The 'smize' (smiling with your eyes, obviously) is as commonly known as Instagram itself, but there's a new social media pose on the block: the 'shmile'.
Coined by Daily Mail, influencers are flooding timelines with the pose, which sees them smiling at the camera with their eyes closed - hence the shut-eye-smile abbreviation.
And while the pose might not exactly be new, the word is - and is definitely a trend that is flooding Instagram feeds regardless of how long it's been around. See exhibits A, B and C (and D!):
This isn't the first pose to sweep through influencers on Instagram - first came the towel wrap pose, followed by the 'bambi' pose, and then the 'Barbie'.
"Dubbed the 'shmile' - short for shut eye smile - it's the act of lightly closing your eyes and pulling a cheeky wide-toothed grin, instantly evening out the lines around the side of your face", MailOnline wrote. "It conveys a carefree, down-to-earth air - hence its popularity."
Whatever the reason for its popularity, it looks cute.
Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
