Frown

Some months back, I attended a conference on Women Empowerment at a University, which taught me a lot of new things –ironically, not about Women Empowerment, but about “the need and benefits of wearing a FROWN”. It sounds ridiculous but its true!

Like it always happens at such events, I met old forgotten friends, colleagues, and also made some nice new acquaintances. During the tea-break, I ran into a senior colleague of mine, whom I was meeting after almost a decade. We exchanged pleasantries, but I felt that something was amiss. I kept observing her keenly for some moments; then, voiced my concern, to which she told me that she was perfectly ok. She admitted that her frown might be the culprit behind projecting her as upset or unhappy. She went on to enlighten me that smiling too much would make people take her for granted, and also make her look commonplace. She told me that she was too senior to smile at everyone, as if accomplishment was proportionate to frowning. Thus dawned upon me this appalling realisation that the depth of her frown was proportionate to her fear of being regarded as ordinary. Just to stand out, she had decided to wrinkle her forehead!

This strange glory-story of a frown, suddenly seemed to rock the doctrine of benign affability of an ever-beaming person like me. But her candid admission of using this tact to gain importance, helped me solve another mystery. I follow the social media posts of a stinking-rich cousin of mine, happily married to a coal merchant for last 10 years. Every time she posts pictures of a party, dressed in her priciest gowns and diamonds, her frown is the first thing that catches my attention. I wish I could just edit her pictures; curve her tightly pursed lips into a smile, and erase the deep frown standing just between her beautifully threaded brows. Thanks to the wise colleague of mine, I can now see the reason why my cousin too allows her crinkled forehead to mar the glow of her expensive facials.

Such people believe that to get all the  respect and eminence, nothing can be handier than a small self-made wrinkle on the forehead! Deep or shallow, on the forehead or in the eyebrows, on the nose or in the eyes… they feel that a frown is just classy! It makes them stand apart, makes them inaccessible, and earns them the most needed ‘awe’.

I’m also reminded of my city's leading otolaryngologist whom I visited last year to get my laryngitis treated. The deep frown on his forehead was so unpleasant that even before he finished writing the prescription, I had made up my mind to throw it in the dustbin, which I actually did. I don’t know his reasons, but he didn’t smile even once! I’d never met a doctor with such an intimidating expression!

A frown helps you put on airs! But a smile just wins you hearts –it does wonders with your face. It automatically brings a twinkle in the eyes, adds magic to your aura… and makes you look beautiful!