‘Resting bitch face’ is possibly the most irritating phenomenon to ever happen

'Resting bitch face' is possibly the most irritating phenomenon to ever happen.

It has haunted me throughout my life, with subtle reminders to 'smile, it won't hurt' and to 'turn that frown upside down'.

I've been told more times than I can remember that I simply 'look like a bitch', or alternatively I look 'scary', 'intimidating', 'unfriendly' or occasionally just 'rude'.

Unsurprisingly, I'm not the only person who has endured these indescribably annoying remarks due to the natural expression on their relaxed face.

Celebrities have often been criticised, and in some cases turned into memes. Shockingly, I am actually aware that my face won't crack if I smile, but why should I be smiling all the time? Even if men may tell me I would 'look prettier if I smiled more', looking prettier surprisingly is not a good enough incentive.

Surprise – I can actually smile !

While it has been scientifically proven that bitchy resting face occurs equally in men and women, socially the term is predominantly directed at females.

How often have you heard boys say 'bro, give us a smile'? I'm guessing not often, and yet if a girl isn't constantly smiling and looking happy she is obviously a bitch.

Historically, women were supposed to effectively be attractive and do as they were told. While this obviously has progressed over time, there are still many lingering, overlooked social norms that undermine this progression. Unfortunately, this is one of them.

My reaction when someone tells me to smile

The thing that saddens me the most is the consequence of these comments. Once said, the remark is quickly forgotten by the commenter, but can have longer and much more profound effects on the recipient.

While these comments are selfish and entitled – the benefit of telling someone to smile is for the onlooker, with little regard for the actual wellbeing of the other person – the recipient may actually suffer.

Numerous articles exist providing tips on how to prevent resting bitch face and change your natural expression, while confidence may be knocked for some by incessant critism. At its core, this is an example of women changing something about themselves for the purpose of male satisfaction.

As a standalone, being judged so harshly on a facial expression is annoying enough. Just because I'm a girl, why should I be forced to smile when I see no reason to? Perhaps you're not as funny or entertaining as you thought you were, or perhaps I'm just not aware of what my face is doing.

Chances are, I'm not unhappy at all – or at least I wasn't before you made a comment.

When you also add in the discrepancy between male and female bitchy resting faces, and the connotations of the term bitch, the whole phenomenon is, hopefully, understandably infuriating.

Much like the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover', perhaps we shouldn't judge a bitch by her face.