However, if you type her name into a Google Images search, and then do a second search for her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson you will see that the two actors are both pictured smiling and not smiling. When I did this (albeit unscientific) search and compared the first 25 images for both actors, I found that both of them were shown smiling 11 times and not smiling 14 times. So why the shade for Kristen while Robert's image remains sparkling?
Part of it is due to gender expectations in our culture: women smile more than men and are punished more for not smiling. The most recent review of this phenomenon occurred in 2003 when LaFrance, Hecht, and Paluck published a meta-analysis of 162 studies. A meta-analysis allows researchers to statistically combine the results of many studies to determine if a difference exists and how big (or meaningful) that difference may be. The overall results from LaFrance et al. confirm that across these studies there is a small to moderate, or noticeable in the real world, effect of men smiling less. Fans are used to seeing women smiling so they notice and react poorly when Kristen Stewart bucks that gender expectation. Likewise, fans are used to men not smiling so the same facial expressions from Robert Pattinson go unnoticed as if they were invisible.
The researchers also used statistics to examine the different contingencies of the studies to see what is associated with this difference getting smaller or larger. In some cases it would come out smaller than the overall difference: in these situations women and men were closer to smiling at similar rates. Many of these effects were very small or even close to zero, which means that in the real world these contexts would likely be associated with very few observable differences between women and men:
*when people are not aware of being observed
*when they are in a group of four or more people (so the focus is not on one person)
*when they are not interacting with the people around them
*when they are very familiar with each other
*if they are comfortable because there is low pressure to impress
*when they are talking to a younger person or an older person
*when they are paired with a woman
*when they are interacting with somebody of the opposite sex
*when they share equal power with the other person
*if they are asked to play a role that requires caretaking, like taking care of a baby
*if they are forced to argue against the other person
*if people are from England
*if people are African-American
*if people are middle aged or senior citizens
In other cases this gender difference would come out larger than the overall difference: in these situations women were even more likely to smile than men. These range from moderate to almost high effects, which means that in the real world these contexts would likely be associated with actual observable differences between women and men:
*when people are alone (and presumably self-conscious about being observed)
*when people are alone but asked to imagine another person being with them
*when they are paired with a man
*if they are asked to persuade somebody
*if they have to reveal personal information about themselves
*if they are made to feel embarrassed
*if people are Canadian
*if people are teenagers (a time of gender intensification)
Looking at the results LaFrance et al. note that,"...the extent of sex differences in smiling is highly contingent on social groups and social factors" (p. 326). In simpler language, men tend to smile less than women, but when this happens and how obvious it is depends on the characteristics of the situation. For example, there are personal and cultural factors like age, race, and culture. There is also the question of what is required in this situation: do they have to persuade; argue; or be in charge of the care of another being? Who are they interacting with - do they share the same age, sex, or level of power in the situation?
Notably for Kristen Stewart the results also demonstrate that people are more likely to show this gender difference when they know that they are being watched, when they imagine that they are being watched, and when they feel like they need to make a good impression (or instead are facing embarrassment). So another reason that fans may be critical is that, by being an actor and a public figure, she is constantly in these contexts yet she does not do what most women would do in those situations, she does not smile. On the other hand, if Robert Pattinson reacts the same way on the red carpet he is actually doing what we expect men to do in those situations, so once again he escapes criticism. And that really bites.
Further Reading:
A pdf of the LaFrance et al. (2003) article can be accessed on Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Paluck's website.
Kristen Stewart may wish to work on her smile - not for the fans - but for how smiling, even fake smiling, might help her deal with stress. Read the Association for Psychological Science (APS) coverage of research done by Kraft and Pressman (2012).
Kristen Stewart is not alone. Read Emily Matchar's article, "Memoirs of an Un-Smiling Woman," from The Atlantic.
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