Hollywood is known for a number of things. Not only does it house the oldest film industry in the world (the U.S. cinema originated more than 121 years ago), it has a reputation as a ruthless place where only the best and beautiful thrive.
Talent certainly affects your odds of success, but more immediate (and noticeable) is appearance; in a world where people go to plastic surgeons and aesthetic professionals requesting Kim Kardashian’s breasts and Cara Delevingne’s eyebrows, maintaining your look matters. Since your smile stands front and center, it must be perfect — but only according to Americans.
Take this article recently posted on the British website Express which compares the smiles of Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton.
“Kate Middleton’s teeth are what we would call practically imperfect, perfect teeth,” said Matthew Rose, a restorative dentist at The Implant Centre Hove and Hayward’s Heath. “They are straight but not perfectly aligned, they are a good size and shape although the proportion of length to width looks slightly out.”
About Meghan’s, he says something unusual.
“We have seen some requests for the Meghan Markle smile which is whiter, more American, and stands out but far less natural-looking than Kate’s. Meghan’s teeth look a little unnatural, she has possibly recently had orthodontics (brace) and lots of bleaching.”
This may not be the most riveting of articles, but it brings up an interesting point: what exactly is an “American” smile? The concept of braces isn’t foreign in the U.S. or the world (four million Americans are currently wearing the orthodontic treatments and the global orthodontics market is expected to grow around 11.7% by 2023), so the description has more to do with how often we use the expression.
Apparently, it’s enough that it’s become a stereotype; one Finnish Reddit user stated that there are only three explanations as to why a stranger on the street is smiling at you: he’s drunk, he’s insane, or he’s American. Several studies have linked our nation’s diversity and overall happiness to the gesture, but the answer is still more or less up in the air. However, this frequency does make sense when we consider fame, fortune, and beauty; if we’re recognized by our smiles, then we need to outshine everyone else in order to be remembered.