Over the years, I've grown accustomed to answering questions from concerned friends, family members, and strangers.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you feeling ok?"
This is due to the fact that I suffer from Resting Bitch Face, also commonly known as RBF. For those of you who share the same struggle, I'm sure you can relate.
At times, RBF has been the very bane of my existence. Because of my natural scowl, I don't often make the greatest first impressions. My friends confess to thinking I was unfriendly and unapproachable before they actually met me. Unfortunately, this tends to be a misconception among many.
As a pretty friendly person, this is a big obstacle for me. I love meeting new people and I'm in a good mood about 90 percent of the time. The remaining 10 percent of the time, I'm probably just hungry
For those of you who were not cursed with the plague of a perennially unhappy face, here are some struggles us frowners are forced to live with.
1. The classic "Are you surrrreeeee you're ok?" I've actually never been better, but thanks for your concern.
2. "Turn that frown upside down!" Oops, I'm frowning again? I honestly had no idea.
3. Concentrating on your facial expressions when I really need to seem like a pleasant person. For someone that suffers from RBF, this can be an exhausting task. I actually have a standard pep talk I give myself before meeting new people, speaking with professors, hanging out with friends, etc.
4. Flirting. I've given up on this one. I'm pretty positive most men are actually scared of me.
5. Using "I'm just tired" as an excuse for my face.This is my go-to when asked if I'm ok. This classic response is so much easier than explaining that, "Yes, I'm doing great, my face just doesn't know it."
6. Interviews. My worst nightmare. After roughly 30 minutes of forcing an expression that isn't completely emotionless, my cheeks are shaky and I am mentally exhausted.
7. No one realizes when I'm actually upset. Because your sad/mad face looks the same as your resting face.
8. "I thought you hated me." I get this one pretty often. Unfortunately, my RBF can cause me to seem unsocial and unapproachable. This is upsetting because I am actually the complete opposite.
9. Having a standard face for every emotion. Am I excited? Scared? Angry? Guilty? You won't be able to tell. Although, at times this can be frustrating, I often view this as one of the pros of having RBF. It's fun to confuse people sometimes.
10. "It's just my face, I swear!" Every once in a while, the feisty side of me comes out when I get tired of reassuring others of my well being. This response is accompanied with emotions that have been held inside for much too long.
