I have pretty privilege and I hate it
There’s an ugly side to pretty privilege.
While many beautiful women boast about the free drinks and rapid promotions which good looks have brought their way, Shye Lee says being hot has left her cold.
“It’s honestly more of a curse than a privilege,” Lee, a 29-year-old based in Orlando, Florida, told The Post.
“People overall treat you much differently and they don’t judge you for your actions, they judge you just from your appearance,” Lee explained.
Pretty privilege is a hot topic, with the hashtag #prettyprivilege attracting more than 300 million views on TikTok. Some women are debating whether or not the phenomenon is real and whether they’ve benefited from it. Others, like Lee, say there’s no question it exists and they’re pretty enough to experience it — but they argue it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
“Pretty girl privilege only works in certain aspects of life,” Lee said. Sure, being really good looking is handy when it comes to free drinks, VIP tables and rich guys, but the benefits, she notes, are limited.
“I’m concerned for everyone who thinks those are such glamorous privileges,” Lee says in a TikTok. “Pretty girls are never taken seriously.”
The Puerto Rican beauty said that she makes sure to buy her own drinks and works hard to pay for her own vacations so that she doesn’t feel beholden to a man.
Meanwhile, when it comes to making friends, being attractive makes things hard.
“I’ve gotten the same comment over and over again. ‘Oh, my God, I thought you were a bitch but when I got to know you, you’re actually very kind,’” she said.
Lee recently had a falling out with her best friend because, she believes, the other woman was struggling with “insecurity and jealousy.”
The former friend would put her down, make judgmental comments about her sexy outfits, try to turn people against her, ask her not to talk around guys she liked and even try to date her exes.
“I started noticing that she just didn’t like me, because so many other people liked me,” Lee said.
On a more serious note, Lee said she’s been discriminated against and sexually harassed and assaulted in the workplace.
She currently runs her own social media and business strategist company, 7 Figure Creators. As such, she doesn’t have to deal with potentially sketchy bosses, but there are creepy clients.
“I once messaged a doctor trying to get him on a call as a client and he goes, ‘Oh, yeah, so what is it that you do?’ and then goes, ‘You should totally come to the office so I can examine you, winky face,’” she said.
Lee asserts that she’s had to drastically alter her life because she’s so pretty. She closely considers every outfit and social media post to try and not attract creeps, she’s changed gyms because other members made her feel uncomfortable and she even prolonged a trip to Dubai with a friend because she worried that locals would mistake her for an escort.
“What is the real privilege?” Lee sighed. Being pretty is “more of a negative than a positive.”
I haven’t washed my hair in 17 days — it doesn’t smell
I was bullied over my looks — now I’m an international bikini model
Teacher suffers ‘Janet Jackson wardrobe’ malfunction during class
About The Author
