Smile Like You Mean it!
Rediscover the Sexiest Curve on Your Body
Recently a friend of mine was lamenting emojis and the use of emojis on Facebook, especially in certain situations, specifically the use of the crying face when someone has lost a loved one. Who Does That?
They say a picture’s worth 1000 words.
Can an emoji express 1000 words? More importantly, in modern culture what is the value of an emoji? I believe a smiley face emoji, as used on social media, is mostly a way to let people know you’re happy or not serious.
I come from the era B4 FB and social media.
In the 70-s we had the original smiley face emoji… it was a pop culture phenomenon and non-digital smiley faces were everywhere.
I never liked the smiley face back then. In fact, I generally disdain anything pop culture. Pop anything always smacks of inauthenticity to me. In any case, the smiley face became a most reviled symbol for me because I was bombarded by it for far too long back in the day.
Facebook and the Rise of Emojis
I don’t know when FB started emojis but, I resisted using ANY of them EVER, until sometime in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. At a time when we couldn’t see people’s smiles, I wanted to show mine, even if it was merely digital.
I’m a man of few words because I believe words have power and should be used sparingly, carefully and with thought for their impact.
Since the pandemic I feel like, in a digital social setting, just like a thumbs up, an smiley emoji is an OK form of acknowledgment. I know, just like a thumbs up, it’s a type of drive-by acknowledgement but, it’s something.
Where do We Find Meaning?
It seems to me that the thumbs up and the smiley face have lost most of their meaning in the virtual social world. However, now that masks are not required, they seem to have more value than ever in the Real World.
I absolutely agree with my FB friend that emojis are not appropriate in many situations. In fact, I’m a bit flummoxed myself when I ask a question on my FB page and a bunch of people simply respond with a thumbs up instead of an answer to the question… what is that? Did they even read my post? Did they only read part of it? Are they too busy, afraid or too shy to respond to a question with words? Are they afraid someone will disagree with their opinion? Or, is that the full extent of their everyday communication; to only respond in gestures with little social value?
Perhaps we’ll never know the answes to those questions as everyone’s different and we can’t see their actual faces on the social media post.
In any case, while we were in the midst of Covid, I really re-discovered the power of an actual smile because I couldn’t show mine or see anyone else’s.
Since we’ve been able to go out in public without masks, I’ve used my smile more often and in a conscious way to raise the vibe in all sorts of social situations and it feels Really Good!
Use it or Lose it!
Smiling uses about 43 muscles in your face. As they say about maintaining muscle, “Use it or Lose It.” If you aren’t using your smile, it could be getting weak. Try it right now. Smile. Did it seem like it took some effort, like the muscles had to work a bit?
You may want to start a smile workout every morning. Look in the mirror and smile at yourself. Make it Big and Beautiful and Natural. Such a great and easy way to start your day on a high note!
It’s time to bring back the actual smile. It really is the sexiest curve on your body. So get out there and smile for no reason. Smiles are contaigious so, smile to start an epidemic. Smile to make a difference. Smile to make someone else smile. Smile it forward. Smile for a mile. Smile you Sexy Beast! Smile Like You Mean it!
~ The Happy Wayfarer