Solidarity, sister. I don't do it in everyday life, but out at faire, in full Whore Mode, I've been known to tell teenage girls to stand up straight.

Regarding Ms. Knightly, it's possible that her shoulders can no longer support the weight of her head and upper body, so they're caving in. She does kind of have a big head, and she probably only weighs about 80 pounds...

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Interesting idea. There's 'gotta be thin for the camera' and there's 'I can see the bones of your arm, woman!'. The last thing I saw her in, I could see the large bones of her arms.

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Here here! No need to look like a crone before your time.

I've been that way since friday. Blew my back out during a coughing fit.

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There's pain, and then there is habit. One is forgivable.

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Yeah.

Shoulders back, chin up, chest out! Hehehehehe!!!

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I have to continually remind myself to sit/stand up straight because for me it's part physical and part mental conditioning. Physically, it's uncomfortable to the point of pain for me to sit up straight for extended periods of time (mainly thanks to a catch-22). But emotionally, rolling your shoulders forward & in is both a protective and non-challenging body posture, so it's subconsciously both reassuring to the individual and signaling to everyone else "I don't want to start anything with you, leave me in peace." Which is why I, and a lot of other people, tend to automatically do that in crowded situations where they feel uncomfortable, without knowing it or intending to. :)

So I spend most of my days having to actively remind myself "No! Dammit! Shoulders back! Head up! I am not a prawn!" ;)

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I understand the pain thing. It's easy to try too hard, and pull the shoulders too far back, if it's not your habitual posture. But that rolled shoulder posture is protective because it means 'I am beaten; I am no threat, don't hurt me' but says to a certain kind of person 'I'm an easy target'. I know, because I have been there. Which might be why it irritates the ever lovin' daylights out of me. It was when I deliberately quit hunching and started looking up that I quit being teased in school, for instance

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I have seen the same posture on base sketches meant for people to draw clothing ideas on. I think that offended me the most, because it meant someone saw that posture at NORMAL.

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According to 'grown up' women's magazines standing up straight makes you look 10 lbs thinner. Plus, it makes your boobs look bigger. :)

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Well, I can attest to the boobs, thing. lol

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