People Share 'Conventionally Unattractive' Things That They Actually Love— 'This Made Me Feel Happier With How I Look'
Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.
74images, dvulikaia, nicomenijes / Canva The online world isn’t known for being the kindest place, but every once and a while, people show off their more endearing sides.
On the subreddit r/AskReddit, a person did just that, posing a question that garnered honest and surprising answers. They wondered what traits other people consider hot, even though they’re not normally seen as attractive.
People shared the ‘conventionally unattractive’ things they actually love — and the answers were really sweet.
The top comment celebrated comfort over style, written by someone who shared that they think it’s hot “when my girlfriend dresses like a basement dweller on a Saturday.” Someone else immediately agreed, saying, “It's one thing when you see someone all put together and feeling at their best. It's another when you're so comfortable together that the ratty PJs come out."
One man shared that he likes women who are taller than him. Another man mentioned that likes when older women have gray hair, both traits that society discourages women from fully accepting.
A different man noted that he loves when women have “a little pot belly.” Someone else echoed that sentiment, proclaiming, “A tummy is hot. Don't let advertisers fool you.” The women who responded to those comments expressed how good they felt, knowing that an insecurity of theirs was actually something to celebrate.
Photo Jennifer Enujiugha / Pexels
“From a little pot belly lady. You’re doing the Lord’s work here,” said one woman. Someone else shared their gratitude, commenting, “As a woman that has never been able to really shed that last little belly, I appreciate this. Live well, my friend.”
We all have parts of ourselves that we have a hard time embracing, whether they’re physical traits or parts of our personality. So much of internal societal conditioning is centered around what’s wrong with us, rather than celebrating the unique beauty we have.
One woman recalled the memory of a man she found “super hot,” explaining, “A few years ago I visited the Louvre and in the Egyptian wing there was some skinny, bald and not-really-hot dude crouched on the floor, translating hieroglyphics through the display window onto a notebook.”
Her comment captures an important aspect of desire — it’s not based on purely physical attributes.
The man she saw was focused and passionate while doing his own thing, a true mark of confidence and inner peace, which in themselves are beautiful. More often than not, it’s the way we enter and experience the world that others find attractive.
One man recalled a memory of a girl from high school, noting that she had burns across her shoulders, yet that didn’t stop her from wearing shirts that were cut low in the back, and sweaters that slipped off her shoulder. He remembered that “the straight-up confidence and aura she exuded was the sexiest thing ever.”
Another person responded by saying, “As someone with burn scarring, it’s very nice to hear it’s not an immediate turnoff for everyone.” Someone else echoed that sentiment, thanking the man for having “kindness towards differences.” They spoke to him directly, saying, “The way you look at the scars just being part of the story is so wholesome and makes me feel so much better. I lost 97% of my skin and it has been hard adjusting to [a] new life.”
Photo: Pavel Danilyuk /Pexels
One person noted that the post boosted their self-confidence, helping them feel “happier overall with how I look, who I am, my flaws and my shortcomings.”
“I feel better in my skin,” they noted.
The radical acceptance people shared throughout the post shows that desire and attraction are hugely nuanced, and that true beauty exists outside of society’s rigid definitions of it.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers relationships, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.