"I Just Can't Do It" — Woman Shares Her Problem With Having a Neutral Face
Published July 27 2023, 2:49 p.m. ET
For some reason, a lot of folks believe that a person who isn't smiling or has a straight face is not a nice person. Most folks chalk it up to some people simply having a “resting b---- face (RBF),” but other folks call it a "neutral face."
Keep in mind, most people know that a neutral face is a thing, but it hasn’t stopped folks from labeling a person as unpleasant. This belief is similar to a person that may decide to not smile in photos. That doesn’t mean that the person is mean, they just simply have that face.
So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that one TikTok user shared her problem with a neutral face. And it actually has become an issue at her workplace. Here’s the 4-1-1.
A TikTok user shared that a patient had a problem with her neutral face.
How many times do we have to say that RBF is a real thing? In a July 13, 2023, TikTok post, creator Elisabeth Bradley (@elisabethfit) shared her grievances with being externally neutral.
“Where are my neutral girls at?” Elisabeth captioned the post.
Elisabeth, who is in her car, begins to air out her feelings.
“Because you know what sucks about being externally neutral? It’s that everyone misunderstands you,” Elisabeth said. “Growing up and still to this day, people don’t know how to read me.”
“I’ll be like, ‘Oh, that’s so cool. They’ll say, ‘Oh, that was so sarcastic,’” Elisabeth said. “I’m like, ‘No, I’m being serious. Like today, this person goes to the doctor I work for, ‘Your medical assistant is not very nice.’”
“And the doctor is like, ‘No, that’s just her face. She’s actually very sweet,” Elisabeth recalled. “ And I’m like, I’m so sorry. I feel like the alternative is me overcompensating and me being like, ‘Oh my God. Hi. I just can’t do it.”
“Does anyone else have this problem?” Elisabeth asked before ending the video.
Interestingly, a person commented on the original post and accused people of using neutral face as an excuse for having a bad attitude. However, Elisabeth shared that this prompts a bigger conversation because there are people with different personality types.
Some folks may simply have a straight face. That doesn’t mean that they are being rude.
TikTok users are aligned with Elisabeth’s stance on having a neutral face.
As expected, many TikTok users agree with Elisabeth’s sentiments. After all, they find themselves befriending folks with RBF and some also have neutral faces.
“People read me too much. It's exhausting,” one person shared.
“Ahhhh I'd love to be friends with people like you. I have the same problem and have to force myself to act cheerful around other people,” another user said.
“Literally me! I’m just glad at work I can be really expressive with patients haha. But in every other aspect of my life, I have a poker face 😭,” one person chimed in.
Overall, the moral of the story is to not judge folks based on how their facial expression reads to you.
