Men need to stop telling women to smile more. They are making us want to scream.
“Smile, you are too pretty not to smile.” Women all over the world have heard this famous line, and all at once we sigh and roll our eyes in disgust.
We have all been victims to creepy guys who feel entitled enough to comment on our appearance. We will be walking down the street, minding our own business and some creepy guy yells “Smile!”
Some men do not seem to understand that telling a woman to smile is demeaning, and all it does is promote the idea women have fought so hard against, that we are nothing more than a pretty face.
In many cases, a woman will crack a smile, hoping that the situation will not escalate. She hopes the man does not push the situation any further and she hopes he will just keep it moving.
Some men think if we smile at them that this is their chance. Now we seem more approachable to the weak ones who feel intimidated by a woman’s relaxed face.
According to The Huffington Post, in New Zealand, a man assaulted a woman after she smiled because according to him it is customary in Malaysia that “women who smile are inviting men to follow them.”
This is not a rare occurrence that only happens in other countries in cultures. Everyday, women are assaulted by men, some of those incidents occurred from strangers that use the “smile” conversations to start an unwanted conversation, this is harassment.
This is a never-ending, unwanted, frightening cycle that needs to end.
You never see women telling men to smile more. You never see men telling other men to smile.
This is not Stepford Wives. Women are not robots. Some men have a hard time comprehending that women are not created to constantly look aesthetically pleasing to men.
Women are people too. It seems silly having to explain this, but they are entitled to look however they want, which includes the clothing they choose to wear and facial expressions they choose to make.
Men should not be telling women how they should be conducting themselves. If a woman is not smiling at you, you are not authorized to tell her that she needs to be. So next time you think you should tell a woman how her mouth should look, please keep yours shut.
