How attractive do you think you are?

[Electriceelslunch]

Inspired by a conversation I had about the sub Reddit ‘Rate me’ where people put a picture of themselves up and ask strangers to rate them out of 10 based on how physically attractive they are. Screams of either insecurity or narcissism to me, but got me wondering - how physically attractive do you think you are? What would you rate yourself out of 10? How did you arrive at that number? Eg. What evidence do you have for it? Do you think you’re average or above or below average? Do you think most people perceive themselves as more or less attractive than they actually are? Most of the time, are you happy or unhappy with what you see in the mirror?

DH thinks I'm gorgeous and my DC think I'm pretty so that will do.

Maybe a 5 at best with hair done , makeup on, dressed up. Without all that maybe a 3 BUT I’m funny so if it’s not only looks based i’m possibly a 7

I think most people are overly critical of themself and if you asked someone who loves you they’d “rate” you much higher because they don’t see what you perceive to be your faults

People, men and women, are worth more than their physical appearance.

Society encourages women to be insecure about their looks and attractiveness. There is a multi billion pound industry feeding off women's insecurity about their looks.
A whole host of women are severely mentally affected by the pressure in them to look.a certain way.
They are terrified of the natural process of aging.

So basically I find encouraging this by actuallyy rating women's looks on an artificial and contrived and generic numerical scale is destructive, dehumanising and dangerous.

Compared to women my age, I’d say an eight. When I was young, I had strong features and never had that soft pretty look which I admired. However, in my mid sixties, they and my cheekbones have held up pretty well, no sagging or face falling in.

As I have the body and looks of a God it’s clearly ten, but apparently people don’t actually class Buddha as a God

I agree with you! I'm 56 & 5ft 9" size 12. I look after myself, for myself. I dress v well & have always had a keen interest in clothes.

I don't think its shallow to take an interest in appearance.

Just because i'm in my 50s i have not given up on myself - quite the opposite!

I could probably get a job in a horror film.

@Safarisagoody @WhattingerI completely disagree. A perfectly groomed and put together person who is not beautiful will never be considered beautiful just because they are well groomed. Some of the most attractive people still look incredible in a pair of jeans with no makeup and unstyled hair.

You can improve your looks with presentation but it doesn’t change the foundation.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... probably a 7.

6 some days, 8 when I'm dressed up. With solid foundations.

I'm not conventionally beautiful. Men don't ogle. I look nothing like Margot Robbie. I think I look closer to Agyness Deyn when she had a shaved head. I'm very tall, relatively slim and people often said I should be a model - this was common in my 20s and early 30s. Not so much now I'm 40.

I'd rate myself a 5 as I think I'm pretty average. As are most people, statistically.

My husband thinks I'm a 10 though, lucky me 😂

Well I think I am absolutely stunning 😂, but other people almost certainly disagree.
However it doesn’t really matter what they think, what’s in my head is what’s most important to me.

I'd give myself a 6 on a no makeup day. When I've made an effort I'd say I'm between an 8-8.5. I've never been short of male attention (although I don't think that counts for much!) and women often compliment me saying i'm pretty, have good skin/hair, nice figure etc.

To some people I am an 8/9 but to others I’m a 2. I have a distinct look and style and have form a young age, and any alternative style is going to be decisive. People who like it love it, people who don’t get it think I look like a freak.

No make up/minimal make up, dressed like a normal I think I’m probably an objective 6/7. I’m 26 so being younger helps and I’m pretty thin. I do also think I have good boobs especially to say I’ve had 3 children. Me and my sister look very alike but she doesn’t have an alternative style and she would probably be rated higher than me consistently and get a better average, but people who are into my style would rate me higher if that makes sense.

Men wise, I generally attract a certain type of man but I’ve been approached by a few who’ve shocked me. A couple of weeks ago a very corporate looking man came up to me in town and asked me for my number which I kind of thought was a bit surprising. Obviously said no because I’m married but I did think “wow someone fancies a bit of strange don’t they” 😂. Maybe in another lifetime we ride off into the sunset and he shows me how to do a spreadsheet and I show him the joys of being weird. Like a romcom.

In my bathroom mirror I am a decent 8, the light hits it just right and it’s very flattering. If I take a pic of myself on my camera I look like a mug shot of a doped up murderous middle aged old hag who’s had a hard life.

In real life I’m probably between those 2 things dependent on if I have bothered with make up or not 😂 Can’t say I care that much what other people think of me these days though.

About a 1, 2 max on a good day. That's not paranoia, I used to get strangers insulting me on the street when I was younger. I'm middle-aged and invisible now. My figure isn't too bad - size 8 - when I'm fully clothed and the sagging skin is hidden, but I've always had an awful face in such a way that nothing could be done to improve it, it's the bone structure of my face, not anything that could be fixed or tweaked.

I like being the age I am because it genuinely doesn't matter anymore, no one expects me to be attractive as they do with younger women.

On the surface this is a very shallow thread, on the other hand, surely the ONLY thing that matters is how great you think you are i.e. self-esteem. I think I'm fabulous, if anyone is asking! I certainly don't care what others think of me!

Hmm, that’s a little bit of an overly emotional knee jerk reaction, I never said ugly peiple die childless. What a hyperbolic comment.

physical attraction, no matter how much you rail against it, is what drives procreation, not for everyone, but few people are pro creating with people they think are ugly, unless limited options.

in the main it’s physical attraction that drives people together in the first place, and this will never change, as said women, and men for that matter, have strived to make themselves attractive since time began. Adorning our bodies, with jewellery or make up, for men, facial hair and hairstyles. The clothes we wear, the scent we wear.

We even see it in ancient tribes, what is considered beautiful may differ by culture, for example elongated necks or stretched ear piercings may not be what western culture strives to, but for some cultures it is considered beautiful, physical attractiveness is an inherent need in most humans. Arguing it shouldn’t be, is pointless. It has always been it will always be,

And it’s not youth as such, otherwise we’d all be trying to shag 18 year olds, it’s about presenting as healthy, fit, fertile, our hair, our bodies, our skin. We may consider that youthful. But that’s different to youth,

Clean, dressed well and looking my best? An 8. 😁

But honestly that’s mostly my body (pilates/barre queen!). Face not so much, as I look my age and people in the public eye who are my age look a lot younger.

I have a lot of self-confidence so whether I’m objectively a 5 or a 9 is neither here nor there. It’s all about self perception. 😊

I think I’m all right for my age, but I’m not photogenic at all which I hate

Overly emotional? In what way?

Most men will find women in their late teens/early twenties to be the most attractive potential mates throughout their lives, while women's age preferences tend to age with them. So, youth, for men at least.

Procreation is literally about reproducing, with someone healthy and fertile - looks don't come into that, so it's silly to say that beauty 'allows us to survive and procreate'. Most men will have sex with any available woman, especially if they have few choices, and speaking in terms of evolutionary development, it's not really up to the woman to decide whether or not that happens. So there's no evolutionary drive towards attractiveness. And many people have strong sexual chemistry with someone who isn't stereotypically attractive.

Elongated necks thanks to neck rings, and piercings etc, are more about displays of wealth than of natural beauty. Like many 'pretty' adornments and ornaments, including make up, the purpose is often simply to display that one is wealthy enough to afford luxuries, and therefore will be a good prospective mate.

I'd argue that identifying compatible immune systems through body odour could be even more important to what 'allows us to survive and procreate'.

Beauty is appealing to people, but it is in no way relevant to procreation or survival.

I used to be an eleventy billion. Now I'm 57 and have a bit of a crinkly neck and a 'fuck me around and you'll regret it' face I'd say I'm only a tenty billion.

DP thinks I'm bootiful though, and that's all I care about.

With makeup I used to be 8.5 (it's been said a few times).

Now it depends on whether it's a general figure or 'for my age'. Which is probably 7 and 9.5 because I look younger than I am.

But this is only with makeup, nice hair and lots of effort made. If everyone made the same effort as me I'd be far more average.

10 out of 10 mate. Hot as hell! 😆😆😆

Probably a 2 if you listen to the manosphere. I’m a size 18, short, perimenopausal 45 year old woman. Who dresses frumpy and barely wears make up.

A 10 if you ask my husband or son

Did that on a site called Hot or Not in my 20s, I think I was a steady nine back then!

I'm in my 50s now. Attractive enough is the answer. And confident enough that I don't need validation from anyone else.