General Discussion

robbob

(3,522 posts)

59. Men are just looking for an excuse

Fri Jan 11, 2013, 05:11 PM

Jan 2013

...to strike up a conversation with a pretty woman. I figure if it's not something you would do/say to another man why the hell are you saying it to a woman?

My favourite example of men behaving badly is at the pool table. I like my 8-ball. I take the game seriously and get annoyed at people who have no pool etiquette. Often at the bar I play at some beautiful young woman will put her name up on the board. When it's her turn to play, regardless of her skill or knowledge of the game you can bet money on the fact that her male opponent will suddenly decide it's his job to offer her advice on what shot to play, how to hold her cue, etc. etc.

It drive me nuts. I feel like telling the dude, "hey; she's got more game than YOU buddy; I can tell, just from her shot selection and the shots she's taken that she knows how to play the game! Would you be offering all the advice and tips if you were playing against a guy?"

Not a chance. OTOH, it's just another example of men desperate to establish a connection with an attractive female. A lot of us guys are more lonely that we look....

But I know that's not an excuse for acting like a jerk....

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Highlight:

"I stopped telling women to smile (and you should, too)." [View all] Brickbat Jan 2013 OP

kick samsingh Jan 2013 #1

"be annoyed with men suggesting that you should try and look more pleasant." WTF.. now, seabeyond Jan 2013 #2

sea JustAnotherGen Jan 2013 #5

Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Xipe Totec Jan 2013 #3

That's a lovely poem Gormy Cuss Jan 2013 #71

That's what the poem tells you to do - smile Xipe Totec Jan 2013 #82

No, it gives one a reason to smile. Gormy Cuss Jan 2013 #84

Ok. We seem to be perceiving different realities Xipe Totec Jan 2013 #87

First I have always loved this poem,,,, KarenS Jan 2013 #88

She is pointing out the paradox Xipe Totec Jan 2013 #103

Funny how people can read the same thing and KarenS Jan 2013 #110

That's the magic of poetry; Xipe Totec Jan 2013 #135

That's the magic of DU. n/t jtuck004 Jan 2013 #237

So the poem says: If you want to have people close, fake your feelings. pnwmom Jan 2013 #219

Yes, that is what the poem says. Bitter, isn't it? Xipe Totec Jan 2013 #223

Why the hell would a woman need some random guy on the street any closer? Matariki Jan 2013 #300

It's fine for a poem to do that, but not another person. pnwmom Jan 2013 #218

Thank you...You're spot on. You don't hear women demanding men to smile, except me whathehell Jan 2013 #228

It's rude tooeyeten Jan 2013 #241

Love Has Brought Me Around Xipe Totec Jan 2013 #341

Telling a woman to smile is so patronizing, almost like encouraging a dog to sit. Chemisse Jan 2013 #4

Yes, yes and yes Happyhippychick Jan 2013 #7

I've had college-age guys say this to me in my 30s. Brickbat Jan 2013 #8

Oh! So much for my blissful ignorance. Chemisse Jan 2013 #12

Heh, the "WTF" was directed at the college-age guys, not you! Brickbat Jan 2013 #13

Oh I know! LOL. Chemisse Jan 2013 #19

Good god, college-age guys are still doing this?? No wonder women don't feel like smiling, ever. Nay Jan 2013 #99

Not just old men CitizenPatriot Jan 2013 #28

for you... lol, seabeyond Jan 2013 #31

HAHAHA! thank you! CitizenPatriot Jan 2013 #35

i found a whole site of them. now, i am going to them for whatever the post requires. seabeyond Jan 2013 #36

that's a man worth knowing! n/t CitizenPatriot Jan 2013 #44

A whole site! Aren't you gonna share the link with us, seabeyond? nt tblue37 Jan 2013 #205

i really saw it... seabeyond Jan 2013 #210

Thanks for the link! Cool site! nt tblue37 Jan 2013 #213

"Chicken Soup for Your 'Nads" by Bob Dole? Buns_of_Fire Jan 2013 #224

She needs to learn how to transmit the FIX to his genitals. LiberalFighter Jan 2013 #94

"when men stopped hitting on me, I'd be sorry" gkhouston Jan 2013 #34

I figured that might be the truth CitizenPatriot Jan 2013 #41

Trust me, you will *love* being able to walk down a street, use mass transit, or shop gkhouston Jan 2013 #45

Ain't that the truth. I love the non-attention age brings me. I'm not so happy about the Nay Jan 2013 #101

LOL, true. And when you say "no", people realize you mean it the first time. gkhouston Jan 2013 #123

So true, so true tavalon Jan 2013 #171

Yep, going to be great for you tavalon Jan 2013 #170

So true union_maid Jan 2013 #50

I *have* reached that stage and it's .... strange. BlancheSplanchnik Jan 2013 #54

Yeah same with me. It's hard to get used to, a difficult adjustment Raine Jan 2013 #158

Your money shot is in the fourth paragraph tavalon Jan 2013 #174

Good looks can be a curse as well as a blessing, as I'm sure you've realized. Flatulo Jan 2013 #199

I hit that mark over 10 years ago arikara Jan 2013 #139

Amen a *thousand* times. nt Nay Jan 2013 #159

I *thought* I'd hit that mark long ago, but every now and then I get gkhouston Jan 2013 #172

It was never done by fabulously handsome "winners"--it was always someone spooky3 Jan 2013 #202

I'm with you! tavalon Jan 2013 #168

I'm already there and it's liberating beyond words lunatica Jan 2013 #280

I was quite the pretty young thing and I hated these salvos tavalon Jan 2013 #167

I have to comment on this: Le Taz Hot Jan 2013 #332

Holy shit....now suggesting someone smile is offensive. zeemike Jan 2013 #105

1st world problems Major Nikon Jan 2013 #126

You don't get it Lydia Leftcoast Jan 2013 #145

Oh I get it alright. zeemike Jan 2013 #152

Yeah, try getting it all the time tavalon Jan 2013 #175

You are now telling people how to feel in response to being told by strangers Squinch Jan 2013 #235

No one can tell someone how to feel zeemike Jan 2013 #250

True. No one can tell someone how to feel. So why do some people feel they need to? Squinch Jan 2013 #252

you have said as clearly as can be. if still not understood, it is purposeful. also, all the posters seabeyond Jan 2013 #267

I actually think we have much more of a women's issue today than we Squinch Jan 2013 #271

backlash. i agree. and i think seabeyond Jan 2013 #284

And so women don't have a facial preference and have no power over men. zeemike Jan 2013 #276

Has a strange woman, in whom you have no interest, ever approached you on the street solely to tell Squinch Jan 2013 #279

No but one did in a restaurant. zeemike Jan 2013 #282

One person approached you in a restaurant, long ago. In my youth, anytime I was walking Squinch Jan 2013 #285

Well long ago was in my youth. zeemike Jan 2013 #298

OK. SO we've gone around this from every angle. Squinch Jan 2013 #304

Well your compleat dismissil has been heard. zeemike Jan 2013 #306

that was a comment from a man who spent all day with you observing you "mope" for hours bettyellen Jan 2013 #318

I've had strangers tell me to smile FrodosPet Jan 2013 #333

Actually that is pretty much how I comport myself at all times. Flatulo Jan 2013 #310

You do then understand what a cynical way that is to live. zeemike Jan 2013 #313

You seem to believe that most women are always interested in engaging in a mating Flatulo Jan 2013 #314

I assume nothing of the sort. zeemike Jan 2013 #315

Well, I don't know else to tell you, Mike. You've heard it from a number of women here, Flatulo Jan 2013 #317

Well then why not error on the side of caution zeemike Jan 2013 #334

You're not being censored. You can say whatever you want to (or at) whomever you want. Flatulo Jan 2013 #336

Well you are not being censored ether. zeemike Jan 2013 #337

the point would be, there are articles, blogs and the number of time on du we have had this seabeyond Jan 2013 #339

Just one other thought: would you ever tell your boss to smile and stop frowning? Why is that? Squinch Jan 2013 #247

Well yes I would. zeemike Jan 2013 #248

I think you might want to KNOW that your boss could understand before you told him or her to Squinch Jan 2013 #254

Well I tell you the truth I would not want to work for someone as petty and vindictive as that zeemike Jan 2013 #274

What do you have to be so upset about? You should smile instead of getting so mad. Squinch Jan 2013 #277

Well anger is never attractive...and I am not trying to attract. zeemike Jan 2013 #281

The women hearing those words are not trying to attract either. Nor do they owe explanations to Squinch Jan 2013 #283

And the posts here represent all womankind zeemike Jan 2013 #307

You're clueles FightForMichigan Jan 2013 #289

So you are projecting the tension you feel on to everyone. zeemike Jan 2013 #297

Yes, perfectly tension-free FightForMichigan Jan 2013 #325

I think the women who've been replying to this thread may be misunderstanding what a man Flatulo Jan 2013 #311

Yes, you are EXACTLY right. nt Raine Jan 2013 #164

Well, I KNEW some here would fail to comprehend basic moral issues. alp227 Jan 2013 #246

I see women doing it more than men Major Nikon Jan 2013 #113

That sounds interesting. Quantess Jan 2013 #144

I have exactly what I said Major Nikon Jan 2013 #147

this same argument came up a while ago. i asked all the men and boys in my life. none of them has seabeyond Jan 2013 #151

I've been told to do so by other women, yep. Neoma Jan 2013 #157

SMIIIILE, HONEY! Quantess Jan 2013 #173

Relatives that loves to reinforce patriarchy for their men. Neoma Jan 2013 #183

I've never seen or even heard of a woman doing this to a man. EVER. kestrel91316 Jan 2013 #263

I've already said I've never done it and thought it was stupid Major Nikon Jan 2013 #291

They do it to little boys or family members, not strangers on the street. bettyellen Jan 2013 #278

Whatever you say Major Nikon Jan 2013 #292

Neoma is not a man. Ha ha. And any other guy who said they've heard it forgot we were talking about bettyellen Jan 2013 #308

That's kind of the point Major Nikon Jan 2013 #309

that people love telling women how to look and act, but spare men this bullshit? bettyellen Jan 2013 #316

No Major Nikon Jan 2013 #319

that women secretly do this to men all the time, and never admit it? and guys lie too, pretending bettyellen Jan 2013 #321

No Major Nikon Jan 2013 #322

you claim to see women do this all the time- if it was to adult male strangers, would be equivalent bettyellen Jan 2013 #323

You obviously have no idea what my point was Major Nikon Jan 2013 #324

oh please, if you had one, you'd be proudly defending it. but you posted total nonsense about women bettyellen Jan 2013 #326

Whatever you say Major Nikon Jan 2013 #328

yep, BULLSHIT. Tks for the confirmation. bettyellen Jan 2013 #330

I've been given the you need to smile more lecture my whole life mythology Jan 2013 #134

total strangers of both sexes walking down the street stop to lecture you frequently? bettyellen Jan 2013 #320

And the proof is that no straight guy would ask another guy to do that. n/t pnwmom Jan 2013 #220

Could you just imagine it? Squinch Jan 2013 #273

Maybe if I were watching South Park. pnwmom Jan 2013 #286

I keep thinking of the old westerns where the outgunned man has to "smile when he says that." Squinch Jan 2013 #287

There ya go! n/t pnwmom Jan 2013 #290

Ding Ding Ding rosesaylavee Jan 2013 #233

All about him tooeyeten Jan 2013 #243

THIS ^^^^ - I have had older male clients pull this with me while I am in the middle of examining kestrel91316 Jan 2013 #260

that is the thing. it is not even because a woman may be bothered about a damn thing. could be in seabeyond Jan 2013 #268

Nope, it's not just really old men. redqueen Jan 2013 #264

Yes, it's the Victorian ideal of the useless and decorative woman Warpy Jan 2013 #302

It IS annoying. Quantess Jan 2013 #6

Hee! Brickbat Jan 2013 #9

. Squinch Jan 2013 #293

I'd never tell someone to smile, man or woman. MineralMan Jan 2013 #10

EXACTLY! narnian60 Jan 2013 #17

Thank you, Mineral Man tavalon Jan 2013 #176

People do all sorts of inappropriate things mythology Jan 2013 #185

Love this JustAnotherGen Jan 2013 #11

Simple exercise ... Why Syzygy Jan 2013 #131

Dehumanizing tavalon Jan 2013 #177

Men still do that? They did in the sixties when I was in my twenties. Cleita Jan 2013 #14

The only man I ever heard say something like that whistler162 Jan 2013 #97

Yes, they do. REP Jan 2013 #161

My dad used to do that to me, than again he is a dentist... AsahinaKimi Jan 2013 #242

Smart guy get some free advertising! whistler162 Jan 2013 #245

Men have to learn that women aren't their little performing puppies MrScorpio Jan 2013 #15

I remember hating that as a kid Recursion Jan 2013 #16

It never has occurred to me ... 1StrongBlackMan Jan 2013 #18

That's not what we're talking about, here. Quantess Jan 2013 #20

In fact, AverageJoe90 Jan 2013 #221

That's the perfect thing to say, if anything. bettyellen Jan 2013 #25

Just curious - why is a stranger striking up a conversation less offensive than a stranger Flatulo Jan 2013 #66

Not necessarily--maybe the person is lonely and needs someone to talk to Lydia Leftcoast Jan 2013 #80

Ah, I get it. It's the condescension that's offensive. Thanks. Flatulo Jan 2013 #81

You get it. That's a great way to put it. Thanks. tavalon Jan 2013 #180

It's the condescension and the fact that "you should smile" has nothing to do with what is going on Squinch Jan 2013 #294

A stranger striking up a conversation can be welcome! Quantess Jan 2013 #86

If someone looks stressed out, it may take very little to help them out eridani Jan 2013 #109

Exactly! Quantess Jan 2013 #124

Usually, it was more, "you need to smile, honey." God, I hated that. tavalon Jan 2013 #181

Of course not! That random strangers have the right to criticize your emotional state-- eridani Jan 2013 #225

A supportive little comment is always welcome- an bettyellen Jan 2013 #141

This message was self-deleted by its author Dash87 Jan 2013 #312

I agree completely! n/t AverageJoe90 Jan 2013 #222

Well, that's it exactly. And that's why women hate being told to smile by random men. They Nay Jan 2013 #125

That is appropriate and humanizing, instead of dehumanizing tavalon Jan 2013 #179

you are also validating rather than denying their reality. spooky3 Jan 2013 #208

it's such a weird thing. that used to happen to me when i was younger, total strangers telling HiPointDem Jan 2013 #21

Really, you didn't understand the motivation? Quantess Jan 2013 #23

but so often it is the man that is a couple decades or more, older. and as the woman ages.... seabeyond Jan 2013 #30

Sometimes people are just trying to be kind, though. polly7 Jan 2013 #52

It's just IRRITATING and ANNOYING. Quantess Jan 2013 #72

Well, different experiences for different folks. polly7 Jan 2013 #83

Of course it all depends on how it was presented. Quantess Jan 2013 #96

in my memory, at least, i didn't notice any attempt to pick me up...maybe i was oblivious. i HiPointDem Jan 2013 #91

Nope. They wouldn't go tell random men to "smile". Quantess Jan 2013 #119

Thoughtless sexism tavalon Jan 2013 #182

And poopyheads are notorious for dampening any impulse to smile. Because they're poopyheads. Squinch Jan 2013 #295

I know! Tell me about it! tavalon Jan 2013 #331

I'm a little surprised that so many think this is uncommon. yewberry Jan 2013 #22

Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it? Ilsa Jan 2013 #107

That might have something to do with it. When I used to work in NYC a day didn't pass when it Squinch Jan 2013 #296

people who go around smiling marions ghost Jan 2013 #24

LOL, that's the truth. nt laundry_queen Jan 2013 #74

i had a friend like that once shanti Jan 2013 #77

Guess she knew how to work it LOL marions ghost Jan 2013 #95

To be able to hold an inner smile is a gift bhikkhu Jan 2013 #249

Inner smile is good yes marions ghost Jan 2013 #256

I think I'll take smiles on a one by one basis demwing Jan 2013 #26

I just had a guy do this to me at a gas station about a week ago. MoonchildCA Jan 2013 #27

right on to both points but LOVE the second one. hadnt thought of that but yes, i have had that too seabeyond Jan 2013 #32

Wow! I must be one ugggly babe! I don't remember anyone (other than my mother) marybourg Jan 2013 #37

Men are just looking for an excuse robbob Jan 2013 #59

OMG that is so true! liberal_at_heart Jan 2013 #329

"You should smile more." Wait Wut Jan 2013 #29

You gave him a teachable moment. If he got past his embarrassment, maybe he learned something. tavalon Jan 2013 #184

I got a great smile from a woman in the supermarket the other day. MineralMan Jan 2013 #33

ahhhhhh. that is the sweetest. that was fun MM. nt seabeyond Jan 2013 #38

I also get smiles by making kids sitting in shopping carts laugh. MineralMan Jan 2013 #49

i have a blast with people out in public and it has nothing to do with emotion on demand. seabeyond Jan 2013 #51

LOL, that is great! tavalon Jan 2013 #186

I get what yall are saying, but if a lady noticed me bumming and asked me to put a smile on Ed Suspicious Jan 2013 #39

your last sentence seabeyond Jan 2013 #40

read *my* other post! ;) BlancheSplanchnik Jan 2013 #57

Oh, Ed, that is a little sad. Below is a hug for you. But you have to realize that any woman Nay Jan 2013 #118

Conversation is welcome! I'm actually friendly in real life. Quantess Jan 2013 #166

OMFG - Yes! union_maid Jan 2013 #42

I can't imagine ever saying such a thing to anyone, much less a complete stranger. Flatulo Jan 2013 #43

I hear ya! KansDem Jan 2013 #55

It's kind of sad that we've become so insulated from each other. I would not even let my Flatulo Jan 2013 #60

My Dad used to do that. Jokerman Jan 2013 #46

That has always annoyed me! Thanks. n/t Duval Jan 2013 #47

Kicked and Recommended distantearlywarning Jan 2013 #48

+1000! It has ALWAYS been a way for men to insist that young women are to be decorative Nay Jan 2013 #98

The best way to get anyone to smile is to give a smile. A genuine smile, and a kind 1monster Jan 2013 #53

You're much braver than I am. I've never initiated conversation with a female stranger. Flatulo Jan 2013 #63

"It really is a beauty contest when you get right down to it" Lydia Leftcoast Jan 2013 #85

That may all be true for you, but it's been my experience that most women will respond Flatulo Jan 2013 #112

The key words are "when you were in your twenties" and "clubbing" Lydia Leftcoast Jan 2013 #115

Yes, clubbing was really dreadful for me. Ironically, I did meet my wife in a neighborhood Flatulo Jan 2013 #121

And that is how the good one's hook up. tavalon Jan 2013 #192

Yes, she's a keeper. We have a wonderful son who is gentle, caring, unselfish and compassionate. Flatulo Jan 2013 #198

You got a good one. I'm glad tavalon Jan 2013 #191

I once married a pretty boy tavalon Jan 2013 #189

I'm female and I regularly toss off a bon mot and a smile to utter stangers. Sometimes 1monster Jan 2013 #92

That's different from commanding someone to smile Lydia Leftcoast Jan 2013 #146

It's a beauty contest in high school tavalon Jan 2013 #188

Smart guys rock! Manifestor_of_Light Jan 2013 #209

I've been a geek hag all my life as well eridani Jan 2013 #226

You'd be surprised. Many women find a friendly word much more attractive than a handsome face. kestrel91316 Jan 2013 #275

You get it. Gormy Cuss Jan 2013 #67

exactly. nicely said. thanks. PeaceNikki Jan 2013 #120

Exactly tavalon Jan 2013 #187

yeah, I get that, it's a cheap shot pisser toby jo Jan 2013 #56

I loathe that. wildeyed Jan 2013 #58

Yep. I hate that more than ANYTHING. That and "cheer up!" Omg, I hate that SO MUCH. Butterbean Jan 2013 #137

My preferred response to "cheer up" is "Die!" Iggo Jan 2013 #150

I like that. REP Jan 2013 #162

Happened to me.. Science Geek Jan 2013 #61

I don't tell other people what to do. Warren DeMontague Jan 2013 #62

Annoying, yes. But not the most dangerous thing to say to me. aquart Jan 2013 #64

"Smile!" is the code reminder for "Adapt!" "Suck it up!" "Do what I say!" ancianita Jan 2013 #65

and "your job is to be pretty and pleasing to me if I look at you." Lex Jan 2013 #70

Yup. ancianita Jan 2013 #73

and "I'm a male, decorate my space!" Nay Jan 2013 #128

Yep. (nt) Posteritatis Jan 2013 #127

And its variation, said to a strange woman who is upset and crying Lydia Leftcoast Jan 2013 #148

One of the best/worst stories I've read about this phenomenon, KitSileya Jan 2013 #232

I never started. Iggo Jan 2013 #68

I'm 57 years old now, and I still understand less about females than George Costanza. Flatulo Jan 2013 #69

Surprisingly, we're actually people Patiod Jan 2013 #129

i was a waitress. i would smile at the old man and play along, seabeyond Jan 2013 #154

First, they're "women" and not "female biological specimens" REP Jan 2013 #163

Aaaand there's exhibit A. I managed to offend you with that comment, which is why I never Flatulo Jan 2013 #190

Actually, female is both a noun and an adjective. Flatulo Jan 2013 #230

Even better is when they add, "sweatheart" to the "just smile"... glowing Jan 2013 #75

k&r intaglio Jan 2013 #76

don't have to stop, never started watch the sky Jan 2013 #78

slightly OT - as a man I've had people tell me to smile. KG Jan 2013 #79

I've never told ANYONE to smile! Larrymoe Curlyshemp Jan 2013 #89

Yeah, it's rude. So many people don't realize that, though. tavalon Jan 2013 #193

Wow, that's a lot of drama over a smile LittleBlue Jan 2013 #90

The drama's not over a smile. Iggo Jan 2013 #153

The drama is over the rude, sexist behavior, actually. tavalon Jan 2013 #194

The first time some random person tells you to smile, you smile gollygee Jan 2013 #93

just say "huh?" marions ghost Jan 2013 #102

I'm a guy,women always tell me that women would like me more if I smiled more. athenasatanjesus Jan 2013 #100

If brought up in conversation, it is different, though. Quantess Jan 2013 #136

And, I assume he knew the women with whom he was having conversations. spooky3 Jan 2013 #204

I've heard it. It took every last bit of patience Ilsa Jan 2013 #104

What kind of obnoxious prick tells anyone to smile? DireStrike Jan 2013 #106

In my experience it's the same people who tell someone to have a blessed day Major Nikon Jan 2013 #111

I never started Major Nikon Jan 2013 #108

Gads! I hate this SO much! Thank you for posting this. Silver Gaia Jan 2013 #114

Is it always a pick-up line? gollygee Jan 2013 #116

I've seen it used both ways. Silver Gaia Jan 2013 #214

Saying something witty and amusing is better than telling someone to smile. (nt) Nye Bevan Jan 2013 #117

Ehrenreich on when being "positive" is actually negative eridani Jan 2013 #122

I am ordering that book now. MadrasT Jan 2013 #130

+1 redqueen Jan 2013 #261

I fully support anyone's right to be miserable if that is what they want. Zorra Jan 2013 #212

"Buck up, li'l Chief." DirkGently Jan 2013 #132

yes. little boys get it. BUT, do grown men. can you imagine a grown man being told to smile, seabeyond Jan 2013 #133

Grown women do NOT do this to grown men. bettyellen Jan 2013 #142

i have never seen it. nt seabeyond Jan 2013 #155

What? NO. Quantess Jan 2013 #178

I don't think I've EVER told a woman to smile. Ken Burch Jan 2013 #138

Holy cow, this is a pickup line??? Duer 157099 Jan 2013 #140

Can you even imagine a man saying this to another man he didn't know? Nine Jan 2013 #143

It also raises status and power issues. spooky3 Jan 2013 #206

I went through a period in my life where I was severly depressed. Men were always telling me to smirkymonkey Jan 2013 #149

I can't count the number of times when I was in college walking from one class to another that some Raine Jan 2013 #156

OMFG YES! Thank you for posting this REP Jan 2013 #160

THAT's what I meant watch the sky Jan 2013 #299

I live in the Northwest where Scandinavian blood runs thick tavalon Jan 2013 #165

Actually, I used to get it in gay bars on occasion. Kurovski Jan 2013 #196

LOL! spooky3 Jan 2013 #207

Since women usually laugh at me when they see me, I don't have this problem. n/t cherokeeprogressive Jan 2013 #169

LOL Kurovski Jan 2013 #195

You'd be wrong. It's my bald head, my pot belly, and for those who've seen it... cherokeeprogressive Jan 2013 #197

Well, some people aren't even schmarties, so there's that. Kurovski Jan 2013 #203

Telling a total stranger to "smile" is effing rude, period. duffyduff Jan 2013 #200

When someone says that to me, I want to punch them in the face. HeeBGBz Jan 2013 #201

I just did. It would make a very funny scene in a movie. Kurovski Jan 2013 #211

I can totally see how it would feel really annoying and patronizing. GaYellowDawg Jan 2013 #215

"You could be sexually appealing to men like me if you smiled more" dooner Jan 2013 #216

I'll remember that tap dance thing. Jamastiene Jan 2013 #217

There are different kinds of smiles: ...... meti57b Jan 2013 #227

Yes, men are uncomfortable with unsmiling women. It's like the old "grinning and shuffling" whathehell Jan 2013 #229

I totally agree with the article Shankapotomus Jan 2013 #231

I don't see how women put up with all the constant, thinly veiled aggression. retread Jan 2013 #234

I solve this problem very simply. eggplant Jan 2013 #236

I'm wracking my brain thinking when was the last time that a stranger asked me to smile. Beacool Jan 2013 #238

Agreed tooeyeten Jan 2013 #239

I used to get that all the time. It puts one in a lose-lose situation. Arugula Latte Jan 2013 #240

That gets on my nerves rainbow4321 Jan 2013 #244

It must exist, or the OP wouldn't exist. But who the hell targets women and insists they smile? Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #251

If you are a guy marions ghost Jan 2013 #262

I have seen grandfatherly types say this to someone they are trying to help. Buzz Clik Jan 2013 #265

"as younger men get off that whole Alpha Male thing"? And this would be where? Not in the news I'm WinkyDink Jan 2013 #272

The smarter ones marions ghost Jan 2013 #288

LOL. Smiling is everyone's responsibility. :-) grahamhgreen Jan 2013 #253

Covert sexism aside, I'll never understand why anyone would ask this of anyone. D23MIURG23 Jan 2013 #255

Thank u Thorn83 Jan 2013 #257

he really seems to have thought thru making that comment. not that women should appear pleasant so seabeyond Jan 2013 #270

Geez....can we lighten up? mudstump Jan 2013 #258

LOL, how this is even controversial? redqueen Jan 2013 #259

Being told to smile... awoke_in_2003 Jan 2013 #266

This is beyond stupid. First of all, "You can't complain about men not approaching you"??? Who does WinkyDink Jan 2013 #269

Jeezus - did you actually read beyond the first paragraph? Matariki Jan 2013 #301

Oh, I'm ever so grateful for the epiphany so described. WinkyDink Jan 2013 #335

When I was a young teen, my father often told me to "smile" ... He even gave me $$$ if ... agracie Jan 2013 #303

I've had it happen to me twice in my life, and both times I smiled Evoman Jan 2013 #305

I found it very difficult to get past that first paragraph. Prometheus Bound Jan 2013 #327

Stupid Girls. Zorra Jan 2013 #338

stupid girl. my 19 yr old niece played stupid not long ago. i say, wait... seabeyond Jan 2013 #340