I came upon this story and found it interesting
This comes from a recent Facebook video found on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) site "The Social"
A UK woman identified only as "Jane" was commuting to work on a train when she noticed a stranger looking at her. He eventually got off but not before dropping a folded note on the table in front of her which read 'count to 10, then open'.
Inside the man had written the following - "You should smile, even if the world's getting you down, a face as pretty as yours wasn't made to frown."
In the video "Jane" said the message made her feel uneasy, for in her words "There are so many ways he could've expressed concern for me, rather than handing me a note telling me what I should do with my face and then running off the train before I could even respond". She anticipated there would be backlash but her main reason was to say to men "If you're not sure how an action that you're about to take is going to be perceived by someone else the just be cautious. Just don't do it."
There was support as well as the expected backlash. One woman wrote in her response "He left a little note to brighten your day and your (sic)moaning? I don't get it...men can't do any right" while another woman asked "I wonder if this guy would ever say something similar to a man? This feels sexist unless he would normally say this to guys as well. Just because she's beautiful, she should smile all the time? I sometimes get this comment (to my face) too from men. This is unsolicited advice. Mind your own business. She has the right to have any facial expression she wants without strangers commenting on it."
Other responses suggested the man could have simply said "I hope you have a lovely day" without demanding she change her facial expression because she's "pretty", while yet another recounted feeling threatened by men on public transport. Yet another offered this angle - "We are not there to decorate your trains, your streets or anywhere else so do us a favour and tell the next guy you see to smile instead. Don't fancy it, no? Didn't think so."
I would love to hear your feedback on this. Also have you experienced a similar experience to what "Jane" went through, in that have you felt someone staring at you?
Thank you.
A UK woman identified only as "Jane" was commuting to work on a train when she noticed a stranger looking at her. He eventually got off but not before dropping a folded note on the table in front of her which read 'count to 10, then open'.
Inside the man had written the following - "You should smile, even if the world's getting you down, a face as pretty as yours wasn't made to frown."
In the video "Jane" said the message made her feel uneasy, for in her words "There are so many ways he could've expressed concern for me, rather than handing me a note telling me what I should do with my face and then running off the train before I could even respond". She anticipated there would be backlash but her main reason was to say to men "If you're not sure how an action that you're about to take is going to be perceived by someone else the just be cautious. Just don't do it."
There was support as well as the expected backlash. One woman wrote in her response "He left a little note to brighten your day and your (sic)moaning? I don't get it...men can't do any right" while another woman asked "I wonder if this guy would ever say something similar to a man? This feels sexist unless he would normally say this to guys as well. Just because she's beautiful, she should smile all the time? I sometimes get this comment (to my face) too from men. This is unsolicited advice. Mind your own business. She has the right to have any facial expression she wants without strangers commenting on it."
Other responses suggested the man could have simply said "I hope you have a lovely day" without demanding she change her facial expression because she's "pretty", while yet another recounted feeling threatened by men on public transport. Yet another offered this angle - "We are not there to decorate your trains, your streets or anywhere else so do us a favour and tell the next guy you see to smile instead. Don't fancy it, no? Didn't think so."
I would love to hear your feedback on this. Also have you experienced a similar experience to what "Jane" went through, in that have you felt someone staring at you?
Thank you.
