OPINION
By Heidi Stevens
Chicago Tribune
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) I know it seems innocuous, but being told to smile is really offensive. I was always told and continue to be told as a grown woman to “smile” by complete strangers on the street. Somehow, I doubt my younger brother receives the same remarks. That is why this opinion piece by Heidi Stevens strikes such a chord. If you support the empowerment of women, please read and think.
Chicago Tribune
Of all the annoying times a man has told a woman to smile, Joe Scarborough wins for annoying-est.
“Smile. You just had a big night. #PrimaryDay,” the MSNBC host tweeted Tuesday night.
About Hillary Clinton.
The woman running for president.
The woman who is well on her way to securing her party’s nomination for president.
The woman who would have rather serious business to attend to at that point, such as solving income disparity, curbing climate change, stemming gun violence, fighting global terrorism and uniting a country bitterly fractured by a vitriol-splattered election cycle.
Smile!
It would almost (almost!) be funny if it weren’t so tiresome.
“I’m not outside for your entertainment, and I’m not seeking your validation,” Brooklyn-based artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh told Mother Jones about the message behind her public art series, “Stop Telling Women to Smile.”
