Jonna Mendez, the CIA’s former Chief of Disguise, has explained how a simple posture habit – leaning against walls, doorways or railings – can instantly mark someone out as American while travelling abroad.
There is one seemingly trivial habit that can instantly mark a person out as American while abroad, according to a former CIA official: leaning against walls, doorways or railings. The posture, sometimes called the “American lean“, was considered such a giveaway that undercover intelligence officers were specifically trained to avoid it.
The observation comes from Jonna Mendez, who spent more than 25 years at the CIA, rising to the role of Chief of Disguise – the department responsible for developing methods that allowed undercover operatives to hide their true identities in the field.
According to Mendez, Americans are generally seen as more laid-back and informal than people elsewhere, and their habit of leaning on things while standing is part of what sets them apart in public. She has pointed out that residents of many other countries tend to hold themselves more upright, especially in busy public spaces like crowded streets or markets, where spreading out is often considered impolite.
Mendez has explained that the way someone moves and holds themselves can betray their background well before they say a word – which is precisely why officers were “de-Americanized” ahead of deployment, learning to walk, stand and gesture in ways that matched the culture they were operating in.
During a separate Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session, she discussed further national stereotypes, noting that Americans abroad are commonly regarded as louder and more casually dressed than locals in many places. She joked that a cluster of American tourists could often be spotted by ear alone, from the noise coming from outside a tourist information office. “We are not disparaged everywhere,” she said, “but we do tend to stand out.”
It’s worth noting that the “American lean” isn’t a scientifically validated concept – it reflects Mendez’s personal experience and professional judgement rather than any formal research. For the overwhelming majority of travellers, leaning against a wall is entirely inconsequential; it only becomes a liability for someone actively attempting to pass as a local, such as an intelligence officer under cover.
These remarks originally surfaced in a 2019 NPR interview, recently revisited by Upworthy, in which Mendez is said to have identified several other small habits capable of giving Americans away overseas.
