It’s an age-old issue for women. Time and time again, women are told by men both strangers and aquaintances to “smile!” While this comment may be meant as a benign effort to cheer someone up, it almost always feels objectifying and minimizing.
Though Hillary Clinton is the most powerful woman in the United States, even she has fallen prey to the “smile!” tactic, being constantly attacked for the way she talks and acts.
Most recently, even the RNC chairman Reince Priebus attacked Clinton for her lack of a smile, but the Democratic nominee wasn’t going to let that subtle sexism slide.
First, Priebus sent out this dumb tweet,
@HillaryClinton was angry + defensive the entire time – no smile and uncomfortable – upset that she was caught wrongly sending our secrets.
— Reince Priebus (@Reince) September 8, 2016
Then, Clinton shot back with this gem:
Actually, that’s just what taking the office of President seriously looks like. https://t.co/Pyn92mesom
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 8, 2016
Later, during a press conference, Clinton further commented, saying,
“I don’t take anything seriously that comes from the RNC.”
Not content to stop there, Clinton then mentioned Trump’s positive comments about Vladamir Putin, noting that he likely said them with a smile.
