Michelle Obama’s ability to convey disapproval or skepticism with just a glance has earned her a reputation as the queen of side-eye. Equally epic are these legends from the Civil Rights era.
Gloria Richardson may have been the subject of the first and most unforgettable photos of Black side eye. She led the Cambridge Movement, an act of civil disobedience on the Howard University campus from 1961 to 1964. Her side-eye moment was in response to a member of the National Guard pointing a gun at her face.
MLK had been working with JFK to draft a new emancipation proclamation. When the time came to sign the executive order, JFK balked but later tried to stage a signing event with King in attendance. King was unamused.
The queen of the unbothered had to have been writer and activist Louise Jenkins Meriwether. When police rolled up on her with questions during a protest, she nonchalantly lit a cigarette, as if to say, "Don't you have anything better to do?"
We often try to take the high road in moments of conflict, but sometimes, our faces must express the truth. It's one of our signature acts of resistance.