Nina and the Art of Making Faces
Nina stood in front of the mirror wearing her favorite black long-sleeve top, the kind that somehow makes every expression look ten percent more dramatic. Today wasn’t about outfits, though. Today was about faces. All of them. Every single one Nina could possibly make.
She started neutral calm, composed, mysterious. Then suddenly… shock. Eyes wide, mouth frozen halfway open, as if she had just discovered her phone battery was at 1% with no charger in sight. The shocked face was so convincing that even she believed it for a second and checked her pockets.
Next came wacky. This was Nina’s specialty. She crossed her eyes, puffed her cheeks, tilted her head at an impossible angle, and pulled a face that suggested her brain had briefly taken a coffee break. If silliness were a sport, this expression would win gold. The black long sleeves somehow made it funnier, like the outfit was saying, “I look serious, but I absolutely am not.”
Then switch! happy. A bright, genuine smile spread across her face, eyes sparkling like she’d just heard the best joke of the day or found money in an old jacket pocket. This was the smile that made rooms feel lighter and people feel welcome. Simple, warm, and completely contagious.
But Nina wasn’t done.
Enter fierce.
Her posture straightened. Her eyes narrowed just enough to mean business. Lips pressed together in a confident smirk that said, “I know exactly what I’m doing.” Suddenly, the black long-sleeve top transformed into a power outfit. This was the face you make before winning an argument, owning a meeting, or dramatically flipping your hair in slow motion wind optional.
One expression flowed into another like a one-woman theater show. Shocked. Wacky. Happy. Fierce. Each face told a tiny story, and Nina played every role with commitment and humor.
By the end, she burst out laughing at herself, breaking character completely. Turns out, the real magic wasn’t any single expression it was the joy of not taking herself too seriously. And honestly, that might be Nina’s best look of all.
