Mariah Carey: Hair Twirler or Rock Flasher?

Check out this charming shot of Mariah Carey in the August issue of Elle: It looks like the camera just caught her off guard in her $2,195 Michael Kors dress, innocently twirling her locks in the “breeze.” And oh! How could we miss that ring on her left ring finger? Why, it’s practically the size of an eyeball. Her husband, Nick Cannon, sure knows what Mariah wants. But you know, because we love Mariah so much, that Elle spread just wasn’t enough. So we started digging around for some more Mariah eye candy. And what we found was kind of interesting.

It seems her Elle photo bears something in common with pretty much every other photo she takes: The woman twirls her hair like that every time she gets in front of the camera. And always with her left hand (given the weighty engagement ring, we’re amazed she can even lift it that high). So what gives? Isn’t she all about Touching Her Body anyway? Surely she just happened to be taming her hair in exactly the same manner at her Elle shoot, the Tokyo airport, and all those benefits and film festivals! We mean, Mariah wouldn’t just cheat the camera like that to flash her diamond, would she? Her marriage is a valley deeply grooved with rivers of profound love. Wives in those kinds of lifelong partnerships don’t use them for something as shallow and vapid as publicity. Right? Right?? —Sharon Clott