Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Smile!




Okay, it’s rant time. I know I should be posting about writing here, but I couldn’t think of a better place for it.

Maybe this is just one of those rumors going around on the internet, but I heard a man is actually walking up to women and telling to smile, or just that they’d be prettier if they smiled.

I assume this is what he looks like, except replace the yellow circle with a horse's butt.

What.

Sounds like a good way to get punched in the throat to me. It’s quite an insult to women in general, as if by smiling some magic unicorn will appear dancing on a rainbow to poop puppies and pee starlight. And it’ll make them pretty? Puh-lease. You don’t need to smile to look pretty the same way you don’t need to frown to look pretty.

Then there’s the whole invalidation of being told that you’ll only be acceptable if you smile. I don’t know if I have a funny face or something, but I’ve had a few people yell at me for my facial expression even though I have no idea what I did to deserve it. The clearest example is when I was in sixth grade and a teacher flipped out at me for giving her a “dirty look” when I glanced at her in passing. Her reaction was so over the top (not to mention humiliating) that I’m still extremely uncomfortable allowing my face to emote. Which in turn means I get called “grumpy” and “mad” even when I’m not.

Yeah, it’s kind of a sensitive subject for me. I’ve been judged for how I appear in a minor, yet not insignificant, way. So I don’t like hearing someone tell me if I look a certain way, I’ll somehow be better. I like the way I am even if I look "grumpy".

Thoughts? Am I taking this too seriously (well, obviously)? What would you do if someone came up to you and told you to smile?

12 comments:

  1. Wow...punched in the throat. Pretty strong response. You're right though, seems kinda rude to go around saying that to people.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, I probably wouldn't punch the someone in the throat but I certainly wouldn't smile. I'd probably go with some kind of "what you talking about, Willis?" type thing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't think punching the mentally ill is the right thing to do. The man obviously has a problem (being unbearably smug is a mental health issue, right?).

    mood
    Moody Writing

    ReplyDelete
  4. I read it first as 'waking up women' LOL Punched in the throat would be fine if it were that. :P

    He may be a jerk, but I have to agree with him. Most people look better when they smile--not saying they're ugly if they don't--it's just nice to see people look happy. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. It is nice to smile, but you're not likely to do so convincingly on demand, if asked to do by some weirdo. Especially as he seems to imply they're ugly otherwise!

    Great story idea, though?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think this goes along with two things:
    1. the focus of our culture on only and always being positive, which means smiling all the time
    2. specifically the idea that women have to be even more positive and the relation to that, specifically, in how it serves this man, because that's what women are for, right?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've been subjected this more than once in the past. I can't help it if I don't walk around grinning like a weather girl all day. Maybe I do look better when I smile but I certainly don't smile on demand if some loser suggests it! The response is less throat punching and more 'sarcastic 'fuck you' smirk', followed by a glare ;D

    ReplyDelete
  8. People used to say that to me all the time--"You should smile." No one has tried it in years (decades?). I can see where one would think that was a good idea--trying to cheer people up and all--but as one who never appreciated being told to smile, I wouldn't be the one doing the telling either.

    I think I've gotten to the point where I ignore such things.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What would I do? I'd probably smack the crap out of them.

    Replace the yellow circle with a horse's butt? Oh, I love that, even though it's an insult to horses everywhere. Their butts probably look much more appealing than this jerk's face.

    And no, you're not taking it too seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  10. What would happen if he walked around telling MEN they'd look better if they smiled? In no time he'd be sidewalk gum.
    Worst opening line ever.
    Louise Sorensen
    louise3anne twitter

    ReplyDelete
  11. Reminds me of "Addams Family Values" where Wednesday is forced to smile and she scares people. My smile would be like that.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You're not taking it too seriously. In this instance, the guy is a jerk.

    There's a physical trait in my family, on my mother's side of the family. A number of us, including myself, her, my late grandfather, and some of the cousins, tend to have a dark look come over our faces when we're lost in thought. We end up looking furious.

    ReplyDelete

Please validate me.