My condolences to Carrie Fisher's family and her loved-ones.
In the image above from the first Star Wars film (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope), Carrie Fisher's character, Princess Leia is pictured. Of course, she is acting - and yet there is an excellent nonverbal subtlety to be noted here - particularly Leia's mouth.
Carrie Fisher's lips are full. She was 19 years old at the time - and while there is of course a variation of 'Lip Fullness' from person to person - it is greater with relative youth. In fact, even in the absence of prior pics or memories to act as a baseline - with a little practice, evaluating lip fullness can be a fairly accurate way to assist in estimating the age of others (Lip fullness also tends to be greater in females).
Most people confuse 'Lip Fullness' with that of 'Pouty Lips' (of which there are several varieties, and which Carrie Fisher no doubt did display - just not in this moment) - yet these are not synonymous (and their differences will addressed in an upcoming post).
In addition to her lip fullness, Carrie Fisher is here exhibiting 'Lip Pursing' - and more specifically 'Loose Forward Lip Pursing'. A loose forward lip purse is indicative of a clandestine disagreement and/or a clandestine plan. Therefore when it is seen, take heed - for what is being said aloud vs. what is being thought and felt - are dramatically different. This is not an expression one makes when there is 'full and honest disclosure'.
In this example, the loose forward lip pursing is subtle to mild in degree, and thus when it's superimposed onto what are already full lips, it is somewhat difficult to discern. Yet it IS present - and even though this is seen within the context of acting, this very much mimics real-world nonverbal scenarios: anatomical variation overlapping with an emotional display.
Try making a mild lip purse right now. The mere act of forming this facial expression will make you truly 'feel in disagreement' and/or 'contemplative/planning'. Thus a lip purse is very much a nonverbal signal we would expect to see on Princes Leia's face had she been fighting against and/or escaping from The Empire.
Thank you Carrie Fisher. You will be missed.
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3798: Elle Fanning, Channing Tatum and Dialing Up the Alpha
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3796: Bryan Cranston, Donald Trump, Anxiety and Alpha Up-Regulators
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3794: Racist Rant at Jefferson Mall in Louisville
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3776: VP Elect Mike Pence Defends Trump's Claim of Voter Fraud
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3731: The 3rd Presidential Debate - Donald Trump v. Hillary Clinton - Part III - "Such a Nasty Woman"
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3670: Paul LePage's Voicemail Rant
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3589: Barack Obama's retort to Donald Trump regarding ISIS
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3445: Harrison Ford Re-enacts 'I Love You' Scene from Star Wars
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