Any female who has performed or spoken in public will tell you that one of the biggest criticisms they get is that they ought to smile while performing.
This goes for musicians as well as politicians and everyone in between. Hell, it's a common refrain most women hear whilst merely being in a public place.
No one wants to see a glum gal, do they?
So, of course, all criticisms of presidential contender Carly Fiorina one may have aside, her response to Fox News commentator Charles Krauthammer's reportedly saying that although she won the debate, that she ought to have smiled more during the debate was refreshing:
"What the American people want to see is who you really are. And not every occasion calls for a smile, honestly. It doesn't call for a smile when you're talking about the dangers that we face in the world. Whether it's the Middle East, or from Vladimir Putin. It doesn't call for a smile when we're talking about very serious issues that impact people's lives," said Fiorina.
You know, unless you're a woman.
In which case, you ought to giggle and snap your gum when talking about the death or your drug-addicted daughter. Or how as president, you would be bent on "rebuilding the missile defense program in Poland," and sending more troops to Germany as a show of strength against Vladimir Putin, or arming the Egyptians, Jordanians and Kurds or otherwise signing us all up for World War III (or is WWIV now?).
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2015.