15 Celebs Who Suffer From Resting B Face
This is a public service announcement. To those of you suffering from Resting B Face (RBF), you are not alone. Science has proven that RBF is a real thing, and that even in a supposedly neutral expression, negative or thoughtful emotions can be read in the face - 6% of a neutral expression can be made up of these emotions if a person is afflicted with Resting B*t*h Face. Squinty eyes or a pulled back lip can read as angry or contemptuous, even if you're doing your best to try a Tyra Banks smize.
But, even the best, brightest, and most beautiful can suffer from RBF, so you have nothing to be ashamed of. Despite appearing unapproachable or mean, these celebrities have managed to rise above their Resting B*t*h Faces to have successful professional and personal lives - and you can too. Limiting yourself to one expression or worrying about how you appear in photographs you were not aware were being taken is tiring, and contributes to RBF. If you wish to alter or cure your RBF, it is recommended that you take photos only when puppies are present. If not, read these 15 cases of celebrities with Resting B*t*h Face.
15 Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman has been out of the Hollywood circuit for a bit recently, being busy with raising a family and all, but we'll always have the excellent photographic evidence of her Oscar-winning Resting B*tch Face! To be fair, Natalie's face isn't always in RBF mode - when she's smiling or giving off goofy expressions, she looks totally adorable and approachable! But, when she's working that RBF, watch out!
Maybe it's her growing penchant for darker, more complex characters, and the fact that we've seen her evolve from a child star to the talented thespian she is today. Maybe it's the signature smokey cat eye she usually wears which enhances her cat-like RBF. Or maybe it's the fact that every interview she had to do during the promotion of Black Swan had the Harvard grad talking about her diet - that would give anyone a serious case of RBF! Whatever the cause, Natalie's Resting B*tch Face doesn't detract from her beauty - or her talent.
14 Megan Fox
Megan Fox is one of those women who are considered the great beauties of our time. Sure, there's probably some nips and tucks involved, but you can't argue with the results! And perhaps that's why Megan's face comes off as less warm and a little bit more plastic - a prime spot for a good Resting B*itch Face!
With her pouty lips, high cheekbones, and green eyes, Megan looks downright intimidating in terms of how attractive she is and she rarely cracks a smile. When she works that sultry stare, the effect is less “come hither” and more “get away from me”. With her slightly upturned nose and sly smirk, Megan looks more like she's sneering, which adds a meaner edge to her RBF, and gives off vibes that you had better not even think about getting closer to her. I'm sure she's lovely in person, and seeing her with her kids gives us a glimpse of her true nature, but in most photos, sorry, Megan - you've got RBF.
13 Charlize Theron
That role of the Evil Queen Ravenna in those Snow White movies must have been written with Charlize Theron in mind, because no one does aristocratic RBF quite like her! With her history of playing powerful or strong women (see: Monster, North Country, Mad Max: Fury Road), Charlize's Resting B*tch Face has been honed time and time again. Like with Megan Fox and Natalie Portman, Charlize's RBF is perfected with her razor-sharp cheekbones and feline eyes, which make her look intimidating and beautiful at the same time.
And the woman knows how to work it! In a behind the scenes clip while filming The Huntsman: Winter's War, Charlize showed her interviewers how to perfect her murderous look and walk for her role as Ravenna - literally, she told them she thought, “Murder”. (You can find that clip here.) Well, you know what they say: if you've got it, flaunt it!
12 Kim Kardashian
You know, before Kim Kardashian met Kanye West, there were loads of photos of her smiling, laughing, and having a good time. Now, that's not to say that being with Kanye has made her miserable - on the contrary, she seems much more stable and loved since being with him. However, with Kanye's foray into fashion, he has used Kim as his muse, and if runways are any indicators, fashion is about the clothes, darling, not the model.
Trading in her curve-hugging, embellished ensembles and glittery looks for a more streamlined, minimalist, chic effort, Kim has also gone the same way with her face, letting her contoured cheekbones do the talking. Her newly-minted Resting B*tch Face is impressive and still totally gorgeous. A key to keeping her face so gorgeous? The not smiling! Kim has said that she no longer smiles in photos because it causes wrinkles. Well, I guess that's cheaper than Botox!
11 Kourtney Kardashian
Looks like Resting B*tch Face runs in the family! As the oldest Kardashian sister, I can't blame Kourtney for being sick of some of her sisters' antics. Compared to the rest of her family, Kourtney seems like the tame, stable one. She's busy with three kids, she's finally ditched their loser baby daddy, and she seems like she has a good head on her shoulders. She's also got some of the best one-liners on the show as she takes her sisters down a couple pegs at every opportunity. Unfortunately, the first stuff doesn't always make for good reality TV, but it does make for a good, signature Resting B*tch Face!
I can't even fault her for her RBF, though, because of all the stuff she has to deal with. I mean, Scott Disick warrants a whole album of Resting B*tch Faces because the guy just sucks. So good for you, Kourtney!
10 Avril Lavigne
It's not that surprising that one of the brattier stars of pop music who began her career as a mall pseudo-punk is a card-carrying member of the RBF club. Avril Lavigne - she of the raccoon eyeliner, pin-straight hair, and men's ties back in the '00s - has a pretty good Resting B*tch Face, even though her eyes seem slightly unfocused in this shot. I'd like to know who was talking to her when this photo was snapped, because it's clearly not a pose - it's just the way her face is! I'd like to imagine she's being bored to death by someone telling her why her latest singles have flopped. Or maybe she's just remembering what it was like to be married to the lead singer of Nickelback. Avril usually chalks up her RBF to the fact that she's shy, so she doesn't display a lot of emotions, and expresses herself through song. Okay, then - so what emotion is “Hello Kitty” meant to express?
9 Rihanna
Rihanna may be the queen of side-eye, but she's also got a pretty damn good Resting B*tch Face too! Look, Rihanna is so cool and so sexy and so talented, that it's not that surprising that she has a look that could freeze you in place. She's a woman who's not afraid to wear her emotions for all to see. She's been unimpressed at basketball games, unamused at awards shows, uninterested at interviews, and unexcited on the red carpet.
Her coolly detached demeanor is what has made me think (on more than one occasion) that she would be the worst friend when you're out. You'd drink too much and she'd only stick around for a while before leaving you for someone better, so you have to hold your hair back yourself while she goes off to smoke some exotic strain of weed. No matter the lip color, no matter the hairstyle, Rihanna definitely wears her RBF better than most!
8 Rooney Mara
Rooney Mara is a bit of a head-scratcher in the RBF department. Sometimes she looks like she's imagining in detail how to kill a person, other times she looks a bit like a deer caught in the headlights. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo actress is well-known for her Goth look, and it's probably the harsh, slicked back, dark hair paired with her fair skin and minimal makeup that can give her a sense of unapproachability and unfriendliness.
Rooney's face walks the line between expressionless and b*itchiness, and I feel like she prefers not to smile because it would ruin her vampy lipstick. Combine that with her very haute couture fashion choices and you have a woman who doesn't look like she's much fun to be around and insists on the “art” of whatever project she's working on. Sounds like she's not only boring, but probably a bit b*tchy, too!
7 Anna Kendrick
One of our favorite funny girls, Anna Kendrick is fully aware of her Resting B*tch Face - and she hates it. She worries that it makes her appear unhappy or unapproachable in photos, especially when she's snapped unaware. She's even tweeted, “Is there a filter on Instagram that fixes b*tchy resting face? I'm asking for a friend.” She also presented her famous RBF during a visit to The Late Late Show with James Corden.
As an actress, Anna is insanely talented, impossibly hilarious, and the kind of person with whom you'd want to drink a bottle of wine and talk all night. On Twitter (and you should seriously follow her if you don't already), she's so real, insightful, and funny, she's impossible not to like. Okay, so maybe she has a bit of Resting B*tch Face, but so what? Knowing what we know about her, I'd approach her to say hey in a second!
6 Kristen Stewart
What gets written about more: Kristen Stewart's career, or Kristen Stewart's Resting B*tch Face? Trick question - her love life gets the most coverage!
Kristen is famous for keeping things private, her life during the filming of the Twilight series being the exception. However, it's her permanent sour expression that has gotten a lot of media buzz, because she lives a pretty charmed life, being a mega Hollywood star and all. Kristen, for her part, denies her RBF despite being the poster girl for it. She says she actually does smile a lot and there are photos to prove it! Maybe Kristen just seems standoffish because she's not on social media like everyone else these days. She's said that social media doesn't make sense to her, because she has no idea what she'd say to a large group of people when she doesn't know who she's addressing. So, maybe Bella Swan isn't sour, just shy!
5 Aubrey Plaza
To her credit, Aubrey Plaza has made a career out of playing characters with Resting B*tch Face, as April in Parks and Recreation and as Tatiana in the more recent Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, to name a couple. Hey, she's even used her RBF and deadpan delivery to her advantage in a slew of Super Bowl commercials for Newcastle Pale Ale! (Fun fact: RBF sufferer and movie co-star Anna Kendrick also appeared in Newcastle beer ads. Maybe it's kind of their thing?)
With her permanent sourpuss expression, Aubrey could be a spokesperson for the rest of us who suffer from Resting B*tch Face! While filming Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates with Anna Kendrick, we can only imagine what levels of RBF these ladies rose to - because together, they don't just have a look that can kill, but one that can freeze hell over! Work it, girls!
4 Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham has made a career out of her recognizable Resting B*tch Face, especially after being the most aloof Spice Girl, the always stylish and super chic Posh Spice. So, with a gaggle of adorable children, a thriving clothing line, and a legacy as a Spice Girl, why does Victoria look so scowly all the time?
Well, there are a couple reasons. First, Victoria had one of those traditional British smiles growing up, which means a mouth full of wonky teeth, so she would usually smile with her lips closed. After getting her pearly whites fixed - and raising her design house to unimaginable heights - Posh Spice explained her trademark RBF as such: “I have a responsibility to the fashion community.” Have you ever seen runway models with any expression? No, because it's not about the model - it's about the clothes. To her credit, Victoria says she is smiling on the inside! Thanks, Vic!
3 Cara Delevingne
Speaking of models, enter an important member of the RBF club and your favorite brow queen, Cara Delevingne! She's almost as famous for her Resting B*tch Face as she is for her fabulous eyebrows, but supermodel Cara is a master of the scowling mask. It's pretty rare to find a photo of Cara smiling, unless she's making a crazy, goofy face, and that's one of the reasons why we love her!
Cara's RBF is such a staple of her look, she was actually called out on it during an interview for the promotion of her film, Paper Towns. A woefully underprepared reporter (who first addressed her as “Carla”) commented on her demeanor, which he said seemed exhausted, unexcited, and irritated. Then, it was suggested that she take a nap and have a Red Bull. Talk about unprofessional and totally rude! Maybe her RBF was totally warranted in this case!
2 Bella Hadid
Another model on the list! Are you sensing a pattern here? Unlike her big sister Gigi, Bella Hadid is rarely caught with an expression other than her usual Resting B*tch Face. While Gigi is usually all smiles as a permanent fixture of Taylor Swift's squad, brunette beauty Bella is usually alone at red carpet events - and her RBF shouldn't make that a surprise.
For her part, Bella is totally aware of the expression (or lack of) that her face is making. In interviews, she's revealed that she tries to think happy thoughts so as not to have such a blank look on her face or like she's “about to murder someone”. (Hey, she said it, not me!) While most runway models have cultivated a stellar Resting B*tch Face, if Bella's looking to have a career beyond the catwalk like her big sister, she's not wrong in trying to revamp her expression.
1 Kanye West
It's not all ladies on this list! The number one celebrity with Resting B*tch Face is none other than Kanye West himself! This guy is always so scowly, it's become a bit of a game to catch him smiling. He just never looks like he's having a good time, no matter where he is, what he's doing, or who he's with.
To be fair, maybe Kanye's RBF is because of the incident when he broke his jaw years ago when he was first starting out (remember his song, Through the Wire?), so his Resting B*tch Face could be entirely because of medical reasons and he doesn't actually hate everyone and everything. Actually, in addition to that theory, Kanye addressed his lack of smiling himself, saying he was looking at 19th-century art where no one smiled, and he thought it was cool. So there you have it, folks, mystery solved! Kanye doesn't smile because it makes him look cooler. So cool, he's ice cold.