www.upworthy.com
Woman who lost her 'pretty privilege' reveals how it changed her perspective on life
There is something extremely unfair about people born with great genetics who are extremely attractive. Sure, folks can improve their looks after putting in some work at the gym or learning how to present themselves. But many people we consider conventionally good-looking hit the jackpot by simply being born that way.With little effort, these people have an incredible social advantage in life. They are seen as morally virtuous, receive random favors, are always the center of attention, and are more likely to get raises and promotions at work. The funny thing is that many people with pretty privilege don’t realize the incredible advantage they have until it's gone.People with pretty privilege get the social advantage that comes with a lot of people wanting to date them. They also have the advantage of the "halo effect," where people take one trait, their attractiveness, and use that to make blanket positive assumptions about their intelligence, kindness, and integrity without much evidence. What happens when people lose their pretty privilege?In a since-deleted post, a woman on Reddit shared how she realized the power that comes with pretty privilege when she gained a lot of weight, and the world immediately began treating her differently.“Whether we want to admit it or not, pretty privilege is a thing. And it’s something that I now realize I had for the majority of my life,” the woman wrote in a viral post. “People were usually very nice to me. I got offered perks like drinks at bars and extra attention when I went out. And I was stared at a lot.” An attractive woman at a bar.via Canva/PhotosThings changed for the woman after she had a health condition that required her to take a medication that slowed her metabolism, which resulted in rapid weight gain.“The fatter I got, the less attention was paid to me," the woman continued. "I didn’t notice it at first, but I began to have to ask for customer service at places instead of being offered, and I started to feel invisible, because no one looked at me. No one. People would walk right by and not even acknowledge my existence. It was strange at first, then incredibly humbling. I thought, well, this is the new normal.”The power of thin privilegeIt’s important to note that being a certain weight doesn’t automatically make you good-looking. People can look good at any weight. However, it would be naive to believe that thin people don’t have an advantage in this world. A woman measring her waist.via Canva/PhotosThe drastic fluctuation in the woman’s weight made her conscious of what other people who don’t have the privilege of being pretty or thin go through in life. It allowed her to have greater compassion for people, regardless of how they look.“My personality started to change a little," she wrote. "I began being thankful for any small interaction someone had with me, and responded to any small act of kindness with gratefulness. I noticed other not conventionally pretty people, and other overweight people, and made an effort to talk to them and treat them like they mattered. I became a better person. Not that I wasn’t a good person before, but I was now more aware and empathetic to those around me.”The woman soon went off the medication and, just like that, she lost weight, and people began to treat her as they had before.Realizing the inequity of pretty privilege“The first time I noticed it was when I was in a store looking for something, and a handsome male worker came up to me and asked if I needed help. He looked me in the eyes. I felt like I mattered again,” she continued. “Then I instantly felt sad and horrified, because of the cosmic unfairness of life, that how we look really does determine how people treat us, even though it shouldn’t.” A good-looking man holding his chin.via Canva/Photos After the woman lost her privilege, she better understood what other people go through. On one hand, she probably enjoys the privilege, but on the other, she feels that the world is much less fair than she once imagined. At least, in the end, it’s taught her to be more empathetic to everyone she meets.“And also, when someone looks at me and smiles, no matter who they are, I give them a huge smile back,” she finished her post.This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.
New Posts (Home)
ChatBox
Popular Posts 
Game Zone
Top PodCasts
