Why has formerly grinning 11mo has taken to extreme and heinous frowning?

[happybunnies]

DD1, 11 months, has suddenly gone from smiling barrel of laughs to doing extreme, hideous, eye-watering frowning most of the time. Frowns at strangers - yes, but also frowns at toys, frowns at me while breastfeeding, frowns in the middle of smiling, if that's possible. Her whole face contorts itself, eyebrows drop to her chin and she looks like Les Dawson's rubber-face impressions.
What's going on?
(I and her dad look after her at home still, she has lovely life, no big changes so far, will start childminder in 3 weeks)

Please don't worry, my dd went through a phase like this at that age and frowned at everything and everyone!!! Exactly as you describe a really big exaggerated frown. At first it was amusing, but after a while it was all people commented on and I got sick of hearing it. She is now 16 months and no longer does it, it must have been phase. My ds never did it. It will pass.

CharlieBoo thanks sooo much. It has got to the point where I keep apologizing to people for it, which can't be good for her at all!

Practising a new facial expression that she's just worked out!

I reckon she's practising too. DD did this really weird snarly type face where she screwed up her nose as if she was snorting, drew back her top lip from her teeth and opened her mouth really wide. I've got a few pics of it somewhere because we thought it was funny. She stopped doing it when the novelty wore off (and people stopped laughing) which took a couple of weeks.

thank you thank you wholelotta and octavia. Hoping it passes quickly. I better capture it on camera...