chin in, which is an indicator she wants to make herself physically smaller and shows her upset at the boos.” This he adds, is “something people do to help them feel less exposed.”
“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,” Stanton said.
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