OtherPress. Room 1020 — 700 Royal Ave. Douglas College New Westminster, BC V3L 5B2 TELEPHONE: 604.525.3542 WEBSITE: theotherpress.ca EMAIL: editor@theotherpress.ca STAFF LIST Natalie Serafini Editor-in-Chief Meditor@theotherpress.ca Eric Wilkins Assistant Editor Massistant@theotherpress.ca Angela Ho Business Manager Chris Paik Distribution Manager Cody Klyne Layout Manager Joel McCarthy Graphics Manager Mike Lemieux Production Assistant Ed Appleby iHustrator Jony Roy Social Media Coordinator Angela Espinoza News Editor Minews@theotherpress.ca Cheryl Minns Arts Editor Marts@theotherpress.ca Sophie Isbister Life & Style Editor Mlifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca Elliot Chan Opinions Editor Mopinions@theotherpress.ca Sharon Miki Humour Editor Mhumour@theotherpress.ca Brittney MacDonald Cazzy Lewchuk Mercedes Deutscher Staff Writers Senior Columnists Lauren Paulsen Steven Cayer Jerrison Oracion Andrea Arscott Margaret Matthews Columnists Patrick Vaillancourt Allie Davison Contributors Michael Sopow — Seas J MEN BO NOT OWN WQOBEN op 1 THE STREETS ts. not AMUSING PUBLIC = .— — SPACE My NAME IS NOT ~~ SHOSTY, SEXY SWEELLE WONEY — BABY PRETTY, BOO: SES TREAR TSA 540 —_— INVITATION. Se _ — By Tatyana Fazlalizadeh If you just smile was walking home from the SkyTrain one night when out of the shadows emerged a hooded face with a gravelly voice. “Smile, beautiful, it’s hard to keep a straight face like that,” he said to meas I hastened my pace and evaded his gaze. This is a familiar narrative toa lot of women: that tale of being jolted out ofa reverie by some exhortation about smiling. I wish I could offer an explanation as to why the command is so commonplace; regardless though of why certain men feel they ought to tell women what to do with their faces, it’s a tired request that keeps getting older. Women are becoming increasingly fed-up with the manhandling of moods. While I know many men might not see it this way, asking someone to smile is a ques- tionable cocktail that’s both sexual and patronizing. Sexual, because it’s often accompanied by some proclamation about the woman’s appearance— generally “You would look prettier if you just smiled.” Patronizing, because the commander assumes a position of authority over a stranger by telling them what to do. © Getloknowus! © The Other Press has been Douglas College’s student newspaper since 1976. Since 1978 we have been an autonomous publication, independent of the student union. We area registered society under the Society Act of British Columbia, governed by an eight-person board of directors appointed by our staff. Our head office is located in the New Westminster campus. © The Other Press is published weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and monthly during the summer. We receive our funding from a student levy collected through tutition fees every semester at registration, and from local and national advertising revenue. The Other Press is a member ofthe Canadian University Press (CUP), asyndicate of student newspapers that includes More than patronizing : though, it can bea form of : intimidation. Comedian Nikki : Glaser, fora NowThis Rant, said : : that while she never wants to : smile in response to these com- : mands, she does so anyways : “because I'ma little bit scared.” That’s the crux of the : matter: this street harassment : becomes an assertion of : dominance. I doubt very much : that a hetero man would, in : allseriousness, say to another : man “Smile, handsome!” : Encounter a young woman : walking alone though, and : suddenly it’s open season on : unwilling participants. Most men don't see telling : women to smile as anything : more than a teasing or flirta- : tious remark. As Damon Young : writes for Ebony.com, he used : tosee the act as “playful and : innocuous”; he acknowledges : though that it’s “not about a : legitimate need for women to be : : happy as muchasit’s that smil- : : ing/pleasant-looking women : are easier on the eyes and more : inviting to approach. It’s really : not about the women at all.” To me, the point of telling : someone to smile is to tell : them what to do, and assert : some alleged dominance—the papers from all across Canada. © The OtherPressreservestheright to choose what we will publish, and we will not publish material that is hateful, obscene, or condones or promotes illegal activities. Submissions may be edited for clarity and brevity if necessary. All images used are copyright to their respective owners. : goal isn’t actually to make : the woman smile. I get what : Young is saying about women being more approachable : ifthey’re smiling (still not : a good excuse), but haven’t : you already approached : the woman by telling her to : smile? Youve either forcing : a woman to smile in order to : make her more approachable : for yourself, OW Wr you're : forcing her to smile for the : sake of it. Regardless, the : woman and her actual happi- : ness get lost along the way. : Artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh : : started the project Stop Telling : Women to Smile to address : “street harassment, partic- : ularly gender-based street : harassment,” as she states in : the project’s promotional video. : : Stop Telling Women to Smile : began in the fall of2012 in : Brooklyn, and is Fazlalizadeh’s : call-out to her harassers; rather than staying silent, she created : a platform through her art : to respond, and shared that : platform with other women. Instead of keeping her : response in the confines ofa : studio or gallery, she chose : to bring it where the harass- : ment happens: the streets. : : Fazlalizadeh interviews women : : on their experiences with : gendered street harassment, : gathering accounts from real : women about their fears, : anxieties, and reactions. From : there, she takes the women’s : photographs, draws their : portraits, and captions the : portraits with what the women : want to say to their harassers. : The result is a series of poster : portraits, plastered around : New York and emblazoned : with words like “Iam not here : for you”; “Iam not outside : for your entertainment”; and “You can keep your thoughts : onmy body to yourself.” The commands to smile : are, as Fazlalizadeh articu- : lately describes, “unwelcome : ... unwanted ... aggressive, and assertive, and really : make you feel uncomfortable : and harassed.” I don’t care : whether or not the intention : isto be “playful”; the fact is it’s : a bizarre request that belies : any innocuous intentions, and : it can’t be ignored as white : noise. Give women a reason : tosmile, don’t tell them to. Hello gorgeous, Natabis Serafini Editor-in-Chief coc Ug 9) CEM] @ facebook.com/DouglasOtherPress (J twitter.com/theotherpress youtube.com/user/theotherpress instagram.com/theotherpress