Interaction Between Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner Showed ‘There Isn’t a Friendship There’
People have been buzzing over the interaction Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner shared after the New York Knicks came back from a 29-point deficit in Game 4 of the NBA Finals to beat the San Antonio Spurs.
Jenner, who attended the game on June 10 at Madison Square Garden with her boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, wore a custom double-denim outfit from Chrome Hearts, while Swift rocked a royal blue tee that read “Stevie Knicks” in orange lettering, paying tribute to the music legend and repping the Knicks.
After the win, the two women were seen hugging. Jenner then said to Swift, “Wasn’t that crazy?!” before walking away, and the internet lit up with plenty of reactions to what everyone saw.
In case anyone needs a refresher, their quick embrace was such a surprise because of the bad blood between Swift and Jenner’s sister, Kim Kardashian, over their public, years-long feud.
Back in 2016, when Kardashian was married to West, she released an edited phone call between Swift and the rapper talking about West’s song “Famous” and its lyrics mentioning the pop star. Swift later released her track “Look What You Made Me Do,” which many believe was a reference to the feud. The “Shake It Off” singer’s tune “thanK you aIMee” is also thought to be a jab at Kardashian.
So how genuine was Jenner and Swift’s courtside interaction? Here’s what an expert noticed.
Darren Stanton is a body language and behavioral expert with a degree in psychology. He previously worked as a police officer and used his expertise to uncover the truth when interviewing hundreds of suspects. He later moved into media and TV as a consultant and has been dubbed the “Human Lie Detector.”
Speaking on behalf of OLBG, Stanton told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “I don’t think they are particularly close. This moment was more of a social hug rather than a deep friendship hug. Kylie’s expression was a fake surprise; she was initially surprised, but any microexpression of surprise that lasts longer than a few seconds is famed.”
The expert continued, “The smile is also a socially-engineered smile; it’s out of politeness. The hug lasted a second, and if we look at Kylie’s body language, once the initial hug had been, her body position twisted to the left away from Taylor, and her head followed quite quickly. I don’t think they have any issues with each other, but it isn’t a deep friendship. It’s a social interaction.
“Taylor seems more genuine. Her facial muscles are more engaged. She seemed to initiate the interaction, and when Kylie turned away, Taylor stayed as she was, almost as though she was going to continue the interaction, but Kylie left her hanging. Taylor seems very humble and genuinely cares about her interactions.”
The Knicks now head to San Antonio to play in a crucial Game 5 on Saturday, June 13.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges that conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
