When I was in first grade I was the only child without both parents at home (divorce was much less common back then, and my father had died a year or so before). I remembre the day that the assignment was to make a Father's day card. I didn't want anyone to see how upset it made me so I spent that time perfecting what I thought was a neutral face. I found out more than 30 years later that my "neutral face" which I so carefully wore all the time was actually "resting b!tch face".
People constantly respond to me either defensively, or by actually saying "alright, calm down!" when I'm doing nothing more than having a regular day/conversation/whatever.
It frustrates me to no end, but I can't fake a smile, it just looks like a weird grimace/scowl, and I can't smile without being surprised by something briefly that makes me happy. It's just not a facial movement that comes naturally to me no matter how many hours I spent in front of mirrors practicing as a teenager.
Now I just am how I am and don't worry about what other people think, because even at times when I've gone out of my way to try to "be normal", I've been read the wrong way. I look people in the eye and smile and suddenly I have creepy men following me around as if I am interested or something. Not worth it.
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( Living in Parentheses ) - female aspie, diagnosed at 42 ~
BAP: 132 aloof, 121 rigid, 84 pragmatic // Cambridge Face Memory Test: 62% // AQ: 39