Best response to Smile luv, it might never happen!

[aliasjoey]

I posted in Feminism because this is nearly always said by a man to a woman. I don't know if it's that some men think women are just there for them to look at, therefore have to be smiley and pretty?

Or maybe it's me, I just have a Bitchy Resting Face.

I just wish I had the perfect reply.

I usually give them a cold withering look, such a ridiculous request deserves no answer.

Either that or I smile manically as if I'm a psychotic murderer and they're next on my list.

Eurgh I always got this before I drove and got buses a lot. Never said anything to the bus drivers. There was never anything wrong and it annoyed me so much, normally said I days when I was particularly happy.

"I'm only happy when it rains"

Stare at them. Then widen your eyes, clench your teeth, and pull your lips back to bare your teeth. Like a Wallace and Gromit grin, but without the warmth so it looks like a hideous skull-like leer. Hold it for a second or two, resume bitch resting face, and stare at them again.

Power : that's as mashing

Smashing

I think the best responses are those which don't validate the comment.

Saying things like 'my cat died' etc is justifying why you aren't all smiley and happy for his entertainment. It suggests that it was ok for him to comment, and you have an explanation.

I prefer "don't tell me what to do with my face', or "why would I want to smile at you?", or "it's very rude to comment on my expression".

Once I gave a forthright full frontal stare and eye roll, and a sighed loudly. His mate elbowed him as if to say yeah, you twat.

Normally I give an unimpressed eye roll and it tends to put them on the spot.

I would love to say something like "Change your own ugly face first" or
"Why would I smile for a twat like you?"
But I don't want to cause too much public scene.

It's so annoying though. One of my real hates in life. "Smile" as a command. It's fucking insulting.

Well as a 16 year old girl who has had this said to me many times my usual response is "it'll happen to you mate".

One group of men said to me and my friends "smile girls" and we looked then they said "fucking smile cunts"....

Its only ever been said to me by men I find a bit threatening. Also it got a lot more common when I had a child in a pram - I assume I looked vulnerable.

Clever comebacks aren't as important to me as getting away and keeping safe. Usually I don't acknowledge it at all.

I used to get this a lot as a child. I was particularly downcast looking due to facial scarring. I used to stare at people until they looked away. I also used to walk deliberately into them so they had to move out of my way.

You can't notice the scarring now and I don't care who stares at me now, as a plus.

The instructor of a class my dds and I do together told my 7-year-old to 'Smile!' in the middle of a stretching exercise at our last class. I had to make do with frowning at him at the time, but if he does it again I might have to explain to him what a dickish thing it is to do and why it's so depressing that it happened to my 7-year-old.

This is a bit different- smiling during exercise helps to release tension so here would allow a deeper stretch

This is a bit different- smiling during exercise helps to release tension so here would allow a deeper stretch

Funny how he has never told any of the boys to smile then.

" "dance minion, so that your antics may please me"? "

love it

Most of these replies don't really create that come back satisfaction we are after.
Unfortunately once someone has said that to you they have sort of taken the glory already.
I think fuck off said in a rather bored tone is as good as your gonna get.

Twatish man: "smile"
Me: "Why should i?"
Twatish man: "I duno... Just smile"
Me:

I had it once from a taxi driver. I did think that as I'd just booked him to go to the hospital, he might have guessed at the odds of it not being for a good reason. I said, "my father just died," and didn't speak again.

Shit. I didn't realise this was a "thing". It happened to me a fair few times when I was younger. I usually just gave them I really confused look I think. Because of course I was baffled. Brain told me that I was just getting on with my life, thinking about stuff, and that I was nothing to do with them so why did they care whether I smiled or not? And I couldn't work out why they would care or why it mattered (it was always men of course).

I wish I wish I wish I had mastered the art of a good "fuck off" at the age of 16. The DDs (8 and 10) have just gleefully discovered the word. Obviously they have both had the full lecture about not using it, but I am secretly quite glad that they now have this word and I will, in due course, be teaching them to make use of it properly .

I've always wondered what they expect us to say... ??? Is it just a power-play or are we actually expected to respond?

It just did is my response or i glare at them it doesnt matter if you think you have a resting bitchy face they really shouldnt be commenting and a woman has never said it to me always men i am not sure whythey say it but its bloody annoying.

Yes, I find that spitting out FUCK OFF usually does the trick..especially when I'm out with my DD as she then starts to PHSL 😆😅😂

I've always wanted to say "I'd never leave my husband for less than £300k a year and, looking at your clothes, you can't afford me so FUCK OFF" but I always forget to say the first bit.

I have been known to point out I am off to a funeral. This was actually true.