Here’s What Body Language Experts Think About THAT Hug Between JD Vance And Erika Kirk

One of the standout moments of the Kirk-Vance interaction is Kirk’s hand placement; she physically holds Vance’s head and has her fingers in his hair during their onstage hug.

“That’s a super-intimate move, but beyond that, it controls his attention — so, she’s controlling what he’s looking at,” said Traci Brown, a body language expert and behavior analyst.

“In the hug, also, they’re pressed up against each other, he is smiling, and the little crème de la crème on the sexual aspect of that interaction, besides the pelvis placement, is she’s running her hands through his hair,” said Patti Wood, a body language and nonverbal communication expert and author of SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma.

“She’s got her hands inside of his hair, and if you look at the fingers, there’s a tightening, that’s a curling around of the fingers, meaning she is pulling him closer,” said Wood.

This move shows affection, said Karen Donaldson, a communication and body language expert. “It suggests, or signals, she’s comfortable. And there’s some type of familiarity there. He’s familiar to her as well,” Donaldson explained.

Vance didn’t pull away from her embrace, and “his facial expressions are positive,” Wood said. “So, he’s into it,” Wood said.

The other stand-out moment from this interaction is Vance’s hand placement on Kirk’s waist during their hug. “His hands drop to her hips, and that is not formal, and that is, in many instances, not appropriate. However, it’s what they’re doing,” Brown said.

Kirk doesn’t recoil when this happens, “so, there is much more going on … could it be a deep friendship? Yeah. Could it be more than that? Absolutely. Is there any one move that says, ‘Hey, they’re a couple now?’ No, there’s not,” said Brown.

Professional touch tends to be higher on the body — think shoulder pats and handshakes. “When we go just below the lower part of your ribs, that’s someone’s intimate space. That signals that there’s a connection, but it’s a little bit more on the intimate side,” Donaldson said.

Intimate space doesn’t always mean romantic, though, Donaldson added.

In body language analysis, there’s something called proxemics, which is how experts read the amount of space between people, according to Donaldson. This is used to determine how someone is feeling, their power, and their connection to those in their space.