The Un-Smile: Difference between revisions

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* ''[[Kyo No Go No Ni]]'' has a chapter about trying to get a girl to smile. The characters regret it.

* The first of the ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]!'' [[Light Novels]] describes [[The Stoic|Sousuke]]'s attempt at smiling for a student picture as making him look like he's suffering from [[wikipedia:Trigeminal neuralgia|facial neuralgia]]. The effort as depicted in the anime series looks similarly painful.

* In ''[[Darker ~~Than~~ Black]]'', Contractors tend to have lessened emotions. When the [[Emotionless Girl]] companion of the main character wants to get emotions across [http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/323/d/1/yin_attempting_to_smile_by_lilith_zer0-d336dxk.jpg she puts her fingers to the corners of her mouth to] "[[Frozen Face|make]]" herself smile. This differs from most of the examples because of the specific [[Emotionless Girl]] trope appeal... this was considered [[Moe Moe|adorable]] by fans instead. July makes himself smile this way too. It's [[Uncanny Valley|not as cute]].

* In ''[[Darker than Black]]'', Contractors tend to have lessened emotions. When the [[Emotionless Girl]] companion of the main character wants to get emotions across [http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/323/d/1/yin_attempting_to_smile_by_lilith_zer0-d336dxk.jpg she puts her fingers to the corners of her mouth to] "[[Frozen Face|make]]" herself smile. This differs from most of the examples because of the specific [[Emotionless Girl]] trope appeal... this was considered [[Moe Moe|adorable]] by fans instead. July makes himself smile this way too. It's [[Uncanny Valley|not as cute]].

** Yin's "smile" was adorable, but July's was hilarious.

* [[Face of a Thug|Natsuki]]'s '[[media:mko10-34.jpg|smile]]' in ''[[Minami-ke]]''. [[Hilarity Ensues]] when he tries to do it -- plus follow a few other reasonable instructions completely literally -- while asking a favour of the Minamis.

* Ichi's "smile" from ''[[Ichi the Killer]]''. Is it pathetic? Or creepy? [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/ichi_the_killer/c005/15.html You decide].

* Sawako's earlier attempts at smiling in ''[[Kimi ni Todoke]]''. Her innately [[Evil Laugh|creepy laughter]] does not help matters.

* Naka Kaburagi from ''Nosatsu Junkie'' wants to be a model, but her smiling face makes her look like a criminal.

* In [[Inuyasha]], Sesshomaru's expressions normally runs the gamut from happy (read: completely impassive) to furious (read: slight frown.) He's only shown (to this troper's memory) fully smiling exactly ''once''. And when he does it is a thing of ''beauty'' to the viewers. But, given his normal disposition, his [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain|retainer, Jaken]] has a slowly-building panic attack over it, eventually begging Sesshomaru to "go ahead and beat me, but please stop smiling!"

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* Rei Ayanami from [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]. Although that may just be this troper.

* [[Muteki Kanban Musume]] has Tomoka Kayahara who somehow fulfils both this and [[When She Smiles]]. When enjoying a bowl of her favourite ramen, Kayahara-sensei has a sparkly bishojo smile. Otherwise her Unsmile is the kind of thing that lingers in your nightmares.

* Every smile Christopher Shouldered from ''[[Baccano]]'' gives is unnerving, regardless of the intent behind it. This can be blamed on his [[More Teeth Than the Osmond Family|maw of sharklike teeth]].

* Every smile Christopher Shouldered from ''[[Baccano!]]'' gives is unnerving, regardless of the intent behind it. This can be blamed on his [[More Teeth Than the Osmond Family|maw of sharklike teeth]].

* ''Sub-Audio'' stars a [[The Stoic|stoic]] [[Huge Schoolgirl]] that's mistaken for badass just because she doesn't/can't smile when the situation calls for it (girl talk, a guy offering tissues, etc.,) which [[I Just Want to Have Friends|really]] [[I Just Want to Be Loved|gets to her]] [[Not So Stoic|more than anyone realizes.]] It takes a [[Brother-Sister Incest|"session"]] with her [[Sibling Yin-Yang|Cute Shotaro Boy brother]] to cheer her up where despite a subtle, pleasant smile that comes naturally, [[Nightmare Face|her forced smile results in this trope]] [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog|and her brother advises her to stick]] [[Crowning Moment of Funny|to being stoic.]]

== Comicbooks ==

* In ''[[Pearls Before Swine]]'', Rat's attempt to smile actually caused him to literally explode.

* A ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'' strip has Calvin's mom ordering him to smile for a photograph. He made a hideous face that was technically a smile, since his mouth was upturned.

** Calvin's done that a number of times for photos. One of them was a strip Bill Watterson said he laughed out loud at. Needless to say, these smiles are ''always'' fantastic.

* During [[Kurt Busiek]]'s run on ''[[The Avengers (Comic Book)|The Avengers]]'', they become a UN organization, and have to get new photo IDs to go with the change of status. [[The Stoic|Vision's]] attempt to smile for his photo at Wasp's urging is ''priceless''.

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'''Nobby:''' I am smilin'.

'''Otto:''' Stop smiling, please. }}

** Rincewind often does this intentionally:

{{quote|He had put a lot of thought into that grin. It was the sort of grin people use when they stare at your left ear and tell you in an urgent tone of voice that they are being spied on by secret agents from the next galaxy. It was not a grin to inspire confidence. More horrible grins had probably been seen, but only on the sort of grinner that is orange with black stripes, has a long tail and hangs around in jungles looking for victims to grin at. }}

** In ''[[Discworld/Reaper Man|Reaper Man]]'', Ludmilla Cake (a werewolf) is described as having "the bright, crystalline smile perfected by people who had long ago learned not to let their feelings show."

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== Web Comics ==

* From ''[[Questionable Content]]'':

** [http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1215 "I said SMILE, not horrible rictus."]

** Earlier: [http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=751 No, no, I didn't mean literally].

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* ''[[Basic Instructions]]'' offers us some... [[Shaped Like Itself|basic instructions]] on [http://basicinstructions.net/basic-instructions/2006/8/23/how-to-fake-a-smile.html how to make a fake smile look genuine]. Panels 1 and 3 look especially ridiculous.

* [[Bloody Urban]]: Murray tries smiling for a change [http://bloodyurban.smackjeeves.com/comics/1475025/smile/ with horrifying results].

* In ''[[Blip]]'', a very androgynous stranger on the bus gives K a beaming smile. K panics, and gives a half-smirk in response. ''"Just smile back, smile back... Yeah, that's natural."''

* ''[[Something Positive]]'': You know how Davan [[The Eeyore|never looks happy]]? [http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp10312006.shtml Maybe it's better that way...]

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** Interestingly, she ''can'' give a real smile, after she practices a bit. She used a charming smile on a hapless party goer later in the evening, to great effect. Then she went on a tangent about how she and the partygoer would rule the world (in [[Ax Crazy|typical Azula style]]), which ruined the whole effect, [[Crowning Moment of Funny|and sent the poor guy running for the hills.]]

* [[Pinky and The Brain|The Brain's]] smile, at least in one episode. A character actually identifies him his best-effort smile.

* Occurs in the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' episode, [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Recap/S2 E3 Lesson Zero|"Lesson Zero"]], when Twilight Sparkle has a psychotic breakdown. She starts smiling in a manner somewhere between "[[Cheshire Cat Grin]]", "[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animation)|The Grinch]]", and "utter disconnect from reality".

* Occurs in the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' episode, [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Recap/S2/E03 Lesson Zero|"Lesson Zero"]], when Twilight Sparkle has a psychotic breakdown. She starts smiling in a manner somewhere between "[[Cheshire Cat Grin]]", "[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (animation)|The Grinch]]", and "utter disconnect from reality".

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** It's not even necessary to know how a "natural" smile works. It's enough to think of something that elicits a smiling response from you. It should be enough to fake a smile, because our facial expressions are a (relatively) simple response. In other words: if you have to pretend to smile, just pretend to have something to smile about. Amazingly, your brain will believe you.

* Seems to be standard for official pictures of the female members of the United States House and Senate.

** Examples:[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Nancy_Pelosi%2C_official_photo_portrait%2C_111th_Congress.jpg Speaker Pelosi] [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/83/Kosmas.png Representive Kosmas].

* [[H.P. Lovecraft]]

* [[Gordon Brown]]... he had a perfectly respectable "dour Scot" thing going on, but then his PR people must have decided he wasn't warm enough, because he suddenly started doing [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYPqAo3UasA&feature=related THIS all the time.] *Shudder*

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* [[Richard Nixon]]. Whatever his mouth was doing, those two beady little ferret-eyes were always lurking right above it...

** Why must you [[Insult to Rocks|defame ferrets]] in such a way?

** The man was an extreme introvert, and absolutely hated dealing with people on a personal level. It shows.

* [[wikipedia:Franz Xaver Messerschmidt|Franz Xaver Messerschmidt]] (1736-1783) [http://www.kuriositas.com/2010/04/madness-of-messerschmidt.html heads] sculptures contains a fine [http://www.flickr.com/photos/access/77566870/ example] making this (at least!) [[Older Than Radio]]

* Part of being Miss California is having a winning smile, So why does [http://www.accesshollywood.com/content/images/90/230x306/90943_miss-california-carrie-prejean.jpg Carrie Prejean] not have one?