How smiles lost out to the pout ... and selfies are to blame
IT’S a sad feature of modern life, but thanks to selfies we appear to be smiling less.
Technology is changing how we present ourselves, an expert claimed yesterday, with the so- called duck face – an exaggerated pout – replacing the Cheshire-cat grin.
Professor Colin Jones said smiling had become clichéd, and we were more likely to adopt the kind of frosty glare associated with public figures such as Anna Wintour, editor of US Vogue.
Professor Jones, who specialises in facial expressions, said ‘the smile had carried on triumphant’ for most of the 20th century thanks to advertising, studio photography and dentistry.
But following the rise of the selfie, people began to realise broad smiles were ‘absolutely everywhere’ and changed how they reacted to the camera lens.
Now facial expressions are more varied, he said. People might adopt a pout like Victoria Beckham, or perhaps pose ironically with their eyebrows raised.
Professor Jones, of Queen Mary University of London, told the Hay Festival yesterday: ‘Technology has made it interesting for the culture of the smile.
‘The world of the selfie, the wonder of narcissism, the selfie-stick and the way that seems to make the smile absolutely everywhere. It is the way in which we establish our authenticity in the world.
‘This is then where the “duck face” comes in. The idea is that you probably won’t smile, you probably won’t show your teeth. You will probably suck in and look very ironic and trendy and fashionable. There is something going on in the way we present ourselves.’
He said the ‘caved-in’ duck face had quickly become ‘incredibly common’ having been pioneered by trend-setters such as Miss Wintour. Social media has also helped to make people increasingly narcissistic, as it became more easy to see images of themselves online.
Professor Jones, who has written a book, The Smile Revolution, added: ‘I think there is something going on that is going to affect how the smile is valued and what it means. ’
In The Smile Revolution, Professor Jones tracks the history of smiling through history. He says it was popularised in the late 18th century, before which open-mouthed smiles were traditionally only used to depict ‘plebeians or the mentally deficient’ in portraits.