It's no exaggeration that women are often expected to smile—and are actively told to do so, by actual strangers, like the mere fact that our mouths aren't permanently in an upturned position is an insult to all mankind. (See: the negative connotations of "resting bitch face.") But on last night's Dancing with the Stars, Simone Biles shut that shit down.
After her performance with partner Sasha Farber and Brittany Cherry Paso, the Olympic gold medalist was told to be careful not to dance like a "metronome," according to Judge Carrie Ann Inaba. And host Tom Bergeron jumped in by saying, "I was waiting for you to smile at some of the compliments. You didn't."
To which Biles had the best possible response:
Let's say it (type it?) louder for people in the back: SMILING DOESN'T WIN YOU GOLD MEDALS.
Bergeron later tweeted that he loved Biles' response and that he unwittingly added to the "smile pile." So, there's that.
Two lessons here: 1) please stop telling people (especially women) that they *need* to be smiling and 2) do not come for for Biles unless she sends for you.
