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LATE BLOOMER

school marm

It's What's On The Outside That Counts

The ugly truth is that looks matter.

Just last week we were extolling the virtues of being a late arrival to the pretty game. "Being a late bloomer," our clever blogger Jed wrote, "usually means you're either super smart, really good at something, or used to be, well, less attractive. In any of these cases, it's a positive." Indeed, wouldn't most of us — if forced to choose between the two — rather grow into our looks, rather than grow out of them? We think so. But that got us to thinking about something else: What happens if you start off not so pretty and never grow out of it?

Cheerleaders and nerd

5 Benefits To Being A Late Bloomer

Coming into your own at a later age might make sex and dating easier.

The overnight British singing sensation Susan Boyle has given a whole new spin on the term late bloomer. After admitting to never having been kissed, as a 47-year-old woman, the folks over at Smitten asked their readers how many of them were late-bloomers. A late bloomer does not have to mean you are a 40-year old virgin or have never been kissed at age 47. It might mean that you had your first kiss a few years later than your friends seemed to, that your first relationship wasn't until after college, or that you just didn't really grow into your looks until a later age.

Update: The 36-Year-Old Virgin

Update: The 36-Year-Old Virgin

Our friend prepares for a life of sexuality. First step? A makeover.

Today Love Buzz checks in on the thirty-six-year-old virgin who's been blogging on BlogHer. When we last reported, Always Beginning the World (perfect name, by the way) had learned that she is able to have sex, despite having been told by a doctor that she never would. She had met a man she liked, and had decided that she would stop cutting herself off from the world and try to become a sexual, sensual being. The next series of posts describe what Always Beginning The World is doing to prepare herself for a sexually active life. She's trying to open herself to new experiences, albeit ones that are pretty normal for the rest of us.