Smiling makes me look fat

Today I had a friend tell me that smiling makes her look fat. Now, she didn't say it in those exact words, but that's what she meant. 

I posted a Facebook status saying everyone looks better with a smile. She commented that she disagreed. When she smiled, her face looked wider. I replied that it's just science...anytime you take a round object and stretch it, it's physically wider, but wider doesn't mean worse.  ...to which she replied that to her it did. 

This saddened me greatly. She's an absolutely stunning woman. The kind that others look at and think, she's really pretty. Yet somewhere, we, as a society, have taught her that anything that makes you bigger means you're worse...even a smile. :(

This reminds me a lot of Go Kaleo's book Taking Up Space. In the book, she talks about how women are taught to not take up space, be as little as possible, be as quiet as possible, be as less of YOU as possible. Whereas men are taught to take as much space as possible. Seriously, have you ever sat next to a man on an airplane? He demands his space and often yours too!!  Think about how men and women cross their legs, women cross there's to take up less space...men, stick their knee out far past their hips, their ankle resting on their thigh, with their foot past their other hip. He's allowed to take up space. Not only is he allowed to, but he's expected to!

We've got to change how we view ourselves. We have to demand our space. Know that smiling makes EVERYONE beautiful, a wide smile does not mean you're fat!