Woman Says Her 'Pretty Privilege' Is Actually 'The Pretty Girl Curse' — And She Makes A Good Point
Influence Shye Lee says being attractive makes women's lives harder.
@shye.lee/TikTok Things tend to be easier for people who are conventionally attractive—most of us would never argue that, especially since even scientific data proves it.
But according to one TikToker, so-called "pretty privilege" has a dark underbelly—so much so that she's renamed it the "Pretty Girl Curse."
Shye Lee says being pretty is a 'curse.'
Influencer Shye Lee, a 29-year-old from Orlando Florida known on TikTok as @shye.lee, says being attractive has had many negative impacts on her life, from jealous friends to not being taken seriously in business.
And the responses to her videos show she's not the only one feeling like their good looks are making their lives harder, not easier.
Of course, they've also sparked a heated debate among those who say that complaining about pretty privilege is the ultimate in pretty privilege.
Shye Lee claims pretty privilege is 'one of the dumbest things to ever exist.'
She admits that the privileges exist, but that they're limited to things like free drinks, access to VIP sections at clubs, and "attract[ing] like a rich guy, like an athlete or rapper."
She claims that pretty women "have a higher chance of getting kidnapped [or] dying" and when it comes to business settings?
"Forget about it," she says, saying that her attempts to drum up business as a marketer have frequently resulted in her being sexually harassed.
And it's not just in business settings that Lee says her looks result in harassment and abuse.
In another video, she describes, "guys staring and catcalling when you are literally just trying to go grocery shopping, and then they call you a b-tch because you don’t want to talk to them."
Many on TikTok shared Lee's view that pretty privilege isn't all it's cracked up to be, but not everyone agreed.
Several commenters reported similar experiences to Lee's. One wrote that the harassment she's endured for being pretty has made her "low-key fear the world."
Others expressed how hard it is to make friends with other women. One user wrote she feels, "so lonely and scary. I’d just like one good friend before I leave this earth."
Some mentioned even their own family being jealous of them, while one woman revealed, "I’m a doctor and ppl think I don’t know anything about anything."
Another woman summed up pretty privilege as, "the pretty girl tax."
Of course, many others pushed back on Lee's claims.
One woman described how "ever since I gained weight ppl aren't as nice to me," while another wrote about getting a job I wanted because I was a pretty face to represent the business."
And one-pointedly used Lee's huge social media presence itself as evidence of pretty privilege.
She wrote, "Pretty people also get some opportunities a bit easier than people not deemed as pretty. An example would be an influencer/social media presence."
Pretty privilege is absolutely real, and data has proven it.
Research shows that attractive people get better grades, have an easier time finding jobs, make higher salaries and are even judged not-guilty more often in courtrooms.
But data also confirms Lee's experience—being hot really does come with downsides.
Good-looking people are more likely to be bullied in school by same-sex peers, for instance, and targeted in the workplace by same-sex colleagues.
Pretty people have also been found to be at a disadvantage in job interviews if their interviewer is of the same sex.
Attractive people are also frequently assumed to be aloof, self-centered and incompetent on first impression, and are sometimes dismissed by doctors who assume their good looks mean perfect health.
Still, the benefits seem to outweigh the pitfalls, and while some good-looking people may wish they were more average, most of us would probably choose to be hotter if given the chance, right?
The grass is always greener on the other side, as the saying goes.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.