When I was in my early 30s and, in my opinion looked pretty good, slim and as clichè as it sounds looked a lot younger, a woman about double my age overheard the tail end of a conversation at a cafe. There’d been quite a bit of filming happening in my hometown and a local company was looking for extras and a few of my friends who were also SAHMs had signed up and made a decent amount of money. My friend asked if I’d thought about signing up and I said I’d written to the company with my details and they’d got back and said they already had enough people of my age and “look”/demographic and were looking for a wider range of “types” now. Which I was fine about. Just could have done with some extra cash!
Anyway, the end of the week I was back in the same spot for lunch and nipped to the loos. The lady who had heard the conversation the week before approached me in the toilets and said “I’ve been thinking about you all week since I heard about you getting rejected for your looks. I was like you when I was young. Not considered especially attractive and people would make negative comments about my looks too. It’s hard when you aren’t one of the pretty girls isn’t it? I was the same, not someone who would ever be sought after or thought “beautiful”. I just want to reassure you that it gets easier as you get older and it’s very freeing. None of us look “pretty” once we get older and that’s when I got my time to shine and you will too. When you get older, it’s inner beauty that starts to matter more, and that’s something you have in buckets, my girl! So don’t you be worrying about your looks anymore. Promise me that you won’t give a rats ass when they are saying you aren’t pretty? Just ignore it, love. You’re like me, you know you aren’t a looker, you don’t need other people telling you so don’t take it onboard. So just hold your head up high and smile and think, ah yes, but my time is coming!”
I mean. 
. I was flabbergasted. I thanked her and told her she was very kind and agreed I wasn’t a “looker”. But man that made me feel shit. It had never really crossed my mind that I was unusually unattractive, in fact I thought I was one of the “pretty” ones when I made an effort (sorry if that makes me sound awful). I was on my own that day and night as DH and kids were visiting family and I’ll admit I had a good cry as daft as it seems. Oddly, I often think back to that day and wonder if I was just completely deluded in thinking I was/am anything above “ugly”.
Another older lady, approached me in a cafe as a teenager and said, “what beautiful big teeth you have!” I thanked her and then she said “Don’t, they’d look better on a horse!” Ironically, it was my teeth before and after braces that the local orthodontist used on their promo leaflets and posters as an example of a “good” result. Again, it had an impact in that I stopped smiling with my teeth exposed for a few years and would cover my mouth with my hand when I laughed. I also (shudders) took a nail file to my teeth to try and file them down to make them smaller the same day.
Daft one, but it was awkward. Bumped into a friend during the day on Halloween. She told me my costume was awesome. I wasn’t wearing a costume. I was in office wear (little dress, tights, jacket). To cover up her error she kept insisting it was a costume rather than say she made a mistake. It went on for a while with me getting het up and saying “I’m NOT in a costume. This is just what I wear for work.” and her tinkly laughing and insisting “haha no no it is! You’re meant to be whatsername off the telly.” Went back to the office, walked in and said “do I look like I’m wearing a Halloween costume?” They all said no. I explained the story. Bosses teenage son looked up from his phone and said “Mate. That would a crap Halloween costume. Office woman? Your friend sounds like a bitch.”