No smiling, please
December 5, 2004 | 12:00am
In George Bushs America, its come to this: No more smiling for passport and visa photos.
Thats the latest word from the State Department, which notes that smiles tend to "distort" peoples natural facial expressions. (As if passport photo technology doesnt distort peoples faces into unrecognizable shapes all by itself.)
Under new guidelines begun since the US implemented machine-readable passports last year, "The subjects expression should be neutral (non-smiling) with both eyes open, and mouth closed."
Since the machines scan for internationally identifiable facial characteristics, or "biometrics," a recent wire story reports that some peoples passports are being turned down if their smiles are too expressive. Smiling "distorts other facial features, for example the eyes," says one State Department official.
Close-mouthed smiles, the State Department goes on to say, are acceptable, though not encouraged. Big, cheesy grins are definitely out. This makes a lot of sense for foreigners and visitors to the US who dont exactly feel welcome these days: A serious or sheepish expression something that conveys "I know youre just letting me in for a visit, dont worry, I wont steal anything or try to stay too long" is preferable to a wide-eyed "Hey, I just won the lottery!" look.
But if weve learned anything since 9/11, it is this: Terrorists are not big-time smilers. Weve all seen their faces in Newsweek and Time: Glowering and angry, theyre the very picture of ticking time bombs. Not a toothy grin in sight.
Then again, what a cunning disguise! Yes, we can easily imagine situations wherein would-be terrorists morph their faces into shapes that could give Jim Carrey in The Mask a run for his money. All in the name of fooling immigration officials into thinking theyre just naturally happy. A gaping, ear-to-ear rictus: Now, that wont attract too much attention.
Actually, Ive never known anyone who was foolish enough to smile broadly for a passport photo. Its not like youre posing in front of the Eiffel Tower or something. The occasion doesnt really cry out for a smile. Theres a certain gravity about knowing your little Foto-Me head shot will grace your passport for seven years; one doesnt want to seem excessively gleeful about it.
But there is a place on earth, of course, where you do expect most people to flash their toothiest smiles at the Immigration man: Thats right, the Philippines.
As noted time and again, the Philippines is a place that never met a camera it didnt immediately fall in love with. Filipinos and photography are kind of like peanut butter and jelly: You cant tear the two apart once theyve stuck together. Everyones got that one relative here who, even by Philippine standards, goes overboard with the camera. Theyre the ones who ask people to restage the cutting of the wedding cake because "the flash didnt go off." Theyre the ones who wear flak jackets to every social event, loaded with extra rolls of film.
In Filipino society, theres no such thing as "candid camera": A built-in sixth sense informs Filipinos whenever a camera is near; they immediately start huddling and grouping, shoulder to shoulder, and smiling.
This instinct to put ones best face forward is useful in most situations. It explains why Filipinos are almost universally welcomed. Really, theyre pleasantly accepted everywhere they go, kind of like a Platinum Visa Card.
But this natural cheeriness doesnt sit well with America under the Patriot Act. Good humor will only take you so far. Suppressing your natural instinct to be happy would serve Filipinos better in a post-9/11 world.
The idea of machine-readable passports, after all, is to present a face that has as many common "comparison points" as possible: Sort of like making everyone look exactly the same for the camera.
"The most neutral face is the most desirable standard for any type of identification," notes the State Departments Bureau of Consular Affairs. "If you smile or blink your eyes or turn your head, there would be fewer comparison points. So when you go to the counter, you will look at the camera in neutral face to offer the best comparison to the matching points on the picture in the passport."
While this kind of uniformity seems like an ideal for some Americans, most Americans will recall that the country was built by and still consists of people with a wide variety of faces and backgrounds. Certainly, the State Department is just doing its job. Nobody said entering America is ever easy. But maybe, in some hopeful future, America wont have to frown on those who smile for their passport photos. And maybe someday a cheesy grin will once again be taken at face value as it is here.
But until then, straighten up and fly right. And stop smiling, damn it.
Thats the latest word from the State Department, which notes that smiles tend to "distort" peoples natural facial expressions. (As if passport photo technology doesnt distort peoples faces into unrecognizable shapes all by itself.)
Under new guidelines begun since the US implemented machine-readable passports last year, "The subjects expression should be neutral (non-smiling) with both eyes open, and mouth closed."
Since the machines scan for internationally identifiable facial characteristics, or "biometrics," a recent wire story reports that some peoples passports are being turned down if their smiles are too expressive. Smiling "distorts other facial features, for example the eyes," says one State Department official.
Close-mouthed smiles, the State Department goes on to say, are acceptable, though not encouraged. Big, cheesy grins are definitely out. This makes a lot of sense for foreigners and visitors to the US who dont exactly feel welcome these days: A serious or sheepish expression something that conveys "I know youre just letting me in for a visit, dont worry, I wont steal anything or try to stay too long" is preferable to a wide-eyed "Hey, I just won the lottery!" look.
But if weve learned anything since 9/11, it is this: Terrorists are not big-time smilers. Weve all seen their faces in Newsweek and Time: Glowering and angry, theyre the very picture of ticking time bombs. Not a toothy grin in sight.
Then again, what a cunning disguise! Yes, we can easily imagine situations wherein would-be terrorists morph their faces into shapes that could give Jim Carrey in The Mask a run for his money. All in the name of fooling immigration officials into thinking theyre just naturally happy. A gaping, ear-to-ear rictus: Now, that wont attract too much attention.
Actually, Ive never known anyone who was foolish enough to smile broadly for a passport photo. Its not like youre posing in front of the Eiffel Tower or something. The occasion doesnt really cry out for a smile. Theres a certain gravity about knowing your little Foto-Me head shot will grace your passport for seven years; one doesnt want to seem excessively gleeful about it.
But there is a place on earth, of course, where you do expect most people to flash their toothiest smiles at the Immigration man: Thats right, the Philippines.
As noted time and again, the Philippines is a place that never met a camera it didnt immediately fall in love with. Filipinos and photography are kind of like peanut butter and jelly: You cant tear the two apart once theyve stuck together. Everyones got that one relative here who, even by Philippine standards, goes overboard with the camera. Theyre the ones who ask people to restage the cutting of the wedding cake because "the flash didnt go off." Theyre the ones who wear flak jackets to every social event, loaded with extra rolls of film.
In Filipino society, theres no such thing as "candid camera": A built-in sixth sense informs Filipinos whenever a camera is near; they immediately start huddling and grouping, shoulder to shoulder, and smiling.
This instinct to put ones best face forward is useful in most situations. It explains why Filipinos are almost universally welcomed. Really, theyre pleasantly accepted everywhere they go, kind of like a Platinum Visa Card.
But this natural cheeriness doesnt sit well with America under the Patriot Act. Good humor will only take you so far. Suppressing your natural instinct to be happy would serve Filipinos better in a post-9/11 world.
The idea of machine-readable passports, after all, is to present a face that has as many common "comparison points" as possible: Sort of like making everyone look exactly the same for the camera.
"The most neutral face is the most desirable standard for any type of identification," notes the State Departments Bureau of Consular Affairs. "If you smile or blink your eyes or turn your head, there would be fewer comparison points. So when you go to the counter, you will look at the camera in neutral face to offer the best comparison to the matching points on the picture in the passport."
While this kind of uniformity seems like an ideal for some Americans, most Americans will recall that the country was built by and still consists of people with a wide variety of faces and backgrounds. Certainly, the State Department is just doing its job. Nobody said entering America is ever easy. But maybe, in some hopeful future, America wont have to frown on those who smile for their passport photos. And maybe someday a cheesy grin will once again be taken at face value as it is here.
But until then, straighten up and fly right. And stop smiling, damn it.
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