Smile love, it may never happen

[Julie89uk]

I was in the queue at Aldi earlier and the bloke in front of me turned around looked at my face and said "smile love it may never happen"..

what does this mean?

This is twattish behaviour to a stranger.. For the record my face was neutral

I’ll guess I’ll do that from now on going from the responses on here. It’s hard to compare real life experiences to mn though. People like to get offended on here, even when someone’s being kind apparently.

Actually thinking about it, I don’t and won’t ask someone that as it’s a direct question which demands a response. I’d honestly prefer the phrase in question because an answer isn’t expected if you don’t want to give one 🤷🏼‍♀️

ihatethenewlook so you're going to continue approaching visibly upset people and random strangers to tell them to 'smile, it might never happen'
Even when numerous people have told you how inappropriate it is?

Sadly, that doesn;t surprise me. What right had you to be showing your grief when random Man wanted you to perk up as a nice bit of eye candy for him?

I did once follow a man down the street after he said it, telling him absolutely all the bad things that had happened to me in the past week. he was so apologetic, so upset he'd added to the trauma. He was quite sweet about it really. And I think he got the message.

It's patronising, sexist bullshit. Women should not have to smile for the gratification of men.

I like the link.

Why do men and we shall be honest here, it's only ever men, say it if it means nothing?

It does mean something. They do it as a power play, it isn't exclusively to women it's just to anyone they're taking a short cut to asserting superiority over. If you're a bloke they view as inferior or whatever then the same thing applies.

Depending on my mood I either roll my eyes or say “Naff off”

It’s such patronising bullshit. “Woman! Look
pleasa for my male gaze!”

I like the first comment there 😂

This. Or 'cat' etc if you can't go that far. Really pisses me off because one day they will say it to someone who might just be hanging in there and going through shit.

I think next time this happens, I'm going to stand next to said man and ask him to say the same thing to the next man who approaches and THEN I'll smile.

Oh give over it's really not that deep, it genuinely means you are in a world of your own and look deep in thought.

"Thank you for the advice on how to arrange my facial muscles." With a teacher look.

I did this once - because he had.

Misogynistic behaviour- bet he never says that to another bloke!

I had this in Sainsburys while searching for the correct aisle, minding my own business, some old man told me to cheer up or something, think I responded with something along the lines of "wtf has it got to do with you"
I've had it all my life, I've got resting bitch face, I may look miserable but inside Im probably happy as Larry, a Co worker who is a nob anyway has been overheard calling me "smiler" because apparently I'm.always miserable, NOPE, just wandering around the factory looking for things and doing my job!
I had one guy at work messaging and posting on Facebook that he fancied me but to "just f*ing smile" 🙄
A good comeback is always " if you don't like my face then don't look at it!"

I like this very much and have mentally filed it in my Responses to Random Sexist Shit folder.

That bloody brilliant 🤣

'You don't like my face? Cool, random man. I don't like your sexist comments.'

Thank you BiggerthanIusedtobe, I couldn't believe it myself.

I was just talking about this to a man the other day.

He didn't know it was a thing because, of course, no man had ever said to him.

Misogynistic BS.

Me, ten years ago: “It already has. My husband is in Afghanistan, I had emergency surgery last week which led to me miscarrying our baby, and it has taken every ounce of strength I have to get out of the house today. Then I bumped into a misogynistic twat…”

To his credit, he did apologise. I hope he learnt never to say it again.

Years ago, on my way home from an unsuccessful attempt at walking off some of my black depression, I stopped at a crossing. 60-something woman, walking her dog, came at me with this shite. I just gave her a look and took my depression, now made heavier with aggravation, home.
People can be insensitive arseholes.

Very annoying. Bad enough to tell strangers to 'smile'; but the 'it may never happen' part is revolting; they don't know what may have already happened! I've very occasionally experienced 'smile' or 'cheer up' from women; but the 'it may never happen'' part is always from men!

In Susan Hill's book "Family" she talks about how someone said that to her in a hospital. She was leaving after her baby died.