Photo Woes
I went and got my passport photo taken at AAA this morning. Last night my family had a debate about whether smiling for your passport photo was prohibited. My mother, who just got her passport in the past few weeks, insisted that the photographer told her it was okay to smile, and produced her passport complete with her smiling visage as proof. My aunt related the tale of my cousin, who also got her passport in the past few weeks, being expressly forbidden to smile. Something about facial recognition software and such. I don't know. And rather than make an issue of it when I went in this morning, I decided I would not smile, but neither would I deliberately look dour. So when I posed for the picture, I simply left my face in its resting position and stared into the camera lens. When I was given my pictures, I examined them to find that the expression on my face was one step short of a scowl. And I thought to myself, "Oh no! Is that my face looks like most of the time?"
This reminded me a certain professor I had who once told me that I would make a good teacher. I thanked her and asked her why she thought so. She told me, "All you'll have to do is walk in the room and look at them, and they'll do what you tell them to." Now I grant you that this is a useful ability at times. I had to use it last Thursday when the professor I work for called me at 10:30 in the morning to tell me he had to leave early and I would have to cover his 11:30 class. So I went in there, looked stern, pretended I knew what I was doing, and gave them an assignment to work on. But even if I glad I can do that when I need to, I want to be able to turn it off. Can't I look friendly at times too? Later that same day, I was walking up the steps to attend my own class and I passed a very charming man with a British accent whom I have never seen before in my life. He stopped me and said, "Don't look so depressed, it can't possibly be that bad." He said it in a very charming British accent and then he proceeded down the stairs. I thanked him, and silently thought that it was a very odd thing to say. But now I'm not so sure. I imagine I will spend the next few days paranoid that I scowl all the time. Then I will probably overcompensate by smiling too much, and people will think something is wrong with me. All this because I might want to travel to another country some day.
This reminded me a certain professor I had who once told me that I would make a good teacher. I thanked her and asked her why she thought so. She told me, "All you'll have to do is walk in the room and look at them, and they'll do what you tell them to." Now I grant you that this is a useful ability at times. I had to use it last Thursday when the professor I work for called me at 10:30 in the morning to tell me he had to leave early and I would have to cover his 11:30 class. So I went in there, looked stern, pretended I knew what I was doing, and gave them an assignment to work on. But even if I glad I can do that when I need to, I want to be able to turn it off. Can't I look friendly at times too? Later that same day, I was walking up the steps to attend my own class and I passed a very charming man with a British accent whom I have never seen before in my life. He stopped me and said, "Don't look so depressed, it can't possibly be that bad." He said it in a very charming British accent and then he proceeded down the stairs. I thanked him, and silently thought that it was a very odd thing to say. But now I'm not so sure. I imagine I will spend the next few days paranoid that I scowl all the time. Then I will probably overcompensate by smiling too much, and people will think something is wrong with me. All this because I might want to travel to another country some day.
posted by Yax at 9:48 AM
8 Comments:
Hahahaha! That story gave me pleasure. Do not fear. I have never noticed that you scowl exceptionally much. I think you maybe just look... tough? Is that the right word. No, I don't think it is. Did I just give you more of a complex? Crud. Sorry. Um... your visage is very pleasant. The end. :-P
I took my passport photo in December, and my guy encouraged smiling. But, then after I blinked...twice, he was more insistent on the eye opening part.
I don't think you're a scowler. Honestly, I hate it when strangers tell me to smile. They don't know what you're thinking. Just cause you don't look happy doesn't mean you're not. Smiling requires muscle effort. Sometimes people are just lazy...not depressed.
Maybe this guy was hitting on you. Sometimes weird, older guys say that to girls to talk to them. But, your guy was British, so he's probably just cool and not weird.
I liked to think that because I was a generally energetic (at least in personality) and likeable guy that I have a generally happy look about me. But it's been noted in the office that when I'm concentrating I'm a textbook scowler. Consequently, I smiled in my passport photos. Both of them.
I dunno Koki. I think maybe he was hitting on him. Yeah. That sounds about right. Hahaha!
Two things. 1. I am smiling in my passport photo, but then I generally smile at people and into cameras, in spite of my complex that I have a hideous smile. It always seems rather frightening on film, though I've been told by many random people as well as those who love me--and thus I suspect them of being biased--that my smile is actually quite nice--which is good, since I smile frequently, in spite of the muscle soreness and general physical exhaustion it produces.
Ok, 2. I never thought of you as a scowly person. Nor as one who looks depressed. Take heart. :-)
Suze, your smile is adorable and compelling -- I could never not smile when I saw you smiling.
Matt, you're the most affable person I've ever met -- which is why, when I occasionally saw you scowling on purpose, for comic effect, I had to turn away and bust out laughing. Because when you scowl in earnest, it's quite intimidating, and yet we all know the truth. (It's that giveaway sparkle of humor in your glowering eye!)
You should totally make your students think you're mean. Being a teacher is a role. You could be the Ebenezer Scrooge of the classroom with just a little beetling of the brow.
Well, thank you all. I feel better about my perceived scowlitude. I will, however, continue to perfect my glaring technique for use in my future job.
I don't think you look grumpy at all -- a bit pensive from time to time, but not grumpy. I can see how looking grouchy might be an asset in the teaching business, especially in the early years when you are lacking gray hairs and/or a significant bald spot. I know selective grumpiness comes in handy with my kids. In fact, I generally like to hear my son say, "I don't like Ms. So-and-so. She's mean!" This of course means that Ms. So-and-so doesn't take any of his stuff. Good for Ms. So-and-so!
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