Lea Michele's Body Language In Her First Engagement Pic Reveals Everything
In case you haven't yet heard, actress Lea Michele and president of fashion brand AYR Zandy Reich are engaged, as of Michele's announcement via Instagram on April 29. On Michele's Instagram account, there is now a photo of Lea Michele and Zandy Reich after getting engaged - the first picture of the two together, post-announcement, in fact. Michele posted the photo on May 3, captioning the image, "Still on cloud 9! ☁️✨ I 💓 you Z.. 💍"
The couple posed in front of a beach on a day with a perfect blue sky. The two faced the camera, with Michele offering a soft, closed smile, and Reich smiling with his teeth showing. Michele's left arm rested gently on Reich's chest, showing off her four-carat engagement ring that's estimated to cost $200,000 to $300,000 . Good going "Z," and I certainly hope that ring's insured.
I reached out to body language expert Tonya Reiman, author of The Body Language of Dating, to learn exactly what the photo that Michele posted reveals about the pair's relationship.
"They are both orienting their bodies towards one another, demonstrating they are intimate and affectionate," Reiman tells Elite Daily. Reiman also noticed their smiling faces, but does say that the picture is clearly posed (not candid). "Their smiles are not similar," she says, but comments that Michele's closed-mouth smile is her go-to smile.
"Her hand is on his chest which indicates affection as well as possession," Reiman continues. "His arm is wrapped around her shoulder with closed fingers demonstrating mutual possession as well as protection."
Reiman says there isn't much too be read into the fact that the two wear sunglasses in the photo, other than that she just can't analyze their eyes because of that fact. "The eyes are a very strong indicator of emotions."
"In this photo, we can see that they are close and have strong feelings for one another," Reiman says. "They do not give off cues of having a steamy, hot romance in this photo." She explains that because this photo is posed, the couple may be showing less intimacy than they would in a candid picture. That's not to say that their relationship lacks passion — not at all! — but simply that this photo gives off less intense vibes. This picture shows Michele and Reich in just one of the thousands of moments they've shared as a couple.
Michele shared other photos earlier in the week from what was likely the site of her engagement, at a beach. It's unclear if the new couple photo Michele posted on May 3 was at the same spot, day, and time, as the other beach photos posted earlier in the week.
Per Michele's Instagram Story, the couple were walking hand-in-hand prior to Reich's proposal.
Michele shared video and photos on Instagram Stories of the beach, what is assumed to be before Reich's proposal, captioning the image, "Still can't believe this..." and another after with her hand and stunning ring, "Turned into this!"
In the picture, Michele shared with her audience of five million followers a look at her massive four-carat diamond.
The couple began dating in July 2017, according to People magazine, and she told them, "When I'm not working, I'm at home with my cat, with my family, with my boyfriend [fiancé now!], with the people that I love – and that's how I reset, and that's how I center myself," Michele said.
Congrats to the newly-engaged couple – if the proposal and ring are any indication, I'm sure the future wedding for Michele and Reich will be just as romantic and beautiful, too.
