Sadly, there is a disease like many out there that goes incurable, a disease that turns people away, a disease that because of your appearance makes you an outcast at school and a disease that comes on without the carrier’s notice. This disease is called “The Resting Bitch Face” and lucky me, I have it.
I found out that I have this horrible disease through hidden pictures my family took of me while I was minding my own business. Urban Dictionary defines it as “a person, usually a girl, who naturally looks mean when her face is expressionless, without meaning to”. If you have this disease you will know it because people will tell you.
They’ll say something with utter surprise like “Wow I thought you were a total bitch at first, but you’re actually really nice” or “You are kind of hard to approach” or “You look tired today.” We love that. We also love sarcasm, get it. Emotionally though it really hurts.
Our faces were made the way they are, and we feel upset because there is no way to physically change it. I would write this article about rules people with this disease could use in their everyday lives, but it’s a catch 22, because we would need people to be able to approach us first for those rules to work. So buckle up because I am here as a representative of my fellow faces to teach you some tips on how to approach the unapproachable.
Tip#1: Never tell us that we are hard to approach. Firstly, we hate it. Secondly, believe me we already know. We have been on this earth for quite awhile now and have had many opportunities to meet people throughout our lives. So chances are we’ve heard it.
Tip #2: If you see someone walking around campus with a scowl on his/her face, first ask yourself this question. Is it sunny outside? If it is chances are that their face looks that way because it is bright as hell out, and they can’t see a damn thing. And if it’s not, they have probably just found out their last quiz score. Don’t judge we all know how that is.
Tip #3: Approach us with a smile or a helping hand. We are just a misunderstood people, and it means the absolute world to us when we are treated with kindness and respect just like everyone else. The reality is that it does hurt our feelings, and when we hear it, often it can really break down our self-esteem. We feel that we aren’t trying hard enough. This rule especially applies to your new professors. Try giving them a chance, show them that you’re a hardworking student and they will warm up to you soon enough.
As school begins you will inevitably meet those rare folks just like me who have this illness. It might be a roommate, a new classmate or even a professor. Hopefully I have prepared you for such an encounter. Don’t judge people just by the look on their face, all jokes aside they could actually be having an extremely rough day, month or even a year. So approach with caution, but help them to realize how great it feels to be recognized and cared about.
I promise you once you get to know some of these people, they could be the coolest classmate, an amazing teacher or a new lifelong friend. So be brave, make friends and don’t be afraid to approach the unapproachable. Because who knows, maybe you have a case of “resting bitch face.”