Answering a Reader Question #238

Kat Wrote:

Thank you so much Dania I really appreciate you answering my question especially because of the holiday. I'm curious though what do you think makes a pretty smile in a man or a woman. Is a pretty smile genetic or can someone be taught how to smile pretty I'm just wondering.

Hey, Kat! You're very welcome! The Thanksgiving feast has been consumed and my family is now in lazy mode so I thought I'd indulge my inner workaholic and get online to see what was up. :-)

It's hard to accurately answer what makes a smile ?pretty" in a man or a woman. I think the "stereotypical" definition of a pretty smile is one where the teeth are pearly white, straight and free of things like gaps, snaggletooths, etc. However, in my opinion, I think a person's overall expression and warmth they project through their smile is what really makes for not just a pretty smile but a genuine smile, even if their teeth/smile has a flaw or two. I hope that makes sense? You can tell the difference (most times) when a person's smile is "fake" and when it isn't. I've seen many people's smiling pictures where their smile wasn't "perfect" but for some reason it looked amazing on them. I guess as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I've never thought about pretty smiles being genetic (it probably is) but I think it's definitely possible to be "taught." I've had to teach myself how to do the right kind of smiles that photograph well. I have to do this because not only do I have a naturally crooked smile (my upper lip), I also have big gums--two things I've always been super insecure about. However, being a model and appearing in the spotlight has taught me to use my smile to my advantage and work with what I have instead of hating it 24/7.

It may sound silly but I look at some of my candid/non-modeling pictures where I'm smiling and not consciously trying to control how it looks and those images where my upper lip is slightly crooked are actually some of my favorite shots of myself because my expression is genuine...I'm "in the moment" and the camera captured that without me trying to "fix" what I felt was wrong.

Feeling comfortable in my own skin is truly one of the biggest and most valuable lessons I've learned in my career and it is something that I know you will also come to learn and value as you continue to pursue modeling.

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