There was a time when the moment a camera was placed in front of you, the photographer or someone else yelled “say cheese”.
Even in the age of smartphones, although not as common, people still smile and say “cheese” when someone points a camera in their direction.
Have you ever wondered why this became so popular? Well, the answer is linked to a combination of history and the desire to get the right smile for pictures.
How it probably started
It is not quite clear who started the tradition of saying “cheese” during photo sessions. But this dates back to the 1940’s.
Before then, photography was a very serious business. The very first photograph took eight whole hours to finish. Now imagine someone sitting for that long, how do you expect their face to look like in the picture?
In the end, the result was that no one thought about smiling in pictures after all that stress. Thankfully, in the 1900s, the whole process of taking pictures became easier.
Here comes cheese
With the introduction of snapshots, people had more fun taking pictures. The issue was now how to get a spontaneous smile. Photographers would later choose the word “cheese” as a laughter and smiling recipe for taking pictures.
This was after other things like “whiskey”, and “cheese and crackers” were tried to get people to smile. The word “cheese” turned out to be just perfect because when spoken, the “ch” sound forces your mouth to part slightly, and the long “ee” sound pulls the corners of your lips upward into a smile.
The result is a natural-looking expression, perfect for photos. It requires minimal effort but still leads to a pleasant expression. When you say it, your teeth show just enough, your lips curl into a soft smile, and you avoid the exaggerated grin that could make you look unnatural or awkward. It was the perfect hack to ensure everyone looked picture-perfect.
Alternatives to “cheese”
Interestingly, not every culture uses “cheese” to get you to smile in photos, which is understandable as not everyone speaks English. In China, the word “qiézi” (which means eggplant) serves the same function as “cheese” because it similarly causes the mouth to form a smile.
Meanwhile, in Korea, people say “kimchi,” the name of their popular fermented dish, when posing for photos. While “cheese” has become the standard in English-speaking countries, different cultures have found their own words to create that perfect smile, showing just how universal the desire for happy, smile-filled photos has become.
So, the next time someone tells you to “say cheese” before snapping a photo, you’ll know it’s more than just a photo habit. It’s a century-old trick to get you smiling, creating the perfect expression that makes photos feel bright and inviting.
