The Ultimate Body Language Book

at all since all you stand to lose is an arrogant acquaintance.
Chapter 8 – Dominant and Submissive Gestures
Leg Spreading
When leg spreading is overt, it can be a turn-off – especially in the workplace.
Another dominant gesture, where we put our manly prowess on display, women exempted, is the crotch
display. The legs can be spread while sitting or standing and depending on the degree of separation and
context, can mean different things. For example, legs spread at shoulder width while standing is a
dominant and acceptable display. It is seen as normal and is encouraged because it comes across as
confident rather than offensive. Having the legs spread wide open while seated is another story
altogether. If it happens while directly facing others, it is perceived as arrogant.
Seated leg spreading is especially potent to female coworkers in an office setting, since they aren’t able
to imitate the behaviour and retain any class. As a rebuke, women will taking on defensive postures
such as arms crossed and legs crossed; this tells us that they are offended by the posture and see the
body language as chauvinistic. Men can sometimes use this posture effectively to attract the attention
of women, but only in so far as they appreciate the caveman approach. Therefore, the tactic can go both
ways, but a small amount of leg spreading can be used to convey a positive middle ground. Having the
legs tightly pressed together can sometimes appear even worse, since it conveys submissiveness or
being too uptight.