☰
☰
If you have been asked to smile before, you probably know the frustration you feel after this demand. I mean, you should smile if you feel happy and not if you don’t want to. Why is it that ‘smiling’ is necessary, especially for women?
It all started when a Personal user said “Who ‘tells you to smile randomly on the street’? No one of course, you made that up.” Many people, however, including @MollyOShah, had something else to say about this.
I was jogging on a treadmill at the gym. So, I had headphones on and I had sort of zoned out, but then I noticed that an older man was standing in front of me and motioning for me to smile.
I kept staring at him, which would make him exaggerate the smiling motion again and again. Finally, I just plastered on a fake smile and quickly looked away. I was really upset and wondering why this guy needed to single me out like that.
After that day, I started driving several blocks away to run at a nearby park to avoid getting shouted at again.
She was confused because she wasn’t unhappy, she was just thinking about her schoolwork and had a serious look on her face.
I was glad she was irritated by the interruption in her day. When I was her age I just smiled back obediently.
It always irked me — the expectation that we put on a show for them.
Growing up doing dance recitals we smile when we perform. Women are not performing — we’re living. We don’t need to smile for men at all times, as our lives aren’t for the pleasure of men.
