prendreposer

Prendreposer is a neologism in French that blends prendre (to take) and poser (to pose). It refers to the act of deliberately taking or assuming a pose in a photograph, video, or self-portrait, with emphasis on intentional staging and self-presentation. The term signals a focus on the creative process of posing as an act rather than a passive moment.

In practice, prendreposer describes how a pose is conceived and executed: selecting posture, expression, props, and framing to convey a particular mood, identity, or brand. It is commonly discussed in photography blogs, fashion media, and social media contexts where users curate an online persona and aesthetic. The concept is often linked to discussions of self-branding, digital aesthetics, and performative image-making.

Linguistically, prendreposer sits near related expressions such as prendre une pose, poser, and poser pour. It is usually used as a verb and sometimes encountered as a noun in informal discourse. The distinction many writers draw is that prendreposer foregrounds the coordination of taking and posing as a single, intentional act in image production, whereas poser pour emphasizes the act of posing for another observer.

Reception of the term is mixed. It is not widely standardized or included in major dictionaries, and some commentators view it as a playful or redundant coinage reflecting social media culture, while others consider it a useful shorthand for describing a deliberate pose-focused workflow.

See also: selfie, pose, photography, self-presentation.