Men Who Get Angry With Me For Smiling At Them in Public

This week, I’ve had two random men get angry with me for smiling at them when they speak to me.

A couple of days ago, I passed by a group of 3 men standing on a sidewalk. As I walked closer, they grew silent. One of the men said “How you doin?” I quickly darted my eyes in his direction, and kept walking forward with a little smile on my face. His friend yells after me:

“Someone said Hi and you’re just gonna smile without speaking? That’s a lil’ RUDE!”

Unbeknownst to them, I kept that same little smile plastered on my face the whole way home, as I pondered his statement. I thought men wanted you to smile. Historically, whenever I walk past men without smiling, they get angry with me for not having a smile on my face. So it was the first time in my life that I was being harassed for smiling.

But indeed, it wouldn’t be the last.