We are too beautiful to pay for things like normal people – we’re always handed stuff for free
HOW do you know if you’re hot? Strangers give you freebies.
Or so it seems, with social networking site TikTok full of women revealing the perks they receive from men simply because they are beautiful.
Videos labelled #PrettyPrivilege have amassed more than 144.3million views as they discuss the positives – and pitfalls – of being good-looking.
Psychologist Jo Hemmings explains: “There is the ‘Halo Effect’ where we subconsciously assume that people’s looks are a reflection of their personalities.
“Attractive people are seen as more warm, trustworthy and intelligent.”
From jumping queues to getting freebies, three women and one guy tell GEORGETTE CULLEY their stories . . .
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‘I’ve lost pals in past as I’m always centre of attention’
FASHION assistant Lily Pitfield, 25, from Canary Wharf, central London, who is single, has lost friends due to their jealousy over her looks. She says:
“I DISCOVERED pretty privilege when I was 18. I was at a club and a man sent over a drink.
I didn’t do anything to suggest I was interested in him so I was really shocked.
I waved and said thank you and was genuinely chuffed.
It was a huge confidence boost. Up until then I had no idea how you look could influence how you’re treated.
The kind treatment from strangers continued into my 20s. When I go out with my friends, guys always single me out and give me free drinks, and bouncers will wave me to the front of the queue and give me free entry to clubs.
It’s caused a stir with my friends as they don’t get the same treatment, but I can’t help it. I never go out assuming it will happen, it just does.
In 2016 I was in Greece when the owner of a super-yacht spotted me on the beach and invited me on a cruise.
The whole day I was showered with amazing food and drinks.
He wasn’t after anything in return, he just said he hoped me being there would attract the ‘cool crowd’.
My family and friends remind me that not everyone gets this treatment so I’m always grateful.
But being pretty also has its downsides. I’ve lost some friends in the past because they didn’t like me being the centre of attention, even though I really didn’t want to be.
Others refused to invite me to their birthday parties as they were worried I’d steal the limelight.
Girls can be super mean and bitchy. It’s frustrating because I’m kind, goofy and humble and was raised to be beautiful inside and out.
But strangers are always nice to me, and I seem to always get what7 I want.
‘Bouncers spot me and whisk me to front of line’
HAIRDRESSER Elena Loizides, 28, who is in a relationship and lives in Harrow, North London, gets “celeb treatment” because of her looks. She says:
“GROWING up, I didn’t really notice my looks because I wasn’t allowed to wear make-up and I didn’t go out much.
It wasn’t until my late teens that I started to notice male attention. I’d go out and guys would buy me drinks and bouncers would spot me and whisk me to the front of the queue.
I didn’t realise it wasn’t normal until my mum would say, ‘Oh, you got a free drink did you? I never get that’.
Now I’m quite used to it, but I’m always thankful. I always get into clubs for free and am really looked after inside. I am often taken to the VIP section because it looks good to have a pretty girl on the table.
But my friends can get the hump. When we go out, men are never looking at them, they’re only looking at me. It can put a wedge between us.
Some of them try hard to get male attention but I don’t have to do that, I’m just myself.
I’ve also lost male friends because their girlfriends are jealous and don’t like them hanging around with me.
It really hurts as I’ve done nothing to them. But it has made me be more considerate to my boyfriend’s pretty pals.
But being attractive has allowed me to experience things I would never have if it wasn’t for my looks.
A few years ago I was holidaying in Cyprus when an employee from the uber posh Four Seasons Hotel spotted me and invited me to spend the day at the hotel.
My friend and I got to use the guest-only cabana and pool, and were showered with drinks and food all day. We felt like celebrities.
Whenever I travel I’m usually offered flight upgrades and am often upgraded to a suite when I check into a hotel.
People just want to help me and make my life easier – I never ask for it.”
‘It all changed when I hit the gym and got tattoos’
BUILDER Albert Pritchard, 27, who is single and from Brentwood, Essex, only started getting special treatment after he began body-building and got tattoos. He says:
“I’LL get a free cup of tea or coffee and drinks, mainly when there’s a woman serving me and we have a bit of banter.
I’m 6ft 4in so I think it’s the height, muscles and tattoos.
Women say I look like a bad boy and I suppose they’ve got a point. I’m confident and will talk to anyone and have a laugh.
I think women like that and when you have a bit of chemistry and chat, being a bit cheeky and asking for a discount or a freebie is much easier.
I was in Marbella with a couple of my pals waiting to get in a club and a hostess came up to me and asked why I was queuing.
Hilariously, she thought I was the male stripper they’d booked for the night.
When I told her I wasn’t, she let me jump the queue because she needed some “eye candy” inside and gave me a glass of free champagne.
Another time I was on a flight and a flirty air hostess upgraded me to better seats so I’d get more leg room.
This treatment wasn’t always the case though.
I didn’t get attention or special treatment before I started getting tattoos and bodybuilding. It’s a nice feeling when it happens. It makes you feel good.
I’ve been on both sides so I know pretty privilege is a real thing – and it doesn’t just apply to women.
Sure, it’s easier for pretty girls to get freebies. I think it’s in men’s nature to single them out and want to impress them.
But I’ve noticed a massive difference in how I’m perceived since going to the gym and beefing up. It’s not why I started doing it but it’s a perk.
I’m not saying I’m James Bond and every woman drops at my feet but I definitely benefit from my looks.”
‘I mistook man for waiter but then he paid my bill’
BEAUTY and aesthetics practitioner Lauren Race, 26, who is single and from Brentwood, Essex, suffers from strangers presuming she is stuck-up at first. She says:
“I DON’T want to sound like I’m blowing my own trumpet but I’ve always been petite and pretty.
I didn’t think much of it growing up until I started going out and would get invited to exclusive clubs and bought drinks.
I thought, ‘Oh this is nice’. But I don’t talk or brag about it. My friends don’t get jealous, they’ll go along with it. If a guy offers me a drink I’ll say, ‘Only if you buy my friend one’.
A few years ago I went to Dubai and I met a guy who owned luxury beach clubs out there.
He let me and my friends on his exclusive tables the whole time we were on holiday, saving us loads of money.
Another time, I went to a posh restaurant and this man walked past in a black shirt and I genuinely thought he was a waiter. I stopped him and began to order my food.
He burst out laughing and said he wasn’t a waiter but he ordered what I asked for and paid for our whole bill – which must have been hundreds.
It was so sweet, I was really touched. But it’s easy to judge a book by its cover.
People judge me before they know me based on my appearance.
A lot of people will say, ‘I thought you’d be up your arse but you’re really down to earth’.
Other drawbacks are unwanted attention.
Sometimes guys expect you to talk to them if you accept a free drink and if you turn away they’ll say something nasty like, ‘You’re not that special, love’.
It’s not nice but I don’t take it to heart and just laugh and say, ‘Well clearly I am special, else you wouldn’t be chatting me up!’.”
Better looks, better pay
BEING conventionally good-looking can have a lot of advantages, writes psychologist Jo.
It can make you more employable, with higher wages.
An employee can get paid ten per cent more if they attach an attractive picture alongside their CV, studies show.
Research also shows good-looking people enjoy better life outcomes and have higher psychological well-being and lower levels of depression.
It all sounds great for those blessed with natural beauty, so what are the downsides?
Those with pretty privilege report they don’t get taken seriously, have their ability overestimated and can’t sustain what is expected of them.
It can also create situations where girls don’t trust pretty girls or don’t want to be overshadowed by their looks.
This can lead to loneliness and self-esteem issues.