Did anyone else get rude comments about their looks growing up?

[Eggandcheesemuffin]

I used to have a very large gap between my front teeth, crooked bottom teeth as well. Had various comments over the years, even a 'friend' told me I'd be so pretty if 'only I fixed my teeth'.

In adulthood I decided to look into braces but then people started saying, oh you don't need braces your teeth are fine etc..
It didn't seem to stop men being attracted to me but they always bothered me.
Anyway I have straight teeth now with no gap as I got Invisalign braces.

Next, my nose, I used to have quite a prominent side profile with a bump. Two (not very nice) exes took it upon themselves to tell me I had a big nose. It wasn't just them, I'd never liked it myself. As the front was fine, I started to get nose filler which I still get today. It's significantly improved my nose, people tell me I don't need it but I feel like I don't want to go back to my old nose.

Also had very bad acne which the same ex and 'friend' commented on. The ex told me he had been 'embarrassed to be seen with me in public' because my spots were so bad.
Acne was more of a common issue so people weren't as mean about it, but with age it's just cleared up, and I only have a couple of spots now though I remember being at the front of a class and some kids whispering "She's got a really spotty face."

With the awful ex, I came across a text one day that his female friend had sent him, when she found out he was interested in me. She said, "Don't go for her, she's really ugly! You can't possibly stoop so low!"

Of course that made me feel great.

Anyway I'm happy with my looks today although it's sad I ended up 'fixing" all these things. Just thinking about it today made me angry. Why did any of these people feel the right to pick on my looks like that? Has anyone else been through this?

Yes. Mainly by my mother. I was also told I was unusual looking. Also teased for being flat chested. And for having big hips. They weren’t big-I just had a tiny waist! Happy with the way I look now. And I still have my tiny waist which annoyed my late DM no end.

I was cuddling my toddler daughter and said 'Isn't she beautiful?' to my mum. Her reply - 'well you're not good looking and nor is her dad, so why would she be'.

I was used to her never, ever paying compliments, but that was a new low even for her.

Daughter of a petite statured mum I was taller than her by Y7 and bigger framed. Many comments about my size from family some more rude than others. Set me up to be insecure in my body. Looking at pictures of me as a 5’8” size 10 teenager I wish I could have given myself more confidence.
Size 14-16 in my 40’s but healthy and strong that’s what I want to inspire for my daughters

@SunnyLobelia your DH and DS sound wonderful,

Yes, short lady speaking. Also, during my teenage years I became quite ill and the medication made me put on weight. It was awful. It changed me as a person.

I am not sure i could restrain myself from shouting at that.

I have something similar - I am short and dumpy. DH';s family are tall and very very blonde. My mother has commented many a time that it is 'lucky' that the DCs take after him.

I had (and still do) red hair, freckles and glasses, I also had braces when I was a teen, so yeah, my childhood wasn't a pleasant experience.

I got into fitness at 14 because I thought that although I couldn't change my face, I could my body. I'm actually beautiful, good cheekbones, full lips etc, but I'd been convinced by bullies that I was ugly and fat.

Oh yes-gingery hair, lanky, big gappy teeth and sticking out ears. I was a bully's dream. I'm 50 now and it has never left me. Objectively, I probably don't look too bad now and have grown into my looks. Ive had people tell me I'm beautiful now but I know they're only being kind. I hate the way I look and on my bad days I can feel really very low about it.

I was (and am) fat, so it's continued into adult life, just less overt now.

I think everyone gets mean comments about their appearance at some point. But we are all individuals and our ‘imperfections’ give us character.

When I was at school I was particularly teased for my big nose and big feet. I spent a long time thinking I would have a nose job - couldn’t do much about the feet! - but am now quite fond of those features!

It makes me think of Jennifer Grey’s nose job - she really regretted it as she lost her identity.

There is a place for cosmetic surgery but it’s a shame to iron out every kink and ‘flaw’.

Think this is every woman everywhere tbh. We are conditioned to believe that how we look is intrinsically related to our self worth from a young age, then we are brought down to size with these comments.

So sorry to hear these comments, especially those made to people by their own mothers.

I have quite a big nose. I remember one boy from school (who was very short and very fat) coming up to me and saying 'your nose is really big' and being like 'yeah I already know' and wondering why on earth anyone would ever say something like that. In hindsight I'm guessing low self esteem and wanting someone to feel as bad. It didn't upset me at all because I don't really care but its weird how I've not forgotten it

Yes agree this has probably happened to most people.
What used to annoy me is when people would point out your supposed flaws as if they were somehow being helpful in case you hadn’t noticed 🙄
I’ve got ‘did you know you have quite chunky legs haven’t you?’ a fair few times.
I really needed that pointing out thanks 😂🙄

In history class we studied the 2nd world war. I was called a Nazi due to being born in Germany and also a Jew because I had a slightly larger nose than the other girls. Apparently one of the tests was by using a measure across the nostril area. Anything over 5cm was a characteristic.
This was all in a lovely posh girls grammar school.

Another ginger here, some people made upnsongs about it, not complimentary ones. Hated my hair and freckles, was called fat, plus i was gay and an only child. So I had more than my share of insults.
People are horrid. Were a shit species.
Now realise i was absolutely fine looks and other wise. Ok with my body these days.

And to everyone ever teased for ginger hair and freckles? I always was jealous of a girl called Caroline at the private school who had the most stunning head of proper red hair and a face full of freckles to go.

I remember telling my SIL how lovely it was that she called her son ‘my gorgeous boy’ all the time. She replied that her parents called her gorgeous girl when she was young and always made her feel beautiful so she wanted to carry that on. I was taken aback…peoples parents called them gorgeous??! I mean I wasn’t/still not but there was never any compliments only criticism. I’ve never had any confidence and hate my looks.
Once I had my own DC’s I made sure they were told they are gorgeous every day.

Told quite regularly by my dad

”you look pretty today. Pretty ugly”. Then a lot of rolling around thinking he was the funniest fucker ever. Shit head never told me I was pretty on my wedding day.

I was a fairly cute kid too. I have the biggest complex about my looks now.

I agree with @Merryclaire , that I think to an extent we've all experienced these type of comments. It's so depressing though that mothers / grandmothers, think / thought it ok to make these comments.
I was an athlete / tennis player in my teens, so my legs are very well toned, etc. I often got the 'nice legs, shame about the face' comments. They do stay with you, even if they're from sexist idiots.
@SunnyLobelia , my dh, too, often tells me this. He loves other things about me obviously but it's so nice to hear. I'm quite confident in my looks now though ( finally), and don't care what others think.
My granddaughter is beautiful ( biased I know), but I rarely comment on it. I focus more on her talents, her qualities, her ability to emphasise. We need more of this in society and more like @SunnyLobelia 's son. Brilliant comment 👏

Yes, my own bloody parents. So cruel.

My mum paid for me to have my nose done when o was 14, “because I think that’s all that’s stopping you being beautiful” turns out it wasn’t, I was just plain with an ugly nose. She also called me lodge all my life and I’m morbidly obese now.

weve been no contact for 4 years and the only time she was lovely to me was when I dropped to a size 12 after having my third son, by basically starving myself from my usual fat size.

That’s not rudeness it’s bullying don’t dress it up as something it’s not. I was bullied for years, I had really sticky out teeth - part of a medical condition I later had surgery for and 7 years of v uncomfortable orthodontic treatment. The bullying was horrific people can be so bloody cruel. I was timid and quiet and had no self esteem or confidence as a teen/young adult. Bully’s really need much harsher punishments mine got noting, rise above it I was told!! Nasty little shits

Yeah, but then school used to be more brutal back in the day. You could have been a young supermodel and they'd still find something to pick on!

Got loads of comments on my big nose and hairy arms. My mum commented once after I said I'd lost weight (at around 14 years old) that she hadn't wanted to say anything but she'd noticed I'd started getting chunky, took me 18 years before I started not caring too much about how much I weigh and only concerned with if I'm healthy.

I also never got told by my mum that I was pretty/looked good and whilst I'm not sure if it was an intentional choice to focus more on my internal qualities it's made me very aware that whilst this sounds like a good idea, in reality it meant I didn't have a "buffer" when people told me otherwise which in turn made me vulnerable to falling for any idiot who paid me the slightest bit of attention.