subject: Do Strangers Smile or Laugh at Unattractive People? The Answer May Surprise You [print this page] Do Strangers Smile or Laugh at Unattractive People? The Answer May Surprise You
You're alone, walking down a street, and you see someone looking your way, their lips curving into a smile. Suddenly, a rush of thoughts swarm in your mind. Your mind tries to figure out why the person's smiling at you.
"Do I know her?"
"Is he smiling at someone next to or behind me?"
"Is she just a happy sunshine type?"
"Is he spotting passersby to hand flyers to?"
"Is my fly undone?"
"Does (s)he think I'm cute?"
and of course...
"Does (s)he think I'm ugly?"
OK, I keep hearing people jumping to conclusions when strangers smile at them. They worry that they're smiling at them because they think they're ugly. Let me make it clear that this is merely your own horror fantasy. Now, I can only speak for most adults, but I've never heard of any normal, functioning adult actually smiling or laughing at someone because they were ugly. EVER.
Now, if someone's dressed really strangely, yes. Because that's something the person can help, and the attitude's sort of like, "WTF possessed that guy to wear a scuba diving mask in public?". But nobody I've known over 20 has EVER looked at an unattractive person and smirked or laughed out of cruelty.
People see ugliness as the same level as a disability. It's not something people could help, and it's certainly NOT socially acceptable for adults to laugh at others for unfortunate looks (not to their faces). So remove that fear out your minds. If anything, you're probably being flirted with! But in any event, you can also consider the cheery or fly/flyer possibilities as well.
I know that anxiety can often overrule facts and rational thought, but the truth can't be said too many times.
P.S. And you're probably not even actually ugly. You're statistically most likely to be average-looking, who can look even better with optimal grooming and style. We're all our own harshest critics.
