There is no doubt that there are many women—and men—who appear solemn and potentially mean when not making an expression. For too long this phenomenon has existed without a name. But do not fear! There is now a phrase to describe this very thing, which is not only accurate, but also applicable exclusively to the most awful of those who dare not smile: women.
“Resting bitch face,” refers to females who appear mean or unhappy when presenting a neutral emotion. Although this phrase is mostly used lightheartedly, there is a growing concern against women who have resting bitch face. The solution commonly proposed for this “problem” is to raise awareness about the condition, so that women who suffer from it will learn to adjust their faces. Another method involves men telling women to smile. The method is simple; never appear less than extremely happy or at peace to avoid having strangers misunderstand your expressions. After all, there is nothing worse than a woman who does not constantly exude complete joy.
Hopefully, the real issue at hand is easy to identify. There have been articles and discussions about resting bitch face with the central message that women need to be aware and prevent it. Many address it as a legitimate issue that prevents potential good interactions between well-meaning people because a woman appears intimidating or unfriendly. The claim being made is if a woman would adjust her resting facial expressions then people would not initially assume she is a bitch.
The actual issue, however, is that too many people make assumptions about women based on something as minuscule as a facial expression. Assumptions such as these are not harmless, especially when they include writing a person off because they do not have a smile on their face.
Unfortunately, it is incredibly easy to label someone in this way. Too many times I have wrongfully assumed and assigned inaccurate attributes to people based off of their facial expressions. Without even conversing with them I have decided that they must not be friendly or kind. Of course there are people who are genuinely rude, and giving them a chance will not change that. But to form this opinion prematurely and based off of the perception of someone’s look denies that person the opportunity to show otherwise. I am the real bitch in this situation, as opposed to the angry-looking person I have judged.
The fascination with resting bitch face and the attempts to “help” those who might have it shows that there is undeniable pressure placed on women to appear happy at all times. For some reason, it is a commonly held belief that a woman should always wear a smile. A lot of women adopt this mindset and try to implement the “smile always” lifestyle. When women put on a happy face despite their not being happy, they are often applauded or rewarded in some way. People then do not understand that it actually is okay to look unhappy and to be unhappy, too.
Instead of only telling women that they need to be aware of their facial expressions at all times in case they appear rude, the real conversation needs to be about preventing generalizations and assumptions when viewing a person and reducing the stigma about undesirable emotions. Not just women, either. People. It seems to be forgotten that men can look mean as well.
