Professional Microaggression
Dear 92,
I was shocked when my yt boss, who had been attempting to undermine my position for some time, recently included a comment in my performance review regarding my facial expression during a meeting with her. Her remarks cited an 'unprofessional facial expression' without specific behavioral examples or dialogue. I believe my competence has become threatening to her authority as I can’t even sit and exist without her resorting to this nonsense.
Please help me out with this one, I’m feeling very triggered.
92's Analysis
What you're experiencing goes beyond simple workplace friction, it is a mechanism of professional control operating at the intersection of race, power dynamics, and subjective evaluation criteria.
The ambiguous nature of the reprimand is particularly revealing. When concrete performance metrics support your capabilities, criticism often shifts to nebulous qualities like "attitude," "approachability," or "team fit". These standards are inherently subjective and difficult to defend against.
I'm especially interested in how facial expression policing functions as a particularly insidious form of professional control. The expectation to maintain constant affective performance (appearing pleasant, agreeable, non-threatening) creates an additional cognitive burden for Black women that diverts mental resources from your actual responsibilities while establishing impossible standards. Your natural human expressions become potential ammunition against you.
