No Pockets - What do I do with my hands?

[BEEDEE]

Why do you think Prince Charles clasps hishands behind his back?

Who got that from his father, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Brian

[Frank McGrath]

One arm around the lady on your left and the other arm around the lady on your right.

[O'Callaghan]

If I'm standing around , I often have them sort of clasped behind my back. Sometimes I think I've started having my thumbs tucked into the top of my belt sort of like a kilted-cowboy haha. But I'm usually not standing around in any way for very long.

You could stand with your clenched fists on your hips sort of like Superman

I think Superman should have worn a kilt instead of those red underwear on the outside of some tights but I'm getting off topic

A bit awkward when flying! OTOH, Supergirl wears a short skirt and has the power to fly, so i don't know how that works out!

[CopperNGold]

No offense to your parents, but that is quite possibly one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Making judgments about someone's character by what they are doing with their hands? Really? And they thought this tidbit of wisdom was worth passing on to others?

There could be a million reasons someone puts their hands in their pockets or fidgets. Shoulder or elbow pain could make it uncomfortable to let one's arms hang straight or clasp them behind the back. Or their hands may just be cold. Heck, someone may have just had too much coffee and feels fidgety, or they're stressed out from work and being fidgety helps them compensate. Trying to judge someone's morals or self-esteem like that is not only inaccurate, it's just plain wrong.

Sorry for the rant, but it really irks me that some people feel the need to walk around judging others in the first place, but especially over nonsensical, meaningless stuff like this. I think a person has more self-esteem if they do what they want with their hands than someone who is always trying to pose properly to make sure others think he has strength.

Both of my parents were attorneys. At a face-to-face with a client or potential client, hand and face gestures are some of the things attorneys, police, psychologists and doctors and even juries watch closely.

I wasn't trying to make a personal judgement about anybody here because I have not met them face-to-face. I hope you do not take offense.

[gary meakin]

Like CopperNGold I was taught that stuffing your hands in your pockets was bad manners.
Up 'til now I hadn't given any thought as to what I do with them.
I guess now I will.
thanks

[Zardoz]

Wow, more than 50 posts, some quite quarrelsome, about hand positions! You would think we were discussing something really important like white hose or ties....

For what it's worth, the things CopperNGold's parents told him, right or wrong are certainly accepted 'rules of thumb' among many folks in the south, my grandmother was a big fan of that theory, applying it to everyone from political figures to my school friends.
Like it or not that sort of thing is pretty well ingrained in society, at least around here, I mentioned this thread to a friend yesterday and he actually mentioned a few people in the public eye that he had strong opinions about because of the hand thing. His example relatable to this forum was that he thinks Prince Charles is a little nuts because of his vest pocket thing. (disclamer; I do not think Prince Charles is nuts because of his vest pocket thing, so no flames)

I'll say while I was always taught to avoid the pockets, I like to keep my hands still, if I don't have my stick, a girl or a drink to hang on to, I'll stick my tumbs in my sporran strap or clasp my hands in front, right over left, in what I call funeral rest as that's what you always see funeral directors do.

Examples;
here's me with idle hands, at funeral reast;


And here's more optimal hand positions;

[MacLowlife]

Appearances may be deceiving, but we form opinions based on them all of the time. A hundred years ago, when taking pictures meant sending them off to get them developed, a friend helped me shoot some of me pulling my shirt off (like Superman) to reveal a tee shirt underneath with a message. Because I didn't know better, I posed with my hands unbuttoning my shirt. The pictures came back looking a little like an illustration for "how to pick up girls" with a guy's head in place- instead of looking mighty, I looked like I was demurely getting ready for bed. The reason was that my hands looked wrong. Superman clenches his and you can see the force in his arms.

NOT to demean or criticize any armed service or armed service member, present or former, but parade rest does not look relaxed- and it makes you look like a servicemember in civilian clothes. Similarly, relaxing with your arms crossed can make you look like you are itching for a fight. Putting your fists on your hips sometimes looks that way, too, or makes you look impatient. Going back and forth makes you look nervous.

If you are "meeting" a law enforcement officer, for instance, you may not want to look impatient or itchy. I read recently about something called the "felony stretch" that leads some officers to believe you are releasing tension because you are feeling guilty. Well, aren't we ALL feeling a little bit guilty?

I used to do the Jack Benny: rest one elbow in the other hand and rest your chin and jaw in the top hand. It makes you look thoughtful, if only a little bit self-parodying. Lately, I prefer putting my hands in my jacket pockets. The implications of the trouser pockets are eliminated and the disruption to the lines of the garment is less, too.

I think the best plan is to practice three or four different stances- get to be comfortable in all of them and get comfortable in general. If you are standing in a line or alongside a number of other people, decide whether you want to look like them ( on a parade ground or as a pallbearer or groomsman) or different (meeting attractive strangers or customers) and adjust your stance accordingly.

and let your breath out. You look great.

[MacLowlife]

The worst is what to do with your hands while wearing a bathing suit.

[cruiser348]

I normally stand with my hands behind my back personally, just what I find comfortable though because I do it no matter what type of garment is covering my lower half. However, that changes when walking with my wife at which point I generally have her arm cradled with mine.

I must say that I greatly appreciate Zardov taking the time to post examples. As a very visual learning I was happy to intently study the second one to be sure I had the post down properly.

[markv]

This just occurred to me when I read Zardoz's post. The strong opinions about good or bad placement of the hands either 'in the pockets' or 'out of the pockets' reminds me of Dr. Seuss's The Butter Battle Book. You were either Butter Side Up or Butter Side Down. Very interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butter_Battle_Book

-Mark