It crossed my mind that I could have created a blogpost in which visitors were challenged to offer ideas about the woman. What has been her life story and what, if anything, does she do for a living? However, I decided against that. I will give you the solution soon.
To me there's sadness there, weariness and worry. In its relaxed state that surely does not look like a happy face. Perhaps she has known grief or maybe her hidden state of health is signalled by her demeanour. I guess that some might see a certain toughness in that face, a hard-nosed resistance to frivolity and nonsense. Don't mess with me!
The art of deducing someone's character from their facial appearance is known as physiognomy. I guess that we are all amateur physiognomists. Habitually, we try to read faces. They might be the faces of friends or family members or they might be strangers' faces. Maybe some are better at reading faces than others.
Nonetheless, everybody makes mistakes when reading faces. Grinning expressions may hide inner pain and serious faces might mask comedians.
Long ago, before we came to this house, I was a regular at "The Closed Shop" public house in Commonside, Sheffield. The landlady was a mature, no-nonsense woman called Sylvia. By chance, late one Friday evening I overheard her talking to another customer about me and to paraphrase what she said, it went something like this...
"I know he comes across as serious - like he's looking right through you but once you get to know him he's okay. Quite funny at times."
And then I continued to sing "The Wild Rover" to the regulars... or was it "On Ilkley Moor" - I can't rightly remember. It was a little pub in which we formed a community. There was Shirley, Colin and Lorraine, Tony who now lives in Beverley, Roger, The Young Ones, Rowena and Alan and Kirk and others I can hardly remember.
Anyway, getting back to the face, I will not say the woman's name but she is a secondary schoolteacher working with ASN pupils (Additional Support Needs). Now you might better understand how pressure of work has subtly impacted upon her face - probably over many years.
If she had been a singer on a cruise ship or a ballet dancer or a gardener or even a beautician, I doubt that her face would have become like the one we see in the photograph. Essentially, she is not an unattractive woman and she is blessed with good bone structure but in my view the job has obviously taken its toll. She almost looks suicidal - in need of professional counselling, retirement or a long beach holiday.
Earlier this year I read a book by Christine Rosen called The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World. Among other things, it touches on the fact that children are no longer learning how to "read faces" and interact with others. Much education is online (or on devices) and kids look at screens rather than each other. I know modern technology is good in so many ways, but I also find it worrisome.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a demanding but interesting book Kelly. I previously thought that farm dwellers in Arkansas only read books about farming and hunting such as "How To Catch a Chicken" by Chase Fox.
DeleteHere's an old post of mine for you, YP:
Deletehttps://ksrgmck.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/ponderings-11/
I also read books on how to identify scat. (as in animals, not jazz) 😉💩
I read it Kelly and it was of course relevant. By the way do you in fact have a moonshine still in the woods behind your house and do you dine on roadkill? Could you give me a link to one of your best blogposts about scat?
DeleteReading faces is a survival technique, we need to spot friend or foe in everyone we encounter, there would have been a time where every strange might kill you.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good point Cap'n. Sussing out faces is a primitive urge.
DeleteYes, I see sadness and the blues. That's as far as I'll go.
ReplyDeleteOnly that far? You would not make a great psychotherapist Red!
DeleteIt could be one of those rare occasions when she was not smiling. I can't see lines on her face, happy or sad ones. A different hairstyle may help her.
ReplyDeleteA week with Uncle Andrew and the lads in Melbourne, Victoria would cause her face to change quite significantly. Maybe an afro?
DeleteBefore you came up with the solution, my first impression of the woman's face was a combination of sadness, seriousness and exhaustion. She obviously does take care of her appearance, as the earrings and coloured hair suggest. Her job must be very demanding and it is not surprising that long, exhausting work days have taken their toll.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest mistake I ever made in interpreting someone by their face was when I met the wife of one of my former bosses. She was not much older than I was then, probably in her early 50s, and wore a stern expression, unsmiling even though in her behaviour and conversation with me she was always friendly. When I remarked to a colleague that I never saw her smile I was told that some years ago she'd had a stroke - mild enough to keep her going without permanent disability, but bad enough to leave her with some of her facial nerves paralysed. So, her non-smiling face had nothing (or not much) to do with her actual mood - she simply had lost the physical ability to smile. Sad enough, and since that time I have become very careful drawing conclusions based on someone's face, posture or gait.
That is an excellent cautionary tale Meike. There is more than a grain of truth in the old saying, "Never judge a book by its cover".
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DeleteSAH = Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in case other visitors were curious.
DeleteI though she looked a little defeated, like life has hit her hard one too many times. But I am no good at reading the faces of people I know or even people around me, so I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, physiognomy is not an exact science and we all get it wrong.
Deletemy resting face is similar, not because of my work (or at least not entirely because of the different jobs i have done)
ReplyDeleteAnyone who reaches this age has disappointments, heartaches, regrets and has persevered through a variety of experiences. Then we reach the age where we have no patience with nonsense and voila! this face :)
Am I right in thinking that teachers of special needs kids are more likely to have purple hair?
It is a requirement of the job but pink and indeed green are also acceptable.
DeleteI think she looks sad.
ReplyDeleteFull marks JayCee!
DeleteI dread to think what you'd make of mine!
ReplyDeleteI would make it into Mrs Potato Head! Don't forget I have seen a picture of you on your blog and it was a very nice face. I hope you do not mind me saying that ma'am.
DeleteSome jobs really take a toll on the person, retirement makes a difference. Teachers should be granted a full pension and retirement after 25 years of hazardous duty.
ReplyDeleteI did 38 years and survived to tell the tale though I know that it scarred me in several ways.
DeleteHer eyes seem somewhat angry to me; she doesn't seem to have had a happy life.
ReplyDeleteI think it is that sense of impending anger that took me aback when I first saw the picture.
DeleteI bet she looks completely different when she smiles.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for her because I guess that her job has run her down.
DeletePhysiognomy also refers to the belief that certain facial figures indicate certain characteristics, such as that a less pronounced chin means a weak character. Not just how the features are arranged.
ReplyDeleteI would never, ever, try to identify what that woman's life is like by her expression in one picture. If she simply smiled, her face would change instantly and we might interpret that as the sign she is a happy, satisfied woman. She does indeed look tired or serious in that photo but a person's features can change in an instant.
Physiognomy was indeed a pseudo-science in the early Victorian era with attempts to draw conclusions based on brows, chins, facial dimensions etc..
DeleteMaybe she is just thinking, "I hate having my picture taken."
ReplyDeleteShe posed for a BBC photographer. She did not have to.
DeleteShe does look as though she has the weight of the world on her shoulders.
ReplyDeleteI feel great sympathy for her which is probably ridiculous.
DeleteI'd probably more or less unconciously assume that her life probably hasn't been all easy. But then again, without knowing anything else at all about someone, first impressions (and even more so, just a single photo) may sometimes be misleading.
ReplyDeleteOf course you are perfectly right Monica.
DeleteWhat do you imagine the woman in the photograph would think of this? From your description, a quick search reveals her identity. Is it acceptable to take her image and throw it out there for people to examine her face and discuss her. Unless I’ve missed something, it comes across as unkind, as though the image was AI and not a real person. Would you be happy if this was your wife or daughter? Unless I’ve missed something, I’m quite shocked.
ReplyDeleteSorry that you feel that way Petra.
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