Beauty and perception

^ It's funny how what you look like in school can be so vastly different to what you end up looking like as an adult.
Perfect example in my book is the girl I went to school with who all the guys lusted after - she had the blonde curly hair, good figure, tanned skin etc etc etc that everyone was in love with.
Three or four years on and she's run to fat. Nobody would look at her twice. Her eyes can hardly be seen because of the huge pads of fat in her eyelids, she can't fit into the cute designer outfits anymore, etc etc - everyone is talking about how they can't believe what a mess she's become.
Meanwhile, I, who was pretty average-looking in high school, have grown into my body and become relatively good-looking (or so I think when I compare photos from then and now). I've lost weight (yeah, so I'm talking about before I got pregnant haha, but you know what I mean), my skin's cleared up, my figure is much better and I just look a lot prettier.

It works both ways, is all - the people who aren't attractive in school grow up to be pretty good-looking, and the 'hot' or pretty ones usually lose their good looks and become fairly average, if not outright unattractive.

^yay, karma i guess

i think that whats on the insidde should be the only thing that matters people will like you for who u are not what you look like

well i'd rather be smart and kinda gorgous, in my mind i'm ugly, but people say i'm pretty, i thinkthey r just being nice. but both could get you really far

My opinion is this. when girls hang out alone together we really dont care if our socks dont match, our makeup is messed up. but when we are around guys, we have to make our selfs look better than we do normally to meet their expectations.

^ i disagree, we want to look good, we don't want people to look down on us so we try to achieve perfection or we try to look really good

chemicalroses:

My opinion is this. when girls hang out alone together we really dont care if our socks dont match, our makeup is messed up. but when we are around guys, we have to make our selfs look better than we do normally to meet their expectations.

That will change when you get older.
Once you leave school, it suddenly becomes all about what other girls think of you - you dress to impress other women, or to at least deflect any negative attention away from ourself. Women are much, much cattier than men, and when you realise that, you realise that while guys have no 'expectations' at all, they are just happy to observe the female form, whether she be short, tall, skinny, fat, pretty, not-so-pretty (because apparently the face isn't very important, an ugly girl could have fantastic legs or boobs and that's what attracts attention), well-dressed or just thrown together; a woman will always be quick to judge and heavy on the snark levels - I know I do it myself. If I see someone while out shopping and they're wearing mismatched shirt and pants, I think horrible things to myself (I'd never say it out loud).

But yeah, enjoy it while it lasts - once you grow up a little you realise that women are not only your competition, but your judge and jury, and you spend the rest of your life trying to match or outdo them in the fashion and beauty stakes. Especially once you have a boyfriend/partner/husband - you no longer need to impress men, so you do it to stop women judging you negatively.

^ True.
I go to an all girls school and I never feel the pressure to look good.
And now that kind of reflects when I am out in the city or whatever, because I am so used to just getting out of bed and going to school that I don't worry about making myself look good anymore, so the same goes for weekends.
....except now there is tech guy at my school and he's pretty damn awesome....

isnt beauty in the eye of the beholder i have a boyfriend and he think im beautiful but most people think im ugly so beauty is all about the persons taste and beauty should have inner beauty as apart of it to

inner beauty is much more better than outer beauty... someone may be really gorgeous but on the inside they arent really that gorgeous say they are really bitchy. rude and nasty to other people...
i dont care about what i look like that much i do what i have to do... brush hair teeth etc... but i dont go and put on heaps of make up and stuff just to make myself all pretty i only do that when something like a wedding or a function that is worth getting all done up for comes around!

even though all of you think ohh its the inside that counts...
were in the hell do you live..
people judge by first impressions...
they dont just randomly stop you and talk for hours..
just though i would say..

Mr.Roboto:

even though all of you think ohh its the inside that counts...
were in the hell do you live..
people judge by first impressions...
they dont just randomly stop you and talk for hours..
just though i would say..

I totally agree. first impressions are everything. People are gonna judge you first on how you look, how well kept you are, if you're attractive or not stuff like that. To me inner beauty is ok but it doesn't match up to outer beauty. I 'm not trying to sound shallow though.

In many studies, people's outward appearance has a lot to do with their inside.
Not in the stereotypical way but you know..

I myself think it's silly when people tell me that im stupid for putting on makeup and dressing my best. I concider myself a pallet, and my makeup and outfit my paint. It really bothers me when people dress like they don't care (with really baggy shirts or pants or something), because I feel like half of the reason clothes have evolved from loinclothes were to inhance the world's beauty. I love looking at very trendy people that put care and time into their fashion and face.

Im not saying it's wrong to dress lazy, it's just very unattractive to me.

Yes inward beauty is important, but so is outward beauty. Without outward beauty, the concept of art and photography wouldn't exist. We would think much less about the world. Im also talking about beauty in nature and whatnot, because we are part of nature, therefore, saying that outward appearance doesn't matter, to me, is like saying that all other aspects of outward beauty should be ignored. You can care more about inner beauty (I know I do, the boy I like is VERY unattractive on the outside) but always remember to appreciate outward beauty for what it is.

Unfortunately we've been lead into believing you have to be X,Y and Z to be "beautiful" and if you don't comply then you are considered ugly. Girls - this is not true.

I think you should work on your inner-self before anything.
Beauty is important, I think.
But personality is more important.

xXDr.KrazyXx:

I think you should work on your inner-self before anything.
Beauty is important, I think.
But personality is more important.

Completely agree. I mean looks count a little - but as long as you are not a complete troll you've got your foot in the door. And besides, no one looks THAT bad - I've found personally as I've been getting older, looks seem to count less - if the guy makes me happy, then who cares?

Inner beauty is more important that outer beauty - but not at first.
First impressions count.
And your physical appearance counts for your first impression.

Looking nice helps.
If you look good and are a nice person, you are more likely than not to be more accepted than a person who is just an nice as you, but not as attractive.

It's just the way the world works.

And as for wearing make up, being weight concious, e.t.c, it's for confidence.
So people can feel strong enough to go out and show the real them.
Well, it is for me anyway.
When I have days where I don't look so great, I don't feel as talkative.

Maybe I'm shallow/vain.
But that's what I think.