Could Clinton's "Resting Bitch Face" Be Costing Her Votes?

Not enough, I'm afraid.

This is a real article (or an approximation thereof) appearing at the Telegraph (UK).

Facial analysis: How Hillary Clinton's Resting B---h Face could be swaying voters

Hillary Clinton has been accused of suffering from 'Resting B*tch Face' during the debates

...

[R]ecent studies suggest that those with ​what we perceive to be ​dominant faces (fuller jaws and thicker brows) are more likely to make CEO, that juries are more inclined to believe baby-faced men are not guilty of certain crimes, and that politicians with competent-looking faces (higher cheekbones and angular jaws) have a greater chance of being elected.

...

"Research shows there are 13 main attributes people are most likely to spontaneously judge about a face: aggressiveness, attractiveness, compassion, confidence, dominance, emotional stability, intelligence, meanness, responsibility, sociability, trustworthiness, happiness, and weirdness.

"But the way we perceive someone basically all boils down to how dominant or trustworthy we think they look. We automatically read facial cues to try to assess a person’s desire to do us harm or good versus their ability to do so."

...

So what does this mean for Hillary Clinton: caught, like so many women in politics, in a catch 22 whereby she has to be seen to look dominant and competent, without eschewing her femininity.

After the first televised debate at the end of September, Clinton was accused of having what was dubbed 'Resting Hillary Face', for her tendency to let her disdain for her opponent shine through on her face rather than in her speeches.

By the way, is there a Male Resting Bitch Face? Because I think I have one.

I've been trying to fix that. A few weeks ago I was in a mall and feeling generally okay and maybe even slightly friendly. A couple of people, one male, one female, began engaging me in friendly conversation at a coffee place.

It was odd. People usually don't do that with me. Because: Male Resting Bitch Face.

Maybe smiling is good or something.

posted by Ace at 03:34 PM

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