The elusive chanteuse has a signature pose.

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Mariah Carey is a fabulous diva and has been a fabulous diva for longer than many Cosmopolitan.com readers have been alive. Just this past fall, she Instagrammed herself in a bathtub wearing nothing but diamonds, which is the kind of thing only a truly fabulous diva can pull off in these dark times. (It got even better when she told Ellen DeGeneres that the reason she bathed with the diamonds on is because it was easier than removing them.) Part of the Mariah package is her peculiarities, like wearing a glove on one hand only or repeatedly claiming that she does not know Jennifer Lopez. One such peculiarity is her commitment to her left hand, which she likes to show off more than any of her other body parts. But why? Some theories, below.

1. Someone told her that the left side of her face is the bad side and the hand is a distraction. One of the most persistent rumors about Mariah is that she favors the right side of her face because someone, possibly her ex-husband Tommy Mottola, told her early in her career that the right side is the good side. Many of her album covers show her turning to the left so you can only see the right side, or facing forward with her bangs covering the left side.

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Columbia

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There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, like the Rainbow cover.

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And some photos where she adjusts her sunglasses with her right hand.

But this video really says it all.

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As do the many photos of her holding her left hand up like it’s the most beautiful hand you’ve ever seen (it is). If she feels the same way about both sides of her face, she’s going to a lot of trouble to distract you from one side in particular.

2. She’s showing off a ring. This is the most plausible theory, especially given Mariah’s propensity for extremely large diamonds.

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In August 2016.

The problem, however, is that she showcases the hand even when she’s not wearing any jewelry on that hand.

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In 2004.

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In 2003.

Or when she’s wearing a ring that’s not an engagement ring, i.e. a pinky ring, or a butterfly-shaped ring.

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In 2000.

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In 2014.

As recently as Nov. 3, she posed with her left hand on full display, butterfly ring blazing in the aftermath of her split from James Packer. In this case, however, you can probably assume that she did this on purpose. The best way to show a man you’re over him is to show up in public wearing a ring that he didn’t buy you.

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3. Her right arm is still messed up after that one time she broke it. Back in 2013, Mariah dislocated her shoulder and had to wear a bedazzled sling for a while. Occasionally, she’d put the right hand first to show off these fashion slings.

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But even then, she found time to put the left hand on display.

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After the sling came off, she continued to wear gloves on that arm. She’s since been photographed holding her microphone in the injured hand, though, so it seems unlikely it’s still giving her trouble.

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4. Her hair is constantly in her face. Sometimes when Mariah is showing off the hand, she’s also brushing her luscious waves out of her eyes.

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But this theory falls apart fast when you consider how many times the hand is just sort of lightly resting while the hair appears to be under control.

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5. Her left hand is her favorite body part. It’s possible, but since she had her legs insured for $35 million, you’d think she wouldn’t spare any expense for the hand too.

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6. Her left hand is possessed. You know, like John Stamos’s hand on Scream Queens. It’s not Mariah’s choice to show off her left hand all the time; it’s just doing that of its own accord. Is the fact that the left hand is popping up in this devil costume a mere coincidence? You decide.

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Celebrating Halloween in 2016.

7. She displays her hands equally and this is all happening by chance. She has plenty of other poses, like both hands on the hips.

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And facing forward.

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And right in front of the face.

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Yet she always comes back to the left hand.

Mach5weird

Never change, Mariah. Never change.

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