Smile

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Equally as annoying is a person that says or does rotten s**t and expects it to all be washed under the carpet because they're upbeat and smiling when they do it. Sorry, I have autism, I actually listen and comprehend the words coming out of your mouth and the upbeat/smiling act you play while you say it only makes me think you're sadistic and get pleasure out of doing rotten s**t to people.

Until I reached my mid twenties I used to get told to smile with infuriating regularity, almost entirely by older/middle aged men. One man in particular, in a bar, refused to leave me alone until I'd given him a smile. Actually BARTERING for one. I remember asking him why it was so important that I smile, I didn't really get much more of an answer than "I just want you to be happy". I remember physically trying to do it but felt humiliated and ended up having to make up excuses to leave. The last time was a few months ago, a guy shouting at me from a van sat in traffic on the other side of the street - "COME ON, SMILE! GO ON!"

I'm not an especially attractive woman so I have no idea what it was about me that made so many guys desperate to change my facial expression to a more "inviting" one. I can only think that it was a power/dominance thing...

Yes, happened all my life. Lots of older men. It was constantly assumed I was in a bad mood when I was totally oblivious. I think it is kind of a power trip for them sometimes.

Yes, random men tell me to smile all the time and I hate it.

C'mon everybody-----why can't you all just smile?

Yeah, I get told to smile sometimes. It happened more when I was younger. Teachers frequently thought I was sad or mad when I was a kid so they would tell me to smile. My 8th grade English teacher was so concerned about my lack of smiling that she made me give her my home phone so she could set up a meeting with my parents to tell them how clearly depressed I was. Pissed me right off. I told her several times I was not depressed, I was tired. Not that complicated.

It's not so bad these days. I'm not sure when the last time some random person did tell me to smile. It's been awhile. My mother still does that though when I have to see her. She's always telling me to smile and then I do and she gets pissed at me saying how it's a fake, forced smile. No kidding.. you just told me to smile so I did it. It's not genuine if you have to instruct someone to do it.


As for men and being told to smile... it does happen. It happens to my spouse more than it happens to me. And it seems to bother him way more than it bothers me. His coworkers do that to him frequently. The last time someone told him to smile he said nothing. She then proceeded to ask him why he never smiled. He told her he smiles all the time, then he went on to say "In fact, I was smiling right before you got here." <--- that... that right there made me smile.

When I was a kid another mother berated my mom about my appearance, saying, "She must not have a very happy home life". Also, a group of old folks my family saw regularly nicknamed me "Smiley" because I was not. I've been told to smile by strangers - male and female, but mostly older men - my whole life. Most recently, it was a woman who worked at a mall kiosk and shouted (I'm not exaggerating) "You should try smiling once in a while!" at me as I was walking away from her. Other people in the mall actually turned and looked, that's how loud she was.