NEWS‘Intimidation Tactic’: Amber Heard Said To Be COPYING Johnny Depp’s Courtroom Outfits In Psychological Mind Trickery Attempt
May 20 2022, Published 1:13 p.m. ET
Just about every aspect of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's trial has been dissected on social media — down to their attire. The pair has been embroiled in their court case over defamation and abuse for over a month now, and throughout that time frame, fans noticed the actress appears to be mimicking her ex-husband's wardrobe choices.
When the legal war kicked off on April 11, the father-of-two, 58, arrived in a gray suit, which he accented with a Gucci tie that was embroidered with a bumble bee. Two days later, Heard, 36, wore a dark pantsuit, but she too donned a tie emblazoned with a bee, though the accessories weren't exact replicas.
On another occasion, Heard wore a gray suit as well.
Viewers of the trial also noticed that she may have copied his hairstyle: on April 18, the Pirates of the Caribbean star pulled back his locks into a ponytail, and the next day, she did the same.
"Mirroring all of johnny depp’s outfits in a continued attempt to torment her victim," one social media user wrote. "Didn’t think she could be more vile." Another fan called the similarities "creepy," while one believed her copycat outfits were her way of mocking the actor.
In general, mirroring is something every person starts doing as an infant, as it helps you connect with others. "Mirroring can establish rapport with the individual who is being mirrored," explained The Biointernet Mirror. "As the similarities in nonverbal gestures allow the individual to feel more connected with the person exhibiting the mirrored behavior."
Mirroring also helps to "facilitate empathy, as individuals more readily experience other people’s emotions through mimicking posture and gestures."
However, Heard's behavior may stem from the power dynamic aspect of mirroring, as the aforementioned outlet notes that a person is likely to mimic someone of higher status. Doing so can help create a rapport with the more respected person, which "may help to persuade the higher status individual to help the person of lower status. "
In this case, Heard could be copying her ex-husband's outfits to try and make herself seem more like him, which could make him subconsciously go easier on her. It could also work in her favor since the majority of the public is on his side.
"Each of these situations involve one party who is in a more powerless position for bargaining, and another party who has the ability to fulfill the person of lower status’s needs, but may not necessarily wish to," explained the outlet. "Thus, mirroring can be a useful tool for individuals of lower status in order to persuade the other party to relinquish goods or privileges for the lower status party."
