Smiling for photos in the West is very popular these days, but it was not always so. Smiling for the daguerreotype, or camera, in the 19th century was considered phony. Because photos could, and most often were, seen by people when the subject was not present, smiling in photos threatened to compromise one’s reputation as disingenuous. If you happen to be laughing, smiling, or striking some other spontaneous expression when the photo was taken that was fine because it was authentic. Until relatively recently, smiling just for the sake of smiling in photos was (pun intended) frowned upon. Even today, in many other countries around the world smiling for photos is unwelcome. Photos, like portraits, were originally intended to capture the natural self--not the performed self that smiling indicates.
Most fans of BB are drawn to it because it is a representation of hypermasculinity--the ultimate male. Throughout history, macho or butch men are represented as stoic, Spartan, and serious. Grinning without purpose has traditionally been regarded as clownish or infantile--not masculine--and thus not sexy. A slight scowl, by contrast, particularly on a bobybuilder is often regarded as a turn on.
