Say cheese

In the 19th century, most people were expected to use a neutral facial expression when being photographed.

[1] The expensive and time-consuming nature of early photography reinforced this behavior.

[1] In the late 19th century, different aesthetic and behavioral norms required keeping the mouth small, which led to photographers using "say prunes".

[2] Smiling became normal while being photographed in the 20th century, as the availability of cameras made photography a more common occurrence.

[citation needed] Other languages have adopted this method, albeit with different words, to get the desired effect of shaping the mouth to form a smile.