For me, it's hard because I thought I was pretty when I was thin size 2 or 4. Over the past 4 years I gained 30 lbs and am now embarrassed when I see people that I haven't seen since my thin days.
One of my friends was a bathing suit model, now she's a size 12. She thinks she's ugly ... but I think she still looks great.
I definitely think I am pretty, I think part of that is due to the fact that I was home schooled through jr high. I developed early, so jr high would have been horrible!!
I also work in cosmetics, so I definitely emphasize my best features the best I can. Also, I'm starting to realize that you don't have to be perfect to be beautiful... your beauty comes out the more comfortable you are with yourself. Along with a little makeup in my case - it just makes me feel good to wear it.
I look at your avatar and think "pretty." I'm not just saying that to be nice.
Now, I have always been told "you have such a pretty face...it's a shame you're fat." And yes, rachiebach, my RELATIVES were the worst!
I've always thought of myself as pretty until I got above 300 pounds. My features changed by the added fat - got a double chin for the first time and my cheeks got too big, etc. I also got a bigger belly than I'd like, lost the definition in my waist, and started getting flabby; also, my body started changing in other ways - my knees started hurting and I started feeling super uncomfortable and in pain. Now I only think I look pretty when I have make-up on; it highlights my eyes and lips. And, it's super hard to think I look pretty in most of clothes (I have nice clothes, it's about how my body looks in them).
I am looking forward to getting below 300 pounds. :-)
I've been overweight my whole life and have always felt FOR ME, that being overweight made me not pretty.
I've been "cute" for a long time.. I'm short and I have big eyes and some childlike features... I always kind of thought that would be the best I'd get. Now that I'm 27, I think I'm a bit too old for "cute."
I don't think I have the right features to be "pretty." I think when I lose the weight (and possibly even now), I could be considered attractive to some. But not "pretty."
I've never really considered myself to be "pretty", though I don't think I'm really unfortunate looking, despite all the fat. Some days if the mood takes me I make a real effort to make myself look nice and usually it doesn't turn out too bad. There are other days though that I feel it would be a crime against everyone if I just left the house Seems like most people have days like that though.
My relatives are pretty good at making me feel fat and unattractive with the old lines like 'you'd be pretty if you lost weight' blah blah blah. My Nan seems to have that phrase down to a fine art
I was bullied in school a bit for being overweight but I was lucky enough to make friends with the nice thin pretty ones so mostly people left me alone.
My fiancé always tells me I look pretty no matter what. I guess that's sweet but I only tend to believe him when he's looking at me when he says it and not the TV
The only person who I really believe is my best friend. If I look nice he'll make a point of it, if I look stupid he'll laugh in my face and insult me. He also doesn't hesitate to make fun of my weight, poke my flab and laugh at me. He's also the only person who can get away with it too, I like his brutal honesty (plus the fact that he's overweight too...though still manages to look gorgeous!). We always have a plan to 'lose weight and get pretty', though it's always gone wrong in the past Guess I'll have to do it without him!
What an interesting question. I guess for me the answer starts way back when at home. My mother was/is verbally abusive and hardly a day went by without her telling me that I was fat and ugly. I remember one time we were driving in the car and the song "She Don't Know She's Beautiful" came on. My mom looked at me and said "You know who I think of when I hear this song?" I shook my head and she smirked at me. "Your sister" Stupid stuff like that. No one ever told me that I was pretty, I developed DDs by the 4th grade and between that and my weight I was the subject of constant ridicule. As I got older I started hanging out more and more with guys and was treated more and more like a guy. As such you can imagine how little anyone ever told me that I was pretty. Instead they told me how hot they thought other girls were. However, as I finished up high school and started college men started to notice me and I really started to notice myself. I lost a whole lot of weight and realized that that didn't really change how "pretty" I was. It did make me start paying attention to how I dressed, did my hair, etc. Those things started to make me feel pretty. I turned into a huge flirt, which I have to say, is SO MUCH fun! :P Now I still have my hangups of course. I still have days where I look in the mirror and shudder, and regaining all the weight put me through a definite "I'm a hideous monster" phase but at the core of it I can now honestly say that yes, I think I'm pretty. My BF helps a lot on those days when I feel low. He treats me not only like a princess, but like a beautiful woman and I can't help but fill up with happy pride when he looks at me in THAT way. And I'm rambling.
*Hugs to you all*
And by the way...I think you are all beautiful AND pretty!
Pretty? No, I will never be pretty. I have strong features, curly-Q hair, and a body type that has never been the traditionally classical shape for beauty. BUT- I am as striking, handsome, arresting, unforgettable, and unique as I can be (well, on a good day)! I'll take that kind of attractiveness over just "pretty" anyday!
since i got through that horrible teenage stuff (relentless acne) i've generally thought of myself as pretty, most days. now that i'm losing weight, i'm starting to see the tiniest hint of cheekbones, and have a feeling that my 40's are going to be my hottest decade, by far!
I am not pretty but I've gotten to the point of accepting it..almost. I've been told I look like a horse, like a monkey and it's been said I'm the ugliest girl in the world (thanks jerk face!). My features are out of proportion and just don't make for a pretty face at all. But, oh well. Not everyone on earth is pretty. I'm sure my husband thinks I am and I know God thinks I am, so that is good enough for me.
Last edited by LandonsBaby; 10-10-2008 at 10:51 AM.
I'll honestly admit that I have to be constantly told that I'm pretty/beautiful/sexy because if I'm not looking at a reflection, I forget.
Too many years of being the ugly duckling I suppose.
And i don't think the question "am i pretty?" is vain.... it's about as conceited as "does this make my butt look big?", and I'm pretty sure many of us have asked or at least thought that once or twice.
Ive never considered myself to be pretty....
i am extremely hard on myself....
i always used to argue 'pretty' compliments....
but i dont tend to any more....
weight loss has boosted my confidence....
I've always been told that I "have a pretty face." Which, depending on my mood, will make me feel happy or it will make me feel like crap because I go "auhghh my body's so grosssss." But that's why I'm here, to fix that body part
(Don't look at my avatar-- not an accurate representation of my face )
My ex always tells me that I'm one of those lucky girls that can still be pretty without makeup and not look like she's sick. So I guess that's pretty cool.
So to answer your question about whether *I* think I'm pretty or not, sometimes I do, but some days where everything's got me down, I don't. Just depends on what days you catch me.
Wow, I'm so glad to see how many responses this thread has gotten, and to know that I'm not the only one who thinks about this! I would have to say that I think I'm fairly average-looking, too. I think the right makeup, haircut, and even the right clothes, etc can all have a big impact on the overall effect, too, and I am pleased to say that I am very well groomed, heh. I guess it's just very foreign to me to consider that I could be anything other than butt-ugly. In fact, one thing that brought on my curiosity about this whole thing was when I mentioned something to a friend (male, but he's just a really close/totally platonic friend) along the lines of "Eh, I don't necessarily think I'm pretty..." and he seemed surprised... He said something like "Well, you are, so it's not really up for discussion." I thought it was really sweet, and it occurred to me that it might have been the first time anyone's ever sincerely said I was pretty. Of course I've gotten compliments before, but it's usually like "You look pretty today," or "You have pretty eyes" or something, not just "You are pretty." There's a difference! I think anyone who has gotten the whole "such a pretty face" ordeal (which I have definitely gotten, too, ugh) can understand what I mean...
I do think I've gradually gotten prettier over the years, though. My attitude about my looks has basically become that if there's something that I perceive to be "wrong" with myself, I either love it or lose it! So I've had braces (my teeth were JANK before), I wear contact lenses, I've whitened my teeth in the past, I shave my arm hair (LOL), etc, and all of those things really and truly do make me feel prettier. And obviously, I'm currently working on the biggest challenge thus far, losing the weight, which also makes me feel sooo much prettier. Now if I can just lose weight and get my skin to clear up (grrr), I promise I won't even mind that my nose takes up half my face! Hehe.
This post made me giggle because it makes me think of those self-help exercises where people are supposed to repeat phrases to themselves in the mirror "you are pretty".
I guess I just try not to think about it so I don't get depressed (I know, I know, focus on the positive). I guess I could look worse, and I look better now than I did 3 months ago (and FEEL better now). I just hope that some day, someone does find me to be pretty... *looks in mirror "You ARE pretty"*
I was attractive in highschool, went through a MAJOR frumpy stage after my daughter was born,but I have worked on the look LOL and take time to make sure the hair and make up is done well most days anyway haha. I have been told I am pretty, I don't think I am knock out but I don't think I am a dog either. I am comfy in my skin inside and out fat or not.
Seems like most people have days like that though.
Guess I'll have to do it without him!
