Gwyneth Paltrow arrived in court yesterday for her trial over a 2016 skiing accident looking like she’d had “a status and confidence boost,” said body language expert Judi James.
Paltrow, 50, appeared in court Wednesday on the second day of her trial, where she is accused of colliding with 76-year-old Terry Sanderson on Feb. 26, 2016 during a beginner’s run at Utah’s exclusive Deer Valley Resort.
The Oscar-winner nodded gently and wrote what appeared to be notes as she watched her attorneys speak in her defense, arguing that Paltrow didn’t hit Sanderson and she was the crash victim instead.
Body language expert Judi James told Web that Paltrow’s notes and her decision to strike a “superior pose” in which she lifted her chin and looked down at her nose meant she “often acted like a member of the legal team herself looked”.
Throughout the day, her body language oscillated between “strutting confidence” and more of “vulnerable self-deprecating” — before eventually striking a “classic A-list” pose that made her appear confident and in control.
Here Judi analyzes James Paltrow’s body language on day two of her trial for Web.
Paltrow, 50, appeared in court on the second day of her trial on Wednesday (pictured)
Terry Sanderson, 76, (pictured in court Tuesday) sued the Oscar winner in January 2019, alleging that she hit him in the back and left the scene of the rookie run at Utah’s exclusive Deer Valley Resort on February 26, 2016
Body language expert Judi James (pictured) told Web that Paltrow’s notes and her decision to strike a “superior pose” in which she lifted her chin and looked down her nose meant she “often acted like a member of the legal team looked like”. ‘
Superiority and self-confidence light up
As Paltrow entered the courtroom yesterday to face Sanderson, who is suing the actress for $300,000 over the 2016 skiing accident, she looked like she’d gotten a “confidence glow.”
Paltrow, wearing a cream cardigan and holding a pen, was seen talking intensely to a man as she entered the courtroom and moved to her seat.
James said: “In her corporate-chic cream cardigan and pen in hand, Paltrow arrived in court on the second day looking like she’d had a status and confidence glow-up.
“Her body language looked lively and she entered mid-conversation by walking in front of a man with her neck craned back to ensure she could continue the conversation.
“Apparently engrossed in this conversation, Paltrow used hand gestures, including her pen, to imply that she was the one making confident points.
As she listened to the proceedings in the courtroom, Paltrow also struck a “superior pose in which she raises her chin, raises her eyebrows, and looks down her nose while pursing her lips,” James said
As Paltrow entered the courtroom yesterday to confront Sanderson, who is suing the actress for $300,000 over the 2016 skiing accident, she looked like she had a “confidence glow.”
Paltrow, wearing a cream cardigan and holding a pen, was seen talking intensely to a man as she entered the courtroom and moved to her seat
Paltrow then walked across the courtroom, her large bag slung over her arm, and made her way to her seat
“She barely glanced into the courtroom when she arrived, which is a rare and rather counterintuitive gesture as people usually have to inspect new territory or new people when they arrive in a room or group, so that was the clue again that Paltrow felt in a confident mood.
Paltrow then walked across the courtroom, her large bag slung over her arm, and made her way to her seat.
“There was a faint asymmetrical smile and then what becomes a signature tucking in her bottom lip as she sat down, indicating she was bracing for the day,” James said.
As she listened to the proceedings in the courtroom, Paltrow also struck a “superior pose in which she raises her chin, raises her eyebrows, and looks down her nose while pursing her lips,” James said.
“She gently nodded her team’s points to the judge and wrote what appeared to be notes during the hearing of evidence, and often looked like a member of the legal team herself, especially when wearing her glasses or looking over them.”
As she listened to the proceedings in the courtroom, Paltrow also struck a “superior pose in which she raises her chin, raises her eyebrows, and looks down her nose while pursing her lips,” James said
“By gently nodding her team’s points to the judge and writing what appeared to be notes during the hearing of evidence, she herself often looked like a member of the legal team, especially when wearing her glasses or looking over her glasses,” James said
Classic A-list
After the break, Paltrow walked into the courtroom confidently and struck a “more classic A-list pose,” James said.
Paltrow’s head was high as she walked in with a bottle of green juice in one arm and walked amidst her legal team.
James said: “Paltrow arrived after the break in a more classic A-list pose, cradling a large green bottle in one arm and walking amidst her legal team.
“As she sat down, she wiped her nose with her fingers and then with the back of her hand, as if mentally preparing for the next session.”
After the break, Paltrow walked into the courtroom confidently and struck a “more classic A-list pose,” James said
Paltrow’s head was high as she walked in with a bottle of green juice in one arm and walked amidst her legal team. She sipped the juice during the procedure
Pictured: Gwyneth Paltrow in a social media post the year before the crash at Utah’s Deer Valley Resort. She captioned the post: “20 years later and I still get it #justlikeridingabike”
spreads trust
On the second day of her trial, Paltrow, who claims Sanderson collided with her and not the other way around, appeared selectively confident.
She played with her hair and once raised her arms as if to tie a ponytail. It allowed Paltrow to raise her elbows and bare her armpits.
While playing with your own hair can be a sign of vulnerability, James says showing off her armpits can be a sign of “splaying and confidence.”
She said: “Hair fiddling can be another self-soothing ritual, but here it also allows for raising your elbows and baring your armpits.
“Pit-baring can be a gesture of straddle and confidence — like someone sitting at work with their hands behind their head and elbows spread when speaking to you in a meeting — and sitting with that forward-facing gesture, only suggested That.’
She played with her hair and once raised her arms as if to tie a ponytail. It allowed Paltrow to raise her elbows and bare her armpits. While playing with your own hair can be a sign of vulnerability, James says showing off her armpits can be a sign of “splaying and confidence.”
On the second day of her trial, Paltrow, who claims Sanderson collided with her and not the other way around, appeared selectively confident
The trial over the Deer Valley Resort incident (pictured) began yesterday in Park City District Court
By the end of the session, Paltrow appeared ready to go home and there was no apparent desire to cover her face with her file — as she had done on the first day of the trial.
James said: “Again, Paltrow looked like she wanted to be like the girl who can’t wait to be the first to get out of class when the bell rings.
“She even seemed to stop twice on the way out just to check. On the second day, however, there was no apparent desire to hide her face or hide behind her portfolio. With a polite smile, she held the folder down here by her side.”
Vulnerable self-mitigating
While Paltrow displayed confidence at some points on the second day of the hearing, there were points where she appeared nervous and vulnerable.
James said: “Her body language vacillated between confident strutting and vulnerable self-deprecation.
“Like the first day, there were some other self-prep rituals, including a little wiping of her upper lip.”
James added that Paltrow blinked rapidly at points, indicating she was nervous.
“There was a quick blink that could indicate inner tension or anxiety beneath the often confident-looking exterior, as well as some squirming in her seat to indicate discomfort caused by the positioning of the cameras her team pulled up.”
While Paltrow displayed confidence at some points on the second day of the hearing, there were points where she appeared nervous and vulnerable
Paltrow also played with her hair, straightening it and pulling it out of her face
“She spent time performing emphatic hand rituals with her hair, pulling it back and smoothing it with both hands,” James said
During the hearing, Paltrow listened to evidence and rested her chin on her hand before sucking in her lips
While Paltrow displayed confidence at some points on the second day of the hearing, there were points where she appeared nervous and vulnerable
During the hearing, Paltrow listened to evidence and rested her chin on her hand before sucking in her lips.
Paltrow struck a listening pose that suggested some detachment as she leaned away with her right hand on the desk and her left to support her chin and face.
James said: “There was a moment where it looked like an assessment as her fingers were placed on the side of her face and she sucked in her lips.
“At some points she would be huddled in her seat, reading from papers on the desk in front of her, or reclining with her arms crossed above the waist in a self-hugging ritual.”
Paltrow also played with her hair, straightening it and pulling it out of her face.
“She spent time performing emphatic hand rituals with her hair, pulling it back and smoothing it with both hands.”