Women Should Smile Less – Argumentative Essay

The overriding contention in the “Why Women Smile” essay by Cunningham (2011) is that women should express themselves less via smiles. Some people wear smiles, and you can tell from miles away that the smiles are a sham. Ideally, one smiles when he or she is contended and happy. Even then, I often come across persons who are in difficult situations but wearing bright smiles at the same time. I concur wholly with the claim by Cunningham (2011), which is that women especially smile so frequently and indiscriminately particularly when they are sad and intense that smiling is often used negatively in stereotyping them. I encourage women to join Cunningham (2011) in her quest to quit smiling: they should smile less frequently and more discriminately if they must smile. In this essay, I contend that women should smile less, demonstrating that there are sound reasons for expressing themselves less via smiles.

One of my close friends recommends to me that I should smile more every day as, according to him, smiling gives happiness to individuals. He frequently indicates time there is a close link between my mind and my body. There is a common perception that smiling communicates to one’s brain that she or he is happy, and when one is happy, the body generates endorphins, which are feel-good hormones (Benenson, 2014 Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010). The friend opines that when an individual mimics varied emotional expressions his or her body generates physiological changes that mirror the corresponding emotions. Such changes include breathing rate and heartbeat rate changes (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Philippot, 1999). (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Eppley & Eppley, 1997; Kraetzig, 2007). I am convinced that if smiling was as contagious as the instructor was us to believe, there is a high likelihood that the world would be devoid of people who are not cheery. The actuality that the world is full of people with sad faces amidst others who are smiling disabuses the notion that women should be encouraged for the singular reason of making others happy (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010).

Women should smile less since their smiles help subjugate females, especially the lowly ones, globally. Notably, females dominate many jobs in the West (Benenson, 2014). Most of the jobs need women to be excessively friendly as well as smile always (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Philippot, 1999). Firms require women who wear smiles for long hours since the smiles make their clients view the firms as caring and more likely to offer them repeat business (Eppley & Eppley, 1997; Kraetzig, 2007). Cunningham (2011) examines numerous subjugated jobs that are typically the preserve of women: flight attendant, receptionist, personal assistant, or waitress. A female flight attendant, receptionist, personal assistant, or waitress who does not smile when talking to her seniors or bosses or customers is often misunderstood (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Eppley & Eppley, 1997; Kraetzig, 2007). There is a common expectation that she will smile regardless of the economic or socio-cultural difficulties she is facing (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Philippot, 1999). The continued smiling by working women will only serve to project them as persons who do act in given ways out of own volition (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Philippot, 1999). As well, it helps in the projection of women as having agreed to work in situations in which they are forced to wear bogus smiles in ways that are not meaningful to others. Through the fake smiles, the women appear to say that they are humbled by the trust that others have thrust upon them (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Philippot, 1999). Let’s engage the leaders who grace our discourses from time to tome. Women should only be encouraged to smile where they can do it meaningfully and where they have a say in what concerns them. Most of those expressing disaffection with the continued smiling of women have a valid point: that smiling continues to subjugate women in the society (Benenson, 2014; Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010).

Obligating women to smile more and more serves to limit their expression and related rights. I am convinced that numerous women smile excessively. When the women smile, the expressions that register on their faces should of concern to all of us. The difficult times that the expressions mask are never addressed by the concerned parties (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010). I have many female friends who must smile to win over clients. It is only after studying their smiles carefully that those opposed to them can tell when they smile to mask own uneasiness. That means that requiring women to smile more forces them into situations in which their smiles come off as products of communications that have already been edited out (Benenson, 2014; Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010). Obligating women to smile more helps in suppressing their emotional feelings. Women should be free to elect when to smile and where to do so since our society is defined by expression, equality, autonomy, and freedom (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Philippot, 1999). Societies that compel women to smile more in essence trample on their right to self-expression. The societies rob women of the right and force them to suppress their actual problems. There is no justification to have women smile more and mask the trying realities that they face every day.

Women should smile less since there is substantial literature supporting the call for fewer and fewer smiles from women (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010).Notably, Cunningham (2011) integrates ethos into the essay through the inclusion of claims and information previously tendered by authoritative sources on smiling women (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Philippot, 1999). One of the sources is Oscar Wilde. Most of the works executed by Wilde, an influential and bright, person, regards the American society and human nature. In “The Importance of Being Earnest. They are afraid that they may publicly reveal given flaws (Coon, Mitterer, Talbot & Vanchella, 2010; Philippot, 1999). In most of the treatises penned by Wilde, The Smiling Woman character is quite common. The character prefers to be a romanticized person as opposed to being taken as being a realized person. Wilde effectively integrates the character in his writings to ridicule the human beings contemptible nature. Cunningham (2011) manages to project herself as credible, as well as trustworthy, in her call to women to smile less by substantiating the need for the call using Paul Ekman’s writings. Ekman is a psychologist. As well, Cunningham (2011) manages to project herself as credible, as well as trustworthy, by backing her call for reduced smiling among women using information supplied by Heidi Berenson. Berenson is a media coach and producer. Besides, Cunningham (2011) manages to project herself as credible, as well as trustworthy, by backing her call for reduced smiling among women using numerous history references.

Many women are keen on masking their real feelings and emotions using smiles. Many women are compelled to keep smiling against their will and other odds by their employers. I know many women who keep smiling to mask own uneasiness. There is a need to ensure that women smile less since their smiling is used as a tool for subjugating them. Women ought to smile less since their smiles facilitate the subjugation of females, especially the lowly ones, by male colleagues, globally. As noted earlier, there is no justification to have women smile more and mask the trying realities that they face every day. By and large, I hold the view that women should smile less since there is considerable literature supporting the call for the reduction of the frequency at which they smile.

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