26 May 2024 , 17:23
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A woman has told how her sister-in-law has remained ‘purposely inexpressive’ since she was a child in an extreme effort to prevent wrinkles.
After admitting she had never seen her smile since they were in college years ago, she said she had only seen ‘half-hearted’ attempts that led her to believe she was shy. However, when she married her husband's younger brother and didn't smile on her wedding day, or while on holiday, or even on a video of her first child’s first steps, she began to wonder if everything was ok.
She said: “We were chatting recently about the toll having children has taken on her body. They had four kids in quick succession (four under five) and she mentioned a few ways this affected her, specifically how her face has changed. This led to her talking about skincare/wrinkles/body image.”
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She continued: “During this chat she revealed she was told negatively at a young age about smile lines, leading to her consciously keeping her face as expressionless as possible for her entire life to prevent smile lines from appearing. After admitting her sister-in-law was furious as she now had them anyway, she opened up a conversation about how adults can affect children negatively by speaking thoughtlessly on topics they shouldn’t be burdened with, including weight, or other societal standards.
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She didn't even smile on her wedding day (Getty Images)And after revealing her thoughts about this on Reddit, many were quick to respond, with one saying: “Why do you think Victoria Beckham & the Kartrashians (sic) are so unemotional? Same reason.”
Another said: ‘I hope she takes this as a sign to smile as big as she wants for the rest of her life. I look at smile lines as a sign of joy. Earn those lines, goddammit.”
One reader said sarcastically: "Meanwhile, the husband sits in the sun, has a beer belly, greying hair and society says he ages like wine…” while another said proudly: “I will just wear sunscreen and embrace my wrinkles as a mark of a life well lived with a LOT of smiling and laughter.”