The V sign social gaffe
August 9th, 2010The peace / V / Victory hand gesture, i.e. first and second fingers raised & parted, with the other fingers clenched is a popular hand sign to be displayed when posing for photographs, conveying a generally positive meaning. Americans and Canadians generally don’t care much about which way the palm faces, but the British, Australian, New Zealander, South African and Irish do – with palm inwards, it is an obscene insulting gesture of the same gravity as The Finger itself.
Malaysia used to be ruled by the British, but perhaps, at this moment, equally culturally heavily influenced by the USA. Hence, it’s arguable whether the precise orientation of the V sign even matters. Needless to say, to most Asians, the idea that the direction of one’s palm is important is as alien as owning Outer Banks homes.
Still, I still find it cringe-worthy everytime I see the reverse V sign being flashed, especially by Malaysian celebrities and other public figures in glossy magazines, newspapers, official publications, and such like. My attitude to it was probably cemented when I saw it being regularly used at the British school I attended, and when I saw The Queen’s photo of inadvertently displaying the gesture while holding onto her bag having been turned into a postcard.
That is why I feel compelled to remind friends and colleagues of this fact whenever I see them doing the sign in photos – especially those made available online.
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