How does Casey Anthony give off the vibes she does?

[Ronald C. Semone]

I don't know whether she did it or not and I really don't know the details of the case, but every picture I have seen of Casey Anthony gives me the impression that she is an incredibly selfish woman. Do you feel the same way? Why? I can't put my finger on it. What is there about her facial expression tht conveys this idea?

[YaraMateo]

She always has a weird expression on her face. She always looks like her time being wasted and she's not paying attention. I have to say, she looks mildly retarded in every picture I've seen.

[Living Well Is Best Revenge]

It's a mix of white trash, spoiled princess, and lack of self awareness.

[Ronald C. Semone]

I agree with the two previous posters. But what is it that conveys these impressions? The set of her mouth? The arch of her eyebrows? Etc. I guess I'm asking the larger question of how a face can express a complex emotion.

[AuntiePam]

I think it's her eyes. It's like she's not looking at others, she's looking at them looking at her. Like other people are her mirror.

[Cat Whisperer]

Looking at pictures of her, it's her eyes and her mouth, I believe.

[Ambivalid]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

I think it's her eyes. It's like she's not looking at others, she's looking at them looking at her. Like other people are her mirror.

I like this answer.

[Merneith]

And yet, in every Casey Anthony thread, someone will pop in and talk about how hot she is. I don't get it.

[voltaire]

I think it's her eyebrows, which have been plucked almost to oblivion, that gives her that "just not right" look. I mean, look at those things!

[Living Well Is Best Revenge]

Originally Posted by Merneith

And yet, in every Casey Anthony thread, someone will pop in and talk about how hot she is. I don't get it.

She is attractive, except for that whole child murderer thing....

[eclectic wench]

I haven't seen Casey Anthony so I don't know if this applies, but when I've had that instinctive impression of someone, it's been not because of the facial expression itself but because of the lack of expression, or the lack of reactivity in the expression. Someone who's listening to an account of something terrible, but whose expression doesn't flinch or change in response - because she's not thinking about the actual terrible thing, she's calculating how it affects her personally or how she can benefit from it. It implies the lack of empathy that can be a sign of psychopathy and is definitely a sign of self-centredness.

[Ambivalid]

Originally Posted by voltaire

I think it's her eyebrows, which have been plucked almost to oblivion, that gives her that "just not right" look. I mean, look at those things!

Phsst! That's nothing! There are plenty of women out there who literally pluck every damn hair out of their eyebrows and then paint on what they want them to look like. THAT is creepy shit.

[LurkerInNJ]

Originally Posted by Merneith

And yet, in every Casey Anthony thread, someone will pop in and talk about how hot she is. I don't get it.

Me either. She's average.

[Toucanna]

Completely plucked eyebrows are creepy? For sure!



___________________
Actually, I do find it creepy on most women. It's just that La Liz could really rock that look.

[ZPG Zealot]

She appears calm and too many people for some reason are suspicious of that. They expect a highly emotional grieving mother. Not conforming to the stereotype was what got Casey Anthony in trouble.

[voltaire]

Originally Posted by ZPG Zealot

Not conforming to the stereotype was what got Casey Anthony in trouble.

Yeah, I'm sure that's it. Her only mistake was being too calm.

[foolsguinea]

Are you maybe seeing in her what you expect to see? The photo voltaire linked isn't giving me any of that.

[Pyper]

While I think most of this is just people projecting their own dislike on to her (if she was just some woman walking down the street, no one would be pegging her as a selfish psychopath), she does always have her lips pursed which gives her a slightly pouty expression.

[DigitalC]

Originally Posted by LurkerInNJ

Me either. She's average.

Not being fat already puts her a fair chunk above average, she is fairly attractive.

[Cat Fight]

Originally Posted by Ronald C. Semone

I don't know whether she did it or not and I really don't know the details of the case, but every picture I have seen of Casey Anthony gives me the impression that she is an incredibly selfish woman.

Could it be the extensive coverage of a trial wherein she was accused of a horrific crime (and seems to have gotten off but still come off as a socoiopath)?

Without any context, this could be some plucky freedom fighter.

Oh but Pyper's right. She does seem to purse her lips a lot, which tends to make me think of awful MySpace photos. But without knowing her, it's hard to say what faces she normally makes (e.g. when she's bored, trying not to cry, angry, etc.).

[ZPG Zealot]

Originally Posted by eclectic wench

I haven't seen Casey Anthony so I don't know if this applies, but when I've had that instinctive impression of someone, it's been not because of the facial expression itself but because of the lack of expression, or the lack of reactivity in the expression. Someone who's listening to an account of something terrible, but whose expression doesn't flinch or change in response - because she's not thinking about the actual terrible thing, she's calculating how it affects her personally or how she can benefit from it. It implies the lack of empathy that can be a sign of psychopathy and is definitely a sign of self-centredness.

More likely it implies he or she simply has good control of their emotions either by cultural training or natural temperment. It really bothers me how people expect women to always peform emotionally for an audience. Some people keep things to themselves and quite honestly I perfer someone like that to a drama queen. I don't see Casey Anthony's expression as that odd. Her daughter is dead, if she wanted the kid, she may want to be alone with her grief and not perform for strangers or have people that knew nothing about her or her family leach emotion off of her. If she didn't want the kid, she's displaying the appropriate courtesy of not smirking with glee, but trying to keep her expression neutral through this entire mess.

[LouisB]

She looks like trouble.

[Crazyhorse]

I don't know that she does give off any vibes. By the first time I ever saw a photo of her I already knew the charges against her. From then on they were all photos taken and printed with that in mind. The photographers get back to the office with 1000 photos to choose from, they select ones with expressions that feed into the current public perceptions of the subject. Its kind of like a person having 3 years of only photos taken mid-sneeze or mid-blink published, with no editorial control over them.

If there was never a 'Casey Anthony story', a tragic death, or criminal trial, and she were completely unknown, and we knew zero details about her life or past, it would be very unlikely anyone would honestly think they could read so much into her personality simply by looking at her basic appearance and features.

[Starving Artist]

Her facial expressions and mouth strike me as odd. Even in her partying photos her mouth seems to smile but not her eyes, and when she smiles her mouth turns up at an odd angle, almost like a rounded "v". Plus it seems to move in odd ways; as she was being pronounced not guilty you couldn't tell from her facial expressions what she was feeling. She looks a little gaunt facially, and her mouth seems to be in sort of a permanent pout, as mentioned before.

Still, in my opinion she is definitely above average in attractiveness. Sometimes she can even look hot. But I expect she would be nothing but trouble and frustration to become romantically involved with.

At times like this I'm reminded of a joke Sampiro once told about the way men react to attractive women. The story goes that a man meets an extremely attractive woman sitting alone at a bar and starts a conversation with her. After a while it turns out that she was only recently released from prison after having poisoned her husband. The man's reaction: "Oh, so you're single then?"

Seems like men are always willing to take their chances if the woman is good-looking enough.

[Gary T]

I've seen plenty of photos that show her with that unsettling hollow gaze. But in googling to study that look, I found quite a few that seem to show a variety of expressions, without that psycho vibe.

A, B, C, D, E, F

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Starving Artist

<snip> Sometimes she can even look hot.<snip>

Hello, Duckface.

[BigT]

Originally Posted by ZPG Zealot

More likely it implies he or she simply has good control of their emotions either by cultural training or natural temperment. It really bothers me how people expect women to always peform emotionally for an audience. Some people keep things to themselves and quite honestly I perfer someone like that to a drama queen. I don't see Casey Anthony's expression as that odd. Her daughter is dead, if she wanted the kid, she may want to be alone with her grief and not perform for strangers or have people that knew nothing about her or her family leach emotion off of her. If she didn't want the kid, she's displaying the appropriate courtesy of not smirking with glee, but trying to keep her expression neutral through this entire mess.

It's not just women. If a man does it, it looks wrong, too. It is scientifically proven to be impossible to completely hide one's emotions. You can make them more and more subtle, but you can't get rid of them. For example, a genuine smile is impossible to fake, as those eye muscles respond subconsciously.

There's a reason why actors try to actually feel what they are doing. If they don't, their faces will betray that they are pretending.

Finally, if she doesn't want the kid, that's enough for most people. In our society, you are (mostly) free to not want to have kids, but you are expected to love the ones you do have. You aren't helping your case by acting like it's acceptable that she would want to smile with glee at her daughter's death.

BTW, I think I can explain her expressions without her being a psychopath: she's scared shitless, and jumped into that natural self-preservation instinct. And, no, her guilt or innocence does not matter in that case.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by Cat Whisperer

Hello, Duckface.

Yes. Why do so many women seem to think that is so incredibly hot? It makes me think drunk.

In fact, SA, you are the first guy I've heard of who seems to like that facial expression.

[Becky2844]

to me she usually looks petulant. maybe that's why some ppl think she's hot---pouty, sex-kitteny like?

[ZPG Zealot]

[quote=BigT;14034045]Finally, if she doesn't want the kid, that's enough for most people. In our society, you are (mostly) free to not want to have kids, but you are expected to love the ones you do have. [quote]

Not to hijack, but I think that is a serious problem we have in this society. Abusing your kids should be a crime, not loving them is a personal choice that should be respected.

[Telemark]

Originally Posted by foolsguinea

Are you maybe seeing in her what you expect to see? The photo voltaire linked isn't giving me any of that.

This is what I think too. People have decided that she's evil and therefore they see that in every photo of her. Editors have also probably selected the least flattering (or creepy) photos of her to publish rather than the normal looking ones.

[Ellen Cherry]

A big part of A Cry in the Dark ("a dingo ate my baby") was this very subject: the unsympathetic nature of the mother, her strange religion/culture, and how she didn't seem to perform the role of grieving mother adequately enough for the television coverage of the trial. And also how Australian society was so obsessed with talking about this very point.

(Forgive me if I don't the precise details right; it's been years since I saw this movie.)

[Annie-Xmas]

Diane Downs, who was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one and paralyzing two, claims her demeanor was the cause of her guilty verdict. Since she had been taught not to show emotion in public, she was very expressionless.

[Eyebrows 0f Doom]

Originally Posted by BigT

You aren't helping your case by acting like it's acceptable that she would want to smile with glee at her daughter's death.

That's exactly ZPG's case. She thinks that should be acceptable. She's a fringe loony who tries to claim her "unique" beliefs come from her culture, when actually she's just a lone nutball. Anything she says regarding children is just crazy rantings of a disturbed mind.

[Pyper]

Originally Posted by Annie-Xmas

Diane Downs, who was found guilty of shooting her three children, killing one and paralyzing two, claims her demeanor was the cause of her guilty verdict. Since she had been taught not to show emotion in public, she was very expressionless.

While her strange demeanor may have raised a few eyebrows, she was actually convicted because her story was full of holes and because her daughter testified that her mother shot her.

[ZPG Zealot]

Originally Posted by BigT

You aren't helping your case by acting like it's acceptable that she would want to smile with glee at her daughter's death.

My point is it should be acceptable in that it shouldn't be allowed to affect anyone's opinion of her guilt or innocence. Not liking a kid isn't a crime. Being glad about someone's death isn't a crime. If it were most of the country should have turned themselves in the night the SEALS brought down Osama bin Laden.

[DiosaBellissima]

Originally Posted by BigT

EDIT:


Yes. Why do so many women seem to think that is so incredibly hot? It makes me think drunk.

Allow me to settle this once and for all: while there certainly are some dummies who think they look super skinny and OMGHAWT when they make that face, most of us (semi normal folks) are just joking when we do it. Looks like someone probably said, "Hey, Casey! Turn around!" and she made a stupid face for the camera. She looks like she's doing "Blue Steel" from Zoolander, tbh. It's no different than someone sticking their tongue out in a picture or whatever other silly faces people do.

Of course, that all presupposes that Casey Anthony is semi-normal. . . which, ya know, yeah.

[Susanann]

Casey Anthony has Charisma.

It is as simple as that.

That is why the whole world is interested in Casey. No matter what else anyone says, whether you hate her or love her, Casey has Charisma.

[Omar Little]

Originally Posted by Susanann

Casey Anthony has Charisma.

It is as simple as that.

That is why the whole world is interested in Casey. No matter what else anyone says, whether you hate her or love her, Casey has Charisma.

Killing your child gives you charisma? That's a new one to me.

[DiosaBellissima]

Originally Posted by Omar Little

Killing your child gives you charisma? That's a new one to me.

She absorbed the child's essence. Duh.

[Push You Down]

Originally Posted by Omar Little

Killing your child gives you charisma? That's a new one to me.

..not what was said.


I think the idea is that she has charisma regardless if she killed her child or not.

[Omar Little]

Susanann said that the whole world is interested in Casey because she has charisma. No, they're interested in her because she got away with murder.

Well maybe killing your kid doesn't give you charisma, but it apparently will get you a trip to the Virgin Islands: http://newsrace.com/2011/07/19/where...irgin-islands/

[Nzinga, Seated]

Originally Posted by Omar Little

Susanann said that the whole world is interested in Casey because she has charisma. No, they're interested in her because she got away with murder...

Well, she had a whole hell of a lot of people riveted long before she got away with the murder.

[simster]

Originally Posted by Susanann

Casey Anthony has Charisma.

It is as simple as that.

That is why the whole world is interested in Casey. No matter what else anyone says, whether you hate her or love her, Casey has Charisma.

I think there's a shot she can get for that.

[Omar Little]

Originally Posted by Nzinga, Seated

Well, she had a whole hell of a lot of people riveted long before she got away with the murder.

Something tells me it was more about the accusations about her, than her alleged charisma.

[KneadToKnow]

Originally Posted by Living Well Is Best Revenge

lack of self awareness.

In spades.

How do you get caught doing that while on trial for what she was on trial for? All that's missing is a little word balloon with "Muah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

[Nzinga, Seated]

Originally Posted by Omar Little

Something tells me it was more about the accusations about her, than her alleged charisma.

Something tells me you're right. Also, the fact that people find her attractive may have factored in.

[Hypnagogic Jerk]

Originally Posted by KneadToKnow

In spades.

How do you get caught doing that while on trial for what she was on trial for? All that's missing is a little word balloon with "Muah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

She's just listening to someone's testimony in that picture.

I agree with those who say that people are projecting what they think of her onto her pictures. Especially since there are so many pictures of her, some of which are bound to look strange. (And they are the ones which are likely to be shown in the media.)

[Yllaria]

Originally Posted by KneadToKnow

. . . All that's missing is a little word balloon with "Muah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

If I put a thought balloon on it, it would be: "Don't yawn. Don't yawn. Don't yawn. . . ".

And did you know that the plural of charisma is charismata?

[Living Well Is Best Revenge]

Originally Posted by Susanann

Casey Anthony has Charisma.

It is as simple as that.

That is why the whole world is interested in Casey. No matter what else anyone says, whether you hate her or love her, Casey has Charisma.

What an odd thing to say. It's the god awful things she did and was accused of doing that made people interested in her. Secondary would probably be her looks and reported slutty behavior. "Charisma" wouldn't make the top 20 reasons.

ETA, and who the hell loves her? Her own parents want nothing to do with her. She might be the most universally hated person in America right now. No one "loves" her.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Originally Posted by Susanann

Casey Anthony has Charisma.

It is as simple as that.

That is why the whole world is interested in Casey. No matter what else anyone says, whether you hate her or love her, Casey has Charisma.

Like the majority of your posts, this comment makes no sense and in fact appears to reflect the opposite of reality.

I cannot begin to fathom the "hot" comments, either. I wouldn't give her a second glance if I passed her in the mall, dragging her curiously sleepy kid in tow. She resembles Sarah Silverman, if she'd spent most of her childhood in an attic eating lead paint chips. At best, she looks squarely average teetering on skank---in her less flattering photos, she could be the artist's model for a cartoon mule.