It's hardly a secret that Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are one of Hollywood's cutest couples ever. Seriously, regardless of where they are or what they're doing, there's no denying that these two have enough love for one another to fill multiple football stadiums. That's why seeing Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard's body language at the 2019 Golden Globes left me a little confused. They were looking mighty fine in their Golden Globes looks, but body language experts said they didn't seem like their usually bubbly selves.
I think part of what makes Shepard and Bell so likable is that they don't seem to put as much effort into seeming perfect and squeaky-clean like so many other celebrity couples do. Not only is it easy to picture them hanging out on the couch in sweatpants with some Ben & Jerry's, but unlike many other famous duos, they've been surprisingly vocal about their ups and downs. And let's be honest: People in long-term relationships experience both good times and bad, so it's always refreshing to see reality mirrored in Hollywood. To get some professional input on how these two were vibing at the Globes, I spoke to body language experts Traci Brown and Patti Wood. Here were their surprising thoughts.
According to Wood, this 'Gram shows Shepard flashing a spontaneous look Bell's way, but it's not clear what's going on in her head.
"They're standing fairly close, but could be closer," Brown tells Elite Daily. "They're looking each other in the eye but certainly don't have lit up smiles for each other."
It's easy to understand why, after their bazillionth red carpet appearance together, they might've just been looking forward to being back in their bed snuggling. In fact, after the Globes, Bell shared an adorable Instagram story of the two of them lounging on a coach eating leftovers, along with a super sweet shot of Shepard ironically eating gluten-free crackers with butter. Her caption? "GAWD I love this man." So, it's probably safe to say they're doing just fine.
"He looks exhausted here and a bit put out," Wood tells Elite Daily. "Notice the glare in his eyes and the strong twist of his mouth to one side in an effort to keep his feelings in. You can also see her look with a little bit of wistful sadness and her elbow doesn’t have its firm sass."
Brown agrees that Shepard's tilted smile could mean that he's feeling frustrated, and because of this, the couple doesn't appear to be as relaxed together as they normally are. But can we really blame them? After spending hours getting ready, TBH, it's human AF to be too tired to pretend like you're not totally over it.
"They're clowning around here mostly," Brown notes. "But he doesn't have his right hand on her like he could and it's a missed opportunity for connection."
Even though they don't appear to be in their usual lovey-dovey form, they were both still willing to pull out their silly sides, so it might just be that they were probably trying to make the best of their time on the carpet.
According to both Brown and Wood, this playful picture was a bit curtailed by their body positioning and facial expressions, so it's hard to say exactly what's going on here. It looks like Shepard is trying to imitate Bell's stance. On the surface it may read silly, but upon further inspection, both experts saw something more.
"She looks a little worried, he looks a bit angry," says Brown. "And they're both standing with their hands on their hips, not a loving embrace."
This could just be Bell trying to pull off a killer smize. Similar to my fourth grade school picture, maybe they were going for funny and fierce, and accidentally ended up looking like they were ready for a major clap back. Either way, it's always important to remember that celebrities are normal people who probably don't always feel like posing for pictures for hours.
Despite their red carpet body language, there's need to fret, y'all. Bell verbally confirmed at the Golden Globes that her relationship is a happy one. "Rumors aren't really anything," she told Us Weekly, referring to allegations made by Julie Andrew's granddaughter Kayti Edwardsthat Shepard had cheated on Bell two years into their relationship. "We have a happy marriage and if people don't want to believe it, that's their problem."
That said, it's hard to know exactly what's going on between any couple purely from posed pictures taken in a high-pressure situation. At the end of the day they're still bosses, and if anything, props to them for keeping it real.
