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Original poster

What's it like to be beautiful?

159 replies

ThisFluentBiscuit · 20/02/2025 19:44

I was watching a film last night, and I guess I haven't watched one in a while, because I was struck anew by how good-looking all the actors and actresses were.

Which set me thinking: I wonder what it's like to be really good-looking. To wake up each day and just look good. To have gorgeous face staring back at you in the mirror. What's it like? Do you always or mostly feel good and happy? What are the pros and cons?

Speak up if you're gorgeous. Don't be shy! Enquiring minds want to know what it's like to go through life as a stunning person. Am curious.

OP posts:
SassK · 20/02/2025 22:29

I'm so fucking gorgeous I get a round of applause whenever I walk through town.

PrivateNelly · 20/02/2025 22:31

I wouldn’t know! Beautiful is rare to see (I’m thinking Natalie Wood or Brigette Bardot type of beauty).

But I think I see a lot of attractive women day to day, no matter their size and shape but somehow they know how to present nicely, be confident and enhance best features.

My daughter thankfully looks more like her dad and I feel she will become quite a beautiful young lady in years to come.

ImMeMeMe · 20/02/2025 22:32

Most real beautiful people not realise they are beautiful. They never say they are beautiful. My mum doesn't like talking about anyone's appearance including herself and she never told me that she was so popular when she was young. But I was told by relatives, neighbours and her friends that she had so many fan boys and girls at school and they even set up her fan club.

78Summer · 20/02/2025 22:35

I was rather plain and small as a child and had to take growth hormone treatment and was bullied. Then at 18 I grew some curves, grew into my nose and got contact lenses, and found people were just far nicer to me and would comment on my looks and figure. It felt quite strange as you never stop feeling the plain child.

I am 46 now and no longer get men looking at me. Does not bother me as I am content in myself. It is funny the value that is placed on looks. They fade so you have to work on the inside.

Lovethegreydays · 20/02/2025 22:39

I'd hate men leering at me I have to say, must be horrible much as I think being beautiful must be amazing. I couldn't handle the creeps.

Tauranga · 20/02/2025 22:39

I was seen as good looking, great figure blah blah. But when you look in the mirror you see a fat nose, squint eyes etc and wonder what the fuss is about.
It did make life easier in many instances but I wasn't really aware at the time; I was told I got at least 2 jobs because of how I looked. I had amazing jobs in a field of all men, maybe 3 women out of 300. In the era of sex and the city it was fun.
I literally never cared what I looked like, and still don't. Cliche or not, it's how you are and what you do that shapes your real beauty.

Pollyanna87 · 20/02/2025 22:40

I suffered with depression from the age of about 12 until my 20s, when the medication started working. Not depressed for any reason, it just runs in my family.

However, many mental health professionals would refuse to believe me, I was outright told my appearance didn’t suggest I was depressed!

For the most part, though, it’s great.

Pollyanna87 · 20/02/2025 22:42

I once interviewed for a job at a place my friend worked. Friend revealed that the manager said I couldn’t have the job because I was too beautiful and she would feel jealous!

Alwayslurkingsometimesposting · 20/02/2025 22:42

This is a fascinating thread! I have a stunning friend and Ive been guilty of feeling a bit hostile towards her (in the past before I got to know her) so i can believe the reports of hostility from other women. Im ashamed to admit it but it feels like some kind of primal envy. Even now that I've been friends with her for years and I know she feels insecure and has just as many problems as anyone else, I can struggle to empathise with her occasionally even though I'm a very empathic person with other friends. It's like my mind is saying "how could you have any problems when you're that gorgeous?" Even though i KNOW she does. It's bizarre

Original poster
ThisFluentBiscuit · 20/02/2025 22:42

Arran2024 · 20/02/2025 21:05

Not me, but one of my daughters. She s 25 now and she gets hassled by blokes constantly - she just has to step outside the house and it starts. Men openly stare at her, even if she is with me or my husband. If she is with her boyfriend he is constantly told he's "punching", and guys tell her she could do much better and ask her out in front of him.

People also expect her to be extremely capable. She actually has autism and some learning disabilities but some people have always refused to believe it. Her year 6 teacher said to me "I don't believe she is autistic at all" even though we had a diagnosis from camhs!!

She tries to hide when she goes out. She usually wears no make up and joggers, with her hair back in a ponytail. She won't go to many places on her own because of the hassle.

So it's not all fun.

That's awful!!! Poor thing.

The part about people expecting her to perform to a higher standard and her teacher's denial of her diagnosis is just wild!

OP posts:
Original poster
ThisFluentBiscuit · 20/02/2025 22:44

Time40 · 20/02/2025 21:27

It was great! It's not so nice getting older, when of course it fades. A downside: people tend to think that you're not quite real, if you see what I mean, and so they don't take it so seriously if you have problems. Great upside: it's really easy to persuade people to bend rules for you or do you favours (especially men!)

People think you're not quite real...that's quite fascinating actually. What a weird side-effect of being gorgeous!

OP posts:
Original poster
ThisFluentBiscuit · 20/02/2025 22:46

Changeissmall · 20/02/2025 21:32

Sorry to bring such a sad tone to the thread but the most beautiful woman I ever met killed herself at 25. I sometimes think that her astonishing beauty stopped people understanding how much she was suffering. Nobody thought she could have any real problems.

Oh, that's just terrible. Speechless. 😭

OP posts:
whatcanthematterbe81 · 20/02/2025 22:47

Loving the confidence on this thread! People tell me I'm pretty but I'm not, I'm bang average 😂

Gettingabigger · 20/02/2025 22:47

it depends. It’s got me in a lot of trouble. More recently I get annoyed because I feel like I don’t get taken seriously in my job (finance).

Aloeveraplants · 20/02/2025 22:47

My daughter is very attractive and has a beautiful figure. She just doesn’t put on weight. If she wears make up and nice clothes she can look beautiful. When I’m with her men just swivel round and stare. She has experienced jealousy from other women. What I do notice is that she’s very worried about losing her looks. Terrified of getting old. She struggled academically and I think I feels her face is all she has. I don’t think that’s healthy.
I have been called beautiful when I was young but really I was very pretty on a good day. Beauty is something else.

BigBlueRhino · 20/02/2025 22:48

In my younger days I was considered very attractive but I got a lot of instant hostility from other females and people would try and take me down both make and female .

Aloeveraplants · 20/02/2025 22:48

Also she’s been hassled a lot by men and hates it.

MedusaAndHerFavourites · 20/02/2025 22:49

It's wonderful. Men chase me down the street to give me flowers and profess their admiration. I can part the crowds like Moses. Men bend to my every whim. Women fawn over my effortless classic style with a quirky individual twist.

Obviously that's not me. I don't really now.

Arran2024 · 20/02/2025 22:55

ThisFluentBiscuit · 20/02/2025 22:42

That's awful!!! Poor thing.

The part about people expecting her to perform to a higher standard and her teacher's denial of her diagnosis is just wild!

Show quote history

She actually gets PIP ( personal independence payment) but she was turned down after the face to face interview. Basically the assessor just stared at her in awe! He assumed she could eg cook, calculate money, read well because she looked so amazing. I got a copy of his report and it was a complete joke. I had 23 reports backing up her difficulties. She went to a special needs school. Our GP wrote to them "nit as able as she looks". His decision was overturned without us having to appeal to tribunal, which is really unusual. Thing is, I had called the DWP before the interview to tell them I was concerned that the assessor would be confused by her appearance and was assured it wouldn't matter, buy.....

NorthernGirl1981 · 20/02/2025 22:56

I blossomed at 17…….and from then until I became a parent it was bloody wonderful!!

I was beautiful, I felt beautiful, and I knew other people thought I was beautiful. I could wrap the men around my little finger and I knew they’d do anything I’d ask if I simply smiled at them in the right way. Everyday I felt so confident and so happy in myself and it was brilliant!! Life was so fun and so easy.

Parenthood soon put an end to all that though 🤣

SandrenaIsMyBloodType · 20/02/2025 23:02

I've been described as pretty all my life, but not beautiful and I think that's probably accurate. I'm not stunning. It's more of a kid's tv presenter face than a model face. Women were definitely suspicious of me in my 20s but since getting married at 30 I have experienced less of this. Anyone who knows me can tell that I am obviously nuts about my DH.
I think it's made aging uncomfortable because too much of my value was wrapped up in my looks. I'm 54 now and I think I just have a 'nice' face these days. I'm naturally smiley and look friendly. I realised during Covid what a difference my looks make. I didn't receive the same service or attitudes from people when out and about in a mask. It made me realise how much I rely on my smiley face. I don't think I'd even thought about it until then but I just couldn't charm people in the same way.

Sweetloveandcheese · 20/02/2025 23:02

People don't think im very clever.

Original poster
ThisFluentBiscuit · 20/02/2025 23:04

Sweetloveandcheese · 20/02/2025 23:02

People don't think im very clever.

Oh, that's mean. I'm sure you are!

OP posts:
Mabris · 20/02/2025 23:07

I'm ashamed to say but I've been told I'm stunning by many. My husband always says he's punching above his weight, i rarely wear makeup but have a good skin care routine. I have 2 older sisters who have always been jealous of me partly due to the fact that I'm the cleverest I the family, tall, slim, well educated and my mum absolutely adores me for my kindness towards others. Those are the qualities I would like to be remembered for,not the beautiful aspect. I wear basic clothes so not to stand out as I'm quite shy. I have also been blessed with 2 sons who are extremely handsome both 6ft4 and very intelligent. I guess some of the privileges I've had in life is because of my beauty such as jobs and marrying the best man possible. I don't think he would have approached me if I looked anything like my sisters

Thoughtsonstuff · 20/02/2025 23:10

I was a tomboy as a child and quite hilarious looking. I then suddenly became beautiful age 15 and was very self concious for years. Every day I was hooted at and whistled at every time I walked anywhere which I found mortifying. I then found I could attract any boy I liked which became a thing in itself as I think I still thought of myself as the tomboy so used boys liking me as validation so I used to flit about. Sad in hindsight.

It was good and bad at work; mainly good though as people are extra nice to you and luckily I was in a career where you had to use your brain so couldn't be called a bimbo (I hoped). You do get remembered and singled out. Good looks do have a certain power. I enjoyed being pretty and attracting attention going out. I was probably/definitely really vain during that time.

I'm now much older, have put on weight, have a lot of wrinkles and actually am far more comfortable with myself. I don't miss my looks particularly although I now see why my mother (who was very beautiful) used to look at old pictures of herself a bit wistfully.