The genetic lottery happens very early in life, but its prizes (or the lack of) are evident during most of our days on Earth. The consequences of this natural process we have no control of, unfortunately, often leads to double standards, favoring the pretty and hurting the ugly people.
Reddit user OrbitalDickHead (I know, I know) has posted a question on the platform, asking "What is socially accepted when you are beautiful but not accepted when you are ugly?" and it went viral, accumulating over 38K upvotes.
Bored Panda has collected some of the most popular answers about social acceptance to highlight that not everyone can get away with staring at a stranger or going on about how inner beauty is more important than its outer counterpart. For example, if your read-headed, pot-bellied and slightly balding colleague that you usually don't talk to would stop to chat with you, would you feel delighted or later tweet about meeting creepy people? Now the opposite - if the guy were tall, dark, and handsome, your feelings would probably change too.
Scroll down to read the stories about ugly ducklings below. Hopefully, while reading it, you won't find the signs you are unattractive yourself.
#21
Bothering people who are reading. After years of sitting in coffee shops reading, I realized I was curt with anyone who tried to engage me in conversation, unless they were an attractive girl.
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33points
#23
To give a somewhat serious answer, boasting of your prowess.
People are psychologically more inclined to believe someone good looking is skillfull at whatever they're claiming to good at, despite no evidence. In fact there's something called the 'halo effect' that says along with beauty come all sorts of other positive characteristics. We have a tendency to think beautiful people are funnier, more friendly, more intelligent, more exciting, in possession of better social skills, are sexually warmer, are more interesting, poised and even more independent.
People are psychologically more inclined to believe someone good looking is skillfull at whatever they're claiming to good at, despite no evidence. In fact there's something called the 'halo effect' that says along with beauty come all sorts of other positive characteristics. We have a tendency to think beautiful people are funnier, more friendly, more intelligent, more exciting, in possession of better social skills, are sexually warmer, are more interesting, poised and even more independent.
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32points
#24
Looking up someone's personal information so you can find them again. When you're ugly, you're stalking them. When you're hot, your being romantic. i.e. in Hitch, Will Smith tracks down where Eva Mendes worked and then sent a delivery guy there with to give her a wet suit in her exact measurements. He was being romantic... you would not be considered romantic.
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32points
#25
Pretty much anything. I am an "occasionally" attractive man. I say this because I've been on both sides of the fence when it comes to getting preferential treatment... and feeling invisible. I grew up oblivious to my good fortune in the looks department. I was just me and didn't take myself too too seriously. I kept hearing from girls and (presumably) gay men that I was cute, hot, attractive, good-looking, etc. I was completely oblivious to this, I just thought I was a regular old guy with some good features and plenty of flaws. I seriously had no idea that everyone else didn't get treated the way I did. Girls my age would look at me at the mall and smile, clothing store employees (male and female) would compliment my eyes, women would approach me and chat me up on the street... a limo full of hot girls would say hi, and tell me the bar they were going to, etc, etc. It sounds like bragging, but I'm just trying to describe what my teens and early 20s were like. Now, fast forward 8 years and I'm 30 lbs overweight and a caricature of my former self. I feel invisible, as, people no longer want to meet me, or show me as much respect. I hit the gym hard and get fit again. I regain some semblance of my "old" life and get my mojo back. People are nicer to me again, hmm.
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32points
#26
-- You're allowed to have problems if you're ugly, if you're beautiful people will be like "yeaaaaah riiiiiiight your life must be soooo haaaard"
-- if you're pretty but socially awkward/quiet people assume you're stuck up and won't talk to you (multiply by 100 if you have resting bitch face), but if you're ugly and awkward/quiet you're just awkward/quiet
-- basically impossible to have guy friends if you're a pretty girl, they'll all eventually admit they just were hoping to fuck you and now that they realize you won't, they're out, doesn't matter how long you were "friends," not so for ugly girls
-- if you're pretty but socially awkward/quiet people assume you're stuck up and won't talk to you (multiply by 100 if you have resting bitch face), but if you're ugly and awkward/quiet you're just awkward/quiet
-- basically impossible to have guy friends if you're a pretty girl, they'll all eventually admit they just were hoping to fuck you and now that they realize you won't, they're out, doesn't matter how long you were "friends," not so for ugly girls
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31points
#27
Being a criminal sometimes!
I remember when that 'beautiful convict' guy was floating around the internet for a while.
I remember when that 'beautiful convict' guy was floating around the internet for a while.
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30points
#28
Realistically, men being friendly with women.
Hot guy, at the office:
-Hey Janice. You look great today.
-Thanks!
Hot guy, at the office:
-Hey Janice. You look great today.
-Thanks!
Ugly guy at the office:
-Hey Janice. You look great today.
Cold stare * followed by sexual harassment complaint made to HR.
-Hey Janice. You look great today.
Cold stare * followed by sexual harassment complaint made to HR.
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28points
#30
Being socially forward. Interrupting people while talking, hitting on people, giving unsolicited advice, etc. Being attractive gives you an automatic +4 to charisma.
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26points
#31
The biggest example I experience while I was in high school was the attractive popular guy is class could be a misogynist and he's just being "silly and joking around" but the un-attractive guy could say the same exact sexist comment to the same group of girls and they'll accuse him of being a misogynist bigot that will never get a relationship with those kind of comments.
Sexism is sexism. It's unacceptable no matter who is being a sexist. You don't get to be selective in who you think is sexist. Cause that's not cool.
Sexism is sexism. It's unacceptable no matter who is being a sexist. You don't get to be selective in who you think is sexist. Cause that's not cool.
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26points
#32
Narcissism/shallowness.
There's a ton of vitriol directed at unattractive women who spend a lot of time on their appearance. "Putting makeup on a pig". Unless you're naturally attractive, there's this idea that you shouldn't even bother trying to look nice because 'who do you think you're fooling, you'll always be ugly so just accept in your ugliness'. You see it a lot directed at heavy women on this site. Because other people don't find you attractive, people feel like you don't deserve to feel or find yourself attractive.
Meanwhile hot girls can spent an inordinate amount of time on their appearance and documenting their appearance with very little pushback. People like looking at them, so its ok they like looking at themselves so much too.
There's a ton of vitriol directed at unattractive women who spend a lot of time on their appearance. "Putting makeup on a pig". Unless you're naturally attractive, there's this idea that you shouldn't even bother trying to look nice because 'who do you think you're fooling, you'll always be ugly so just accept in your ugliness'. You see it a lot directed at heavy women on this site. Because other people don't find you attractive, people feel like you don't deserve to feel or find yourself attractive.
Meanwhile hot girls can spent an inordinate amount of time on their appearance and documenting their appearance with very little pushback. People like looking at them, so its ok they like looking at themselves so much too.
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25points
#34
Just being nice in general lol. When I was in high school there was this guy named James and EVERYONE always blasted him for his appearance, how annoying/creepy he was, etc. I tried to be nice to him but I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed his presence. One day in class I was talking about how I felt insecure that day and he said "Don't feel that way!! You're beautiful!" And I said thank you but everyone else around us laughed. A more attractive guy in the same class called a friend of mine beautiful and everyone says "awww! So sweet!!! You guys should date!!!!" I dunno what happened to James after high school but I hope he's doing well. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment.
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21points
#35
Saying you're ugly. If you're actually ugly you just end up making everyone uncomfortable. If you're beautiful people tend to fall all over themselves trying to reassure you that you're beautiful.
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20points
#36
I'm a recruiter so I can speak from experience when saying that if you're young and good looking you will have a much better chance at getting the job- regardless of experience.
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19points
#37
"Oh my gosh I eat so much! I ate like an entire bag of chips!" Is funny but when you are actually fat it's like" yeah no duh loser".
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19points
#38
Not having a job, my ugly friend without a job is constantly abused by anyone he tells about his unemployment and labelled as lazy and worthless. People just ask me what kind of crazy experimental phase I'm going through and are incredibly interested in "what's next".
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18points
#39
Mistakes. I transitioned from male to female, and people are way more lenient with a hot girl than they are with an average dude.
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18points
#40
I used to play raquetball and then go to the sauna with this older black guy, and one time we were talking about sexual harassment. He leans over and goes: "Son, sexual harassment just when ugly people try to get some."
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18points