Meanwhile… 037
Meanwhile… 037
This instalment of Meanwhile… is a take on the whole expectation to smile in photos. As an Autistic, I find the whole concept absolutely baffling. It makes no sense to me to smile for the sake of smiling.
Don’t get me wrong, I smile very naturally, and often, but only when there’s a reason to smile. Being asked to smile simply so it can be documented in a photo just seems absurd to me, and the smile I’ll offer will always be very contrived. It’s something I’ve even had to practice. It doesn’t come naturally. Not in these situations anyway.
I’ll smile if I’m happy, or engaged in something I enjoy. But I can’t (won’t) smile just because it’s a social requirement, especially just so that smile can be a trophy piece of supposed joy. It in fact inspires nothing other than anxiety for myself and for others who are also likeminded.
I’d rather stub my toe. Take a photo of that if you must. It happens often enough and ironically quite often my first response is to laugh and yell out the first thing that comes to mind - one time it was “Bum Soldiers”, much to my brother’s amusement when we were kids.
Side note: As an early years educator, one of my pet peeves is children being asked to smile when a photo is taken of them while playing or engaged in an activity. Don’t do that. You break their stride and you’re asking them to actually question what it is they’re doing outside of the simple fact that they’re happy and engaged.
You’re essentially shattering that moment of happiness and asking them to put it on hold to present a feigned happiness that’s not only theatrical but also implies that that they owe it to the world to be happy.
They don’t. Let them just be.
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