This illustration for the article, "Stop Telling Women and Girls to Smile", by Katie Kohler is for the February/March issue of Main Line Today. I personally do not know any woman who has not had to deal with a man giving unwarranted and unwelcome "helpful and well intended advice" of this sort at one time or another. From the article:
"Smile, honey. You would be prettier if you smiled," is one of the first interactions I remember having with a "stranger." It's not that I was a miserable kid, quite the contrary. I was happy...and still am but I don't have a perma-pageant grin glued to my face.
Over the years, it has happened to myself and others who are approached by a usually older male telling us to smile. I've had this happen while carrying out trays full of food during dinner service when I was a server and recently, when I waited for a press conference to start and was going through my notes.
I have never seen a man being told to smile. But women who don't are often accused of "resting bitch face."