Resting bitch face, also known as RBF or bitchy resting face, is a term for a facial expression (or lack thereof) which unintentionally appears angry, annoyed, irritated, or contemptuous, particularly when the individual is relaxed or not particularly expressing an emotion.
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The concept has been studied by psychologists and may have psychological implications related to facial biases, gender stereotypes, human judgment, and decision making. The concept has also been studied by computer experts, utilizing a type of facial recognition system; they found that the condition is as common in males as in females, despite the gendered word "bitch" that is used to name this concept.
Origin
In a 2013 year-end round-up of newly popular words and phrases, New York Times writer Grant Barrett asserted that the phrase dates back "at least ten years" when a young Emma Millar (Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom) was photographed with her family stating afterwards that she wasn't angry or unhappy this was just her 'Resting Face'.
The comedy group Broken People uploaded a parody public service announcement video titled "Bitchy Resting Face" (BRF) on the Funny or Die website in which male and female "sufferers" of an annoyed-looking blank expression ask for understanding from non-sufferers. It has since gone on to become a popular Internet meme, and to become more commonly known as Resting Bitch Face (RBF).
Cultural uptake
The term has become widely referred to in the media. It has made its way into lifestyle and fashion magazines for women such as Cosmopolitan and Elle, and been mentioned in published literature, both fiction and non-fiction. Jessica Bennett also described the phenomenon in an August 1, 2015 article in the New York Times.
Hadley Freeman wrote that since it appeared in the Broken People video, it had enjoyed a stratospheric rise, and pointed out that the male equivalent term Resting Asshole Face (RAF) highlighted in this video had not received the same degree of comment. Texas Women's University academic Rene Paulson stated that those with resting bitch face have a stronger sense of self-awareness and a better ability to communicate, whilst New York University psychologist Jonathan Freeman carried out a study showing that slightly angry facial expressions make other people think you are untrustworthy.
Chloé Hogg, in a 2014 article in the journal Philological Quarterly, asserted that the phenomenon was not new, and offered Hyacinthe Rigaud's portrait of Louis XIV of France depicting his "bitchy resting face". Levels of resting bitch face can vary greatly with different magnitudes and amounts of fierceness.
In 2015 CBS News reported that some plastic surgeons were using plastic surgery to help women with RBF.
Explanations
In 2016, two researchers conducted a computer analysis using "FaceReader" software that had been developed by Noldus Information Technology to identify specific expressions using a catalogue of more than 10,000 facial images. Noldus's FaceReader software indicated that celebrities previously described as exhibiting RBF showed a significantly higher level of contempt on the faces. This was shown by having "one side of the lip pulled back slightly [and] the eyes squinting a little," or "kind of a tightening around the eyes, and a little bit of raising of the corners of the lips—but not into a smile."