janet280

[viduamor-moved]

NATASHA  ROMANOVA  HAS BEEN  PORTRAYED  MANY  DIFFERENT  WAYS  through the years,   & has been under both the penmanship & artistic talents of dozens of men & women since her first appearance in 1964.    naturally,    some have come closer in accuracy to the essence of natasha’s character than others,    & no two portrayals are meant to be alike.    however,    for this blog & my own characterization i’ve taken in as much information as i can from nearly all of her material through the decades,  & i’ve established a very specific portrayal that i’m going to explain in physical terms here.    of course,   some of these things i’ve already established on their own pretty fleetingly,    but this meta is going to be a roundup of everything concerning  NATASHA’S BODY IN MOTION ( including her voice / manner of speaking ).    my natasha,   irt physical presence is heavily influenced by the neo / noir era,   & is something that i try to make as unique & set apart from other portrayals as possible.    without further ado  ---------

FIGURE / BODY CLAIM.

in the silver & bronze ages,    natasha  ----  like most female cbc at the time  ----  was drawn with deep & evident curves:   most specifically with a small waist,  & thick thighs.   though the portrayal can in some part be attributed to the era,    i think it makes complete sense for natasha to be built in such a way.    natasha grew up in russia,    in areas where snowfall would reach about a foot on average in the winter,    which would require heavy trudging from anyone just to get from one place to another by foot in places without that many roads  ( basically,  a lot of core / hip / quadriceps exercise ).    she was also taken into a soviet orphanage at the age of 9 to study & train,    mentally & physically,    & was perhaps their best student.    this of course would’ve required much exertion on the part of her body,  considering how rigorous the training was.    by the time she reached her late teens - early twenties,   she had strong hips & thighs,    and a shapely muscled figure.    then came the 1950′s  ;  though still a heavily socialist society,    the soviet state under khrushchev allowed for more western influences in fashion.   though much more modest & sophisticated than mainstream western fashion,   lithe figures, thin waists,  & hourglass shapes were something they had in common.     waist trainers / corsets were all the rage in the 50′s,     & natasha has always been a very fashionable woman,      even while working in the shadows of espionage    ( note:  natasha did not join the red room until 1956.    prior to this,   natasha & her adoptive father ivan petrovich worked as hitmen / killers / spies for hire ).     following the beauty trends of the time,    in addition to an already abundantly shaped lower body,   natasha over time also acquired a thin waist.     of course,   she stopped using these corsets when fashion no longer called for them in the 60′s,    but natasha still maintained her waist through her already rigorous exercise.   her hips also maintained their strength,  muscle,  & shape when she came to america as the black widow,   both before & after her defection from the KGB.     with her widow’s line,    she was known for scaling walls & flying through the air with the best of them,   which of course would require quite a lot of hip & core strength.      aside from musculature & strength,     natasha is also very lithe.    this comes as no surprise,    considering her exceptional skill in ballet,     training in gymnastics  ( her talents rival that of an olympic gold medalist.    in fact,   she once qualified for the russian olympic team in her early 20′s,    but never went on due to other reasons )   & outstanding fighting skills.     this,   of course,    shows in her figure.     she has long toned legs,     a long & straight back with a toned & flexible stomach,     &  lithe arms.

essentially,     all evidence of nat’s physical exertion and place in social history points to her having an HOURGLASS FIGURE,    albeit taller / lither than the typical buxom stereotype.     natasha’s measurements,  which have been relatively consistent for the past 60+ years,    are 36 - 24 - 38  ( bust,   waist,   hips ).      she stands at 5′7″,     & weighs around 140 lbs.      a body ref can be seen  HERE.

GAIT.

natasha’s gait is very elegant,    seamless,   & to the onlooker is very effortless.     she moves in a way that,  though quite magnetizing,   is silent & catlike.    now,   i say it is effortless to the onlooker because it is only then that it is effortless.    natasha is nearly always very aware of every move her body makes,   which of course means that when she walks,    she is conscious & in control of every step,    swing of her arms,   sway of her hips,   & movement of her shoulders.     sounds tedious to us,   sure,   but this is something that natasha has become very accustomed to,   after so many decades of being trained in being in control of her body.

her hips portray the most movement when she walks,   swaying with a precise elegance in time with the gentle swings of her arms.   one foot is always almost nearly directly in front of the other,   facing forward.     her back & shoulders are straight.     her core muscles   ( specifically her abs )   are also engaged most of the time,    which keeps her so controlled.     overall,    her gait is very smooth,   seamless,   &  cat - like.    a reference for her gait can be seen   HERE.

MANNERISMS.

like her gait,    natasha’s mannerisms are very graceful,   & are perhaps the most golden age / noir feeling of her presence.     of course,    being the world - class spy that she is,    she can be completely unnoticed & blend in at will when need be,    but on her own her presence is very magnetizing.     she radiates confidence,    allure,    elegance,    & all with an underlying ferocity    ( which makes sense,    considering how many people who don’t know her personally are .... Actually terrified of her & being around her,   partly because of her reputation,    partly because of how she carries herself ).     her mannerisms also show forth a sense that she isn’t exactly someone who fits into the contemporary times,    but in a good way.    she occupies her space with a pronounced ownership,    her movements can seem solemn yet calculated,     & she is very silent in pretty much everything she does.     every move she makes,    it seems like she puts her all into,   & in a sense she does.    again,    control is a habit to her.

natasha nearly always maintains direct & unwavering eye contact with anyone she’s addressing,     unless she’s particularly emotional / upset.    as aggressive predators maintain eye contact to occupy & stake claim on whatever they take to be theirs,    natasha’s eye contact is very much a part of how she keeps up appearances of being both stoic & constantly aware.      her eyes also portray the most emotion in her face,    but rarely betray what she’s feeling when she doesn’t want it to be known.     

the way that she sits can either be very relaxed or very professional & straight - backed,   depending on the situation.    however,   in both ways,    she still maintains a very high level of confidence.    when she’s relaxed,   she’s more prone to lounging,    resting her elbow / arm on something behind her,    resting her ankle over her knee,    & letting her spine curve.    in a more professional setting,    her posture is straight,    her back is against whatever’s behind her,    her legs are crossed,   & her hands are folded in her lap.     either way,    again,    she occupies her space,   & she makes it obvious.

when she is with friends & those she loves natasha is a very emotional / emotive individual.    when she’s happy,    she smiles & laughs with her entire upper body:    typically,    she leans slightly forward,   & brings a hand up to rest against her chest / collarbone.     when she’s affectionate,    she’s very touchy - feely & not at all afraid to come into her counterpart’s space.    regardless of whether she shares a romantic or platonic relationship with someone,    she likes to touch their face / cup their jaw,    tuck hair behind their ear,    rest her hands on their shoulders,   & run her fingers through their hair.     she also does like to sit on her romantic partner’s lap or straddle them when they’re sitting.

some major figures of reference for my nat’s mannerisms include AVA GARDNER  in the killers ( here ),    RITA HAYWORTH in gilda ( here ),   LAUREN BACALL in to have and have not ( here ),     &   NICOLE KIDMAN AS SATINE in moulin rouge  ( i don’t have any specific scenes available but ....... honestly,   not to totally plug the movie or anything but you should Absolutely watch it ).     other inspirations include:

    LANA DEL REY  during her born to die era.   ( surprise )     RUTH ROMAN in strangers on a train.     GRACE KELLY     AUDREY HEPBURN.

SPEECH & VOICE.

natasha’s voice is perhaps the most ambiguous part about her presence   ------   not necessarily in terms of how she actually sounds,   but rather in terms of trying to pinpoint where,   exactly,   she comes from   ( that is,   when she’s speaking english ).    she doesn’t have any semblance of a russian accent,    nor is she,   say,    strictly american - sounding.    she’s fluent in the language,   which goes without saying,   but her personal dialect can be difficult to figure out.     upon first hearing her one may gather that she’s simply modern - sounding in her speech,    but she has a distinct inflection that catches the ear at some moments & can make one question just what era she comes from.    i would say that it is very slightly reminiscent of the accent that golden age actors & actresses would don while performing,    a.k.a.,   the TRANSATLANTIC / MID - ATLANTIC accent.     i’d also say that her dialect is not as reflecting of this accent as it used to be.     this would make sense,    considering her first appearances in the west in the 60′s as a spy for the KGB under the cover of a wealthy socialite.   when the upper class / aristocratic peoples of america still had ways to indicate their social status,   this meant being trained in a specific way of speaking   -----  donning the transatlantic / mid - atlantic accent.    the accent is a mix between american and british,  which is where it gets its name.     natasha was no doubt trained to speak english in this accent to make her cover as authentic as possible.*    she also did have the most slight hint of a russian accent in the 60′s to early 70′s,   but not enough to the point that anyone could recognize her russian heritage without knowing her name.    however,   she gradually lost both the transatlantic accent & her russian accent as time went on,   & developed her own manner of speaking to adapt to the moving eras.    by the mid - late 70′s,    her russian accent was gone completely,  & she’d adopted the manner of speaking that she still has today.      ( * it is worthy of note that after defecting from the KGB,    natasha also took up lessons at a berlitz language center to secure her grasp on english )

what makes it all so ambiguous is really what words she infuses into her speech that,   though completely sensical & correct,   may not be ordinary to the modern american dialect.    for example,    she tends to say  ‘ yes? ’   at the end of suggestive statements,   threatening or not,    such as in saying  “ KEEP TALKING LIKE THAT,  YES ? ”    ( secret avengers vol. 1,   #15 ).    she also alternates between using contractions & not.    for example,   sometimes she’ll use ‘ it’s ‘,   & other times she’ll use  ‘ it is ‘.    this typically depends on her mood or whoever she’s talking to.    natasha also speaks with a very slight lisp,   which may be the only indicator of her being a native russian speaker.

finally,   moving to her actual voice.    natasha’s voice is very dynamic,   much like her way of speaking.   overall,   it’s very smooth,   soothing,   & can be considered sultry / velvety,   as well as somewhat lofty.    it’s very feminine & womanly,    & is perhaps one of the most magnetizing things about her presence   -----  this is aided by the fact that overall she tends to speak very sparingly,   & when she does,   she makes sure that she gets the point across in the best,  most precise way possible.    her voice claim,    angelina jolie specifically in shark tale,   can be heard HERE.     & though natasha doesn’t sing very often,    i think it’s worth giving her a singing voice claim as well ; nicole kidman in moulin rouge,   which can be heard HERE.    since she doesn’t sing very often,   natasha doesn’t have the strongest diaphragmatic singing,   nor is she particularly skilled in vibrato,    but she does have a very pleasant tone.

anyways ... that’s my spiel,    & that’s how my portrayal of nat moves & speaks !!      DO NOT REBLOG.