New research shows that nearly two thirds of women have been told to smile by a total stranger.
A survey by YouGov showed that 64 per cent of women have been told to "smile, it might never happen", or to "cheer up", by people they've never met. Only 28 per cent of women had never been told to cheer up or to smile by a stranger.
These figures were in contrast to men who had been told the same thing, with 49 per cent of men saying they had been told to smile, and 41 per cent saying they'd never experienced such a thing.
Advert
Celebrities including Victoria Beckham and Brie Larson have previously spoken out about being expected to smile more.
Fashion designer Victoria, on an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, talked about her penchant for wearing clothes that poke fun at her lack of smile, such as a T-shirt she wore that said "fashion stole my smile".
On the show, she said: "This is just me poking fun at myself. The question I get asked all the time is why don't I smile... People think I'm so miserable!"
She also shared a picture of herself wearing a jumper with the slogan "It's a dark but happy place", with the caption "when you're smiling on the inside".
Advert
Actress Brie Larson had a similarly ingenious comeback when fans trolled her Captain Marvel movie posters, asking why she was always so serious and calling her expression a "piece of wood".
In response, Brie uploaded photos of Marvel movie posters with smiles edited onto the male characters, provoking the question of why it's often women who are told to smile, while men can look as moody as they like without being questioned.
We'll take our cue from Victoria and Brie and smile when we want to smile, thank you very much.
