I’ve noticed a trend in social media lately that I’d like to think I influenced. That is: the Soft Smile. I’ve chosen to capitalize it because I’d like to give it the respect it deserves. I’m so proud of my generation. The one before us claimed the duck face—the scrunching of one’s lips in an attempt to make it look like a kissing face, when in reality, they look like scared waterfowl. How unfortunate. But I digress (ever so slightly). Anyway, we college students are using the soft smile, which is a cute, lips-closed, half smirk that one does while being photographed. I’m sure that I’m not the original source, but I can tell you that I have been doing a soft smile for many years, and not because it was always in style, so I'll take a little credit.
See, as a child, my dentist discovered that I was born without enamel on my teeth. Weird, right? So the solution… pull out all four of three-year-old Evan’s top front teeth. It was just as traumatic as it sounds. I went from the age of three to the age of nine without those important teeth! You are probably thinking that this resulted in lots of teasing, but I’ve rarely let things as trivial as the opinion of a mean-spirited eight-year-old bother me, even when I was little.
I had two ways of coping with my teeth situation. The first (least effective), pretending that I was a vampire because all I had visible were my two pointy canine teeth. I decided that I didn’t want to be the weird kid on the playground, though. I guess I’ve always been wise. The second (so effective that I’m still using it today!), the Soft Smile. In nearly any photography from my childhood, you can find me with a Soft Smile because I didn’t want my absence of teeth to be documented in any way. That would have been so embarrassing to a child who came out of the womb as such a perfectionist! There are a few toothless pictures that exist, only because they were taken candidly. I think they’re cute now, but a younger version of me would have probably been mortified.
So here’s how it’s done—the soft smile, that is. Choose what you believe is the “good side” of your face, unless they’re both good, in which case you are a superhuman. I prefer the left, which is unfortunate because if it were the right side, you could see my dimple! Oh well. Life is all about balance, anyway. Turn your head ever so slightly (because if it weren’t turned you’d look like a robot-stick figure), look into the camera, and let the person take the picture! Very simple stuff. If you’re feeling extra bold, look slightly away from the camera (at the photographer’s wrist (I learned this from an article about Leonardo DiCaprio, so you know it’s legit!)). This will give your picture a feeling of mystery, which I think is super cool.
So, if you haven’t yet boarded the Soft Smile train, fear not. It’s surely here to stay. I’ve been doing it all my life, and I like it, so you probably will, too!
