Ivanka Trump at the G20 with Macron, Lagarde & May (Social Dynamics Analysis)
The video of Ivanka Trump at the G20 has been very popular recently.
Most people made fun of it because she was awkward.
And they were right.
Some others made fun of her because she said some meaningless crap.
And they were wrong.
Look at the video first and then we will analyze it:
Macron: (speaks)
Ivanka: (nodding) it's all, yeah (approves what he says, which is supportive IF she belonged and had status. But comes across as a judge power move if she didn't have status or acceptance in the group, as people would think "who the hell is she to approve what Macron says")
May: (answers Macron)
Ivanka: (jumps in again answering to May) and the same on the defense side (nobody says anything, putting pressure on her to continue in order to avoid the awkwardness) in terms of the all.... (gesticulates wildly) it's been very male-dominated, so... (nods to sub-communicate "I'm done speaking", hoping someone will pick up the slack and ideally build on what she said and include her more)
(but nobody jumps in, nobody looks at her directly -notice especially Christine Lagarde who seems to purposefully avoid direct eye contact and turning towards her-, and that sub-communicates she wasn't welcome, and makes her come across as uncalibrated, weird, and social-climbing)
Why Ivanka Looked Weird
Ivanka Trump was not awkward mostly because of what she said.
People who made fun of her tried to paint Ivanka like butting in on an important conversation where she only contributed some inconsequential stuff.
The journalists' game was to make the conversation between Lagarde, May, Trudeau, and Macron sound like "important international politics".
And they painted Ivanka Trump, by comparison, like the bimbo who doesn't know what she's talking about.
But the group wasn't having some "important" conversation.
They were just doing some smaller talk during a break.
Why did Ivanka look silly then?
#1. Ivanka Stood Too Far
Ivanka's first and major mistake was standing way too far from the group.
It looked like she didn't belong in the group and was trying to butt in from afar.
Whatever she said in that position, it would have looked like she was trying to butt in, no matter how "smart" or intelligent her contribution was going to be.
If she had delivered the exact same lines but standing within the circle, it would have probably been fine.
Also read:
#2. Ivanka Barged Her Way In
When Macron is speaking and Ivanka says "it's all, yeah", it feels like she is forcing a connection.
That way too early to start contributing.
And it looks unnatural because it's too early to agree with people: she doesn't even know yet what the topic is.
That's not how good socialites enter a group discussion.
You enter physically first, you listen and nod along for a while.
And then you start contributing.
Forcing a connection too early looks unnatural, awkward and, as well, powerless.
#3. The Group Let Her (Socially) Burn
Nobody in there helped Ivanka to come out of the difficult situations.
May said "yeah" the first time she spoke, which helped Ivanka.
But that was it.
The silence forced Ivanka to keep on going, which basically led her to dig her social grave.
Also read:
#4. Ivanka Tries Too Early To Contribute
Partially under pressure of the silence, Ivanka launched into her own version of the story.
But it was way too early to contribute.
She was still outside of the group, she had no equity in that group.
Ivanka should have waited before chipping in.
Her contribution was too long compared to her social equity.
And it was too early, delivered while she still had no idea what the topics were.
That made her look like she was there to hog attention and impose her view instead of contributing to the group's discussion.
What she should have done instead?
She should have spent some time there nodding along and catching eye contact.
Then her intervention would have been more on point and she would have had group's support.
#5. A Litany of Submissive & Tentative Signals
Finally, Ivanka Trump does a few classical mistakes of social power dynamics.
Including:
- Filler words
- Excessive nodding
- Nodding at her own story
- Excessive smiling
Those made her look like a junior, clueless lady.
And that also helped make her seem awkward and out of place.
Also read:
#6. Ivanka Is A Feminine Woman In A World of Men
And finally, let's be honest:
Have you noticed how different she looked and dressed?
Ivanka Trump was a feminine woman in a world of men.
Don't think that because two women were there, it wasn't a question of gender stereotypes as well.
The two women in there, unlike Ivanka, were obeying the rules of a more masculinized business world.
Ivanka Trump instead was super feminine, and that was a bit jarring, too.
It's the same mistake Megyn Kelly interviewing Putin:
It's funny that liberal media jumped on Ivanka but they are actually only reinforcing what the feminists call "patriarchy".
Ivanka looked like a sour thumb because she's attractive, blonde, and dresses and takes care of herself like a feminine woman.
Also read:
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