The other day, I was standing at a crosswalk, waiting for the red light to turn green, when I heard a man, a complete stranger, shouting at me from a car, “Why won’t you smile?” Later that day, at a family dinner, I told everyone about my experience, about how rude and embarrassing it felt, then asked: “Why are women expected to smile all the time, and why would anyone feel so entitled to demand any sort of emotion from a complete stranger?!” I honestly thought it was kind of a rhetorical question, considering the familiar crowd, so imagine my surprise when one of my family members jumped right at me and said, “Of course he has a right to demand a smile because women always manipulate men with smiles.” Once again I was speechless.
Ilanit Shamia 