Why don’t European women (especially French?) smile for photos?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm French.

Everyone I know in France smiles for photos. They pose for selfies just like Americans.

You seem very prejudiced and intolerant.

+1 Not french, but this.

Oh for heaven's sake.

I have friends and family in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. They don't smile in pics. I had an Italian boyfriend, so I spent a lot of time in Italy -- his family never smiled in pics. I have very close Eastern European friends (Ukrainian and Uzbek) who don't smile and have actually told me that in their cultures you're assumed to be foolish if you smile often, in life but especially in pictures. It's obviously a thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm French.

Everyone I know in France smiles for photos. They pose for selfies just like Americans.

You seem very prejudiced and intolerant.

+1 Not french, but this.

Oh for heaven's sake.

I have friends and family in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. They don't smile in pics. I had an Italian boyfriend, so I spent a lot of time in Italy -- his family never smiled in pics. I have very close Eastern European friends (Ukrainian and Uzbek) who don't smile and have actually told me that in their cultures you're assumed to be foolish if you smile often, in life but especially in pictures. It's obviously a thing.

Am Eastern European and agree.

[Anonymous]

Because Americans, especially women, are taught from a young age to appear happy, bubbly, friendly, manic almost, even if it means hiding our true feelings. Not that Americans should frown and look depressed either, but there should be a happy medium. I don’t know about Europeans necessarily, but I have a feeling that in many other cultures it’s acceptable to not be ‘on’ constantly and picture perfect at any moment. Americans weren’t always like this, this is a fairly new phenomenon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, where are you getting this? All the Europeans I know smile in photos.

I do think Europeans smile less than Americans on average. It's not about trying to look more serious. There is just less imperative to be cheerful in European cultures. Americans smile when they are happy, but also when they are nervous, scared, insecure, even sometimes when they are angry. It is actually a peculiar cultural trait that people in other countries sometimes find off-putting because it comes off as disingenuous.

I work with immigrants in the US a lot and I have noticed that often when they arrive they don't smile a lot but that after about 6 months they can become very smiley. I used to think this was because they were settling in and becoming more relaxed and happy. But now that I am deeper into my career, I think what actually happens is that once they have been interacting with Americans for a while (especially if they work in service-oriented jobs) they start to reflexively smile in greeting because this is something a lot of Americans do. Also, Americans often get offended by people in service roles who don't smile at them (even if the person is doing their job perfectly). So many immigrants learn to smile as a form of defense, as though to say "I am not threatening."

Again, this does not happen in the other countries where I have lived and worked.

Exactly right. I'm the French poster above, and this is what I've noticed too.

Women in particular who don't smile for no reason are accused of having a "resting bitch face."

Think about that. They are literally criticized for whether they hold their lips in a way that pleases others when they are just standing there minding their own business.

Pathetic. We really are not your eye candy.

I agree with this and frankly, I love it. I also like that they're not so customer service focused that salespeople are all up in your business. I just want to browse, I will find you if I need you! That plastered on smile some Americans have strikes me as disingenuous.

I am from NY and we're not really known for being the smiliest people either.

[Anonymous]

Yes. We don't do the wide, idiotic grins like Americans. And that is a good thing. If I have to see one more idiotic selfie where I wonder if they think people looking at the photos are dentist!, I will barf. European women do smile in selfies, but subtly. I don't want to see your tonsils!
Smaller, subtle smiles are better.

[Anonymous]

I am PP, and I honestly hate the perfect chiclet teeth post braces look. Granted, it’s better than rotten teeth, but the super straight blindingly white teeth are hideous imo. I prefer slightly crooked natural colored healthy teeth, but that’s not popular here in the US. I don’t get the teeth obsession here.

[Anonymous]

I am an American woman and I cannot tell you how many times throughout my life people have said “cheer up” or asked “what’s wrong” just because I wasn’t smiling constantly. It almost gave me a complex, I fee like I have to smile so others think I look okay, if that makes any sense? Yes, I don’t constantly feel elated and chipper, is that okay? I am a relatively happy and content person though despite my serious face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm French.

Everyone I know in France smiles for photos. They pose for selfies just like Americans.

You seem very prejudiced and intolerant.

+1 Not french, but this.

Oh for heaven's sake.

I have friends and family in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. They don't smile in pics. I had an Italian boyfriend, so I spent a lot of time in Italy -- his family never smiled in pics. I have very close Eastern European friends (Ukrainian and Uzbek) who don't smile and have actually told me that in their cultures you're assumed to be foolish if you smile often, in life but especially in pictures. It's obviously a thing.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an American woman and I cannot tell you how many times throughout my life people have said “cheer up” or asked “what’s wrong” just because I wasn’t smiling constantly. It almost gave me a complex, I fee like I have to smile so others think I look okay, if that makes any sense? Yes, I don’t constantly feel elated and chipper, is that okay? I am a relatively happy and content person though despite my serious face.

Yes, that is definitely a thing, especially for young women. You're expected to be smiling at all times. Europeans and lot of other cultures allow you to be neutral -- neither happy nor sad, just being. It's nice.

This is why the concept of RBF -- resting bitch face -- is uniquely American. In what other culture do women have to justify how their face looks in neutral -- that we don't look smiley all the time?

[Anonymous]

Look at photos of Americans prior to maybe the 1980-90s and many people didn’t smile like this. Not sure why, it could be various reasons, new and improved dental technology being a big one. But even actors/actresses from the past, who had perfect teeth, did not do this exaggerated smile in photos.

[Anonymous]

Example of the French / Euro rich girl no smile pose

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at photos of Americans prior to maybe the 1980-90s and many people didn’t smile like this. Not sure why, it could be various reasons, new and improved dental technology being a big one. But even actors/actresses from the past, who had perfect teeth, did not do this exaggerated smile in photos.

I blame Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise

[Anonymous]

When I spent a college summer in France our French professor told us how silly Americans look smiling with their teeth showing all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Example of the French / Euro rich girl no smile pose

These women are smiling. These look like natural, normal expressions to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Example of the French / Euro rich girl no smile pose

These women are smiling. These look like natural, normal expressions to me.

Here in the US these women would be told to smile, cheer up, it can’t be that bad!