How Taylor Swift really felt about getting booed at the Super Bowl, according to a body language expert
Taylor Swift seems to have had a pretty tough Super Bowl Sunday: Boyfriend Travis Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs were blown out 40-22 by the Philadelphia Eagles. On top of that, the crowd at the Caesars Superdome booed Tay when she came on the Jumbotron.
Naturally, the 35-year-old took it in stride. She playfully turned toward the camera, gave a side-eye, laughed a little, and then started talking to her longtime friend Ashley Avignone. 'What’s going on?' she appeared to say.
Even though Taylor didn't seem too fazed, the booing has made a ton of headlines. If anyone is wondering how Taylor handled that surprising backlash, her body language was pretty telling, according to expert Patti Wood. Here's how she thinks Taylor really felt about the incident.
Meet the expert: Patti Wood is the author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma.
Taylor went into fight-or-flight, but quickly recovered
Fight-or-flight mode usually starts with a moment where people freeze to try to process what’s going on, Wood points out. Taylor’s head is also down as she tries to think this out, which suggests she wants to briefly shield herself from the criticism. 'That tells me that this did impact her, but it was temporary', Wood says.
But Taylor recovered fast and even raised her head, suggesting she was feeling confident - even while being booed, Wood says.
She thought the moment was silly
Taylor’s reaction of giving a sly smile and side-eye at the camera was hilarious, and Wood says it was telling. 'Her smile is like a little kid’s smile', she says. 'It’s like somebody has done something naughty, and Taylor has caught them.'
This suggests Taylor thinks the whole thing is random and a little juvenile, but ultimately pretty funny, Wood says.
She can handle the criticism
After reacting to the camera, Taylor simply moved about her life. She shared a laugh with Ice Spice, who was sitting next to her, and kept on talking. 'The fact that they’re laughing together tells me that the energy in their suite is light', Wood says. While Ashley leaned back to check on her, Taylor kept her body positioned confidently.
'Taylor didn’t touch her friends, lean into them, or collapse down', Wood says. 'She just takes the moment. She’s the ultimate showman and professional.'
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