Comments on: The Permagrin: Being Forced to Smile

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:27:39 +0000

Jess, if you want to see others smile, then may be you should simply smile at them first.

By: elyce

elyce — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:42:28 +0000

When I recently told my mother that some of her comments were hurtful to me, she told me that if I didn’t want my feelings hurt that I shouldn’t wear them on my sleeve. I have always been made to feel by her that I am oversensitive. When people have the attitude like my mother that genuine, authentic feelings are things that should never be displayed, but instead should be repressed and hidden from the view of the public, there really isn’t much you can do to change their minds. You just have to know that you are always better off being a real person in touch with your authentic emotions than a phony person who couldn’t locate a raw emotion in themselves if their lives depended on it.

By: Alex L

Alex L — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:04:02 +0000

Only one word for your apparently angry self… “SMILE!!!”

Now THAT one was insensitive brett.. get over it man. The guy showed he cares, even if he was ignorant, and you shud still feel grateful. Imagine had he said “CRY!” instead. sheesh, get over yourself kid.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Mon, 25 May 2009 04:26:36 +0000

Feh. I work at a Friendly’s restaurant in the Northeast, and while I love my job, we ARE required to smile ALL THE TIME. It can be kind of a pain in the ass, but alas–it’s part of the job.

By: TAO

TAO — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:18:00 +0000

I’ve never heard a man tell another man to smile. It is inherently dismissive and demeaning, which is why it’s always a man who says it to a woman. Even total strangers. It’s demanding a response you haven’t earned. They’re demanding you pay attention to them and stop acting like you’re acting, doing what you’re doing, feeling how you’re feeling. It’s like a random act of narcissism.

By: Gracie

Gracie — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:58:17 +0000

Sometimes I AM smiling, happy as can be, and still get told to smile… Apparently it isn’t enough to smile; we have to do it with the most toothy, fake-cheery grin we can manage, because our own natural smiles aren’t adequate to cheer up those people who consider their moods to be our responsibility.

By: Jade

Jade — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:20:57 +0000

I hate this too. If I’m at work and it’s a hard day, I just cant muster it to smile. It pisses me off so much when people tell me I should smile, I’ll smile when I please!

By: Jess

Jess — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:57:59 +0000

I’m one of those people who tell others to smile. I think it’s really selfish of everyone who doesn’t smile to others, because sometimes people are just feeling a little down and need others to smile to cheer them up.

Or maybe I’m just selfish too. Who knows? Everything that you say, and I say, is tinted with bias.

By: Yusuf

Yusuf — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:15:36 +0000

Thank you for your service to humanity through your publications.

By: John

John — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:54:16 +0000

I’m a guy, and I feel the exact same way. There are women at my work who sit in an office during the day. When I return from my deliveries I go through the office where they are sitting. By this time I am usually tired from driving, or thinking about what I need to do to finish up so I can go home. I always get comments that “I need to smile”, well do I? I mean, what if I don’t feel like smiling. Am I required to smile? Does the expression on my face really look like I am that pissed off? I mean, I say hi, and will shoot a quick grin. Isn’t that enough on a bad day. Sure I smile and laugh it up when I’m in a good mood. But aren’t I allowed to not smile if I don’t feel like it. Just makes me feel really awkward sometimes. Doesn’t help that I am generally a shy person to begin with and have anxiety issues. Anyway, thank you for sharing your thoughts.

By: Robin

Robin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:27:51 +0000

I honestly thought I was the only one who went thu this. Let’s Just Say no to Bully smiler people!

By: killertomato

killertomato — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:56:41 +0000

I love this post. This is something that really drives me nuts, and other women I’ve talked to really get upset too. It’s because , at least in my experience, it’s always a guy who says this to a female. Because if a guy said this to another dude, he’d likely get flattened. A male, gay friend listened to us girls talking about it and remarked that it’s like they expect us to be entertaining them or something like that. Anyway I just ran across this and had to chime in. I’m glad I am not the only one that has been annoyed by that.

By: geesh

geesh — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:13:02 +0000

Soooo important to Beee rather than conjole others into ones chosen way of Bee-ing..I was raised in the type of home where I always had to smile and hated it. Made me realize how phoney my parents were and society as well. Sad. We all need times to just let down and reflect, be real without pressure to look a certain way.

By: Reed

Reed — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:33:14 +0000

Unfortunately, that obtuse classmate didn’t read your other posting (which I realize didn’t exist yet) because if he had he would have read point #2: Smiling is Contagious. If he really was interested in getting other people to smile, then he would have simply flashed one of his own…