Hillary Clinton just dismissed criticism that she doesn't smile enough as sexist

Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton dismissed criticism that she doesn't smile enough by suggesting such comments are sexist.

In an interview during CNN's "The Final Five" program, anchor Anderson Cooper asked Clinton if she thinks she is judged differently than her male rivals for the presidency.

"Do you think you're held to a different standard?" Cooper said. "I've seen people on television saying, 'Oh, you should smile more … that when you're speaking it sounds like you're yelling.' Do you think … is that sexist?"

While Clinton didn't answer the question directly, the implication was apparent.

"Well let me say, I don't hear anybody say that about men," Clinton said. "And I've seen a lot of male candidates who don't smile very much and who talk pretty loud. So I guess I'll just leave it at that."

The question was a reference to a comment made by MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, who observed Clinton's supposed lack of smiling during her victory speech March 15, after the candidate won three crucial primary states. She would eventually be declared the winner of all five primaries that night.

Smile. You just had a big night. #PrimaryDay

- Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) March 16, 2016

Other pundits, including Fox News analyst Brit Hume, took issue with Clinton's volume.

Hillary having a big night in the primaries. So she's shouting angrily in her victory speech. Supporters loving it. What's she mad at?

- Brit Hume (@brithume) March 16, 2016

The tweets ignited a firestorm of backlash from critics who found sexist undertones in the comments.

"You don't notice when the men don't smile because you don't expect them to," Georgetown linguistics professor Deborah Tannen said, according to The Christian Science Monitor. "People notice what is unexpected."

Nick Wing of the Huffington Post joined in on the criticism of his male peers.

"If there's one thing I know as a man, it's that women love it when men publicly police women's tone and tell them to smile," Wing wrote.