Photo Credit: stevoarnold on Flickr
There is a place where all the pretty girls live known as pretty girl land. In pretty girl land people are nicer and want to help you out. It isn’t unusual to get better treatment at restaurants, have someone stop on the side of the road to help you change your flat tire, get freebies, and special treatment in general. Another interesting feature of Pretty Girl Land is that everyone in her presence gets special treatment. When people are around a pretty girl, they try and put their best foot forward. Since they are putting on their best face they are nicer to everyone, not just the pretty girl. The people in Pretty Girl Land don’t know they live there because things have always been this way. Their experience has always involved larger than average numbers of nice, helpful people and only rarely is it noticeable that others are treated differently when they’re not around. This difference in experience visible to everyone but the pretty girls distances them from life outside their influence.
Glimpses at Pretty Girl Land
As a pretty girl I must admit I don’t really know what is part of pretty girl land and what isn’t. I have however had a few glimpses from the outside…
Photo credit: the Italian voice on Flickr
In High School a female friend and I took a shortcut across the football field on our way off campus while walking home. One day a male friend of ours joined us and as we approached the football field he started to take a detour. Turns out that men aren’t allowed to take the shortcut across the field. The football team taunts them and forces them to go around. Wait, what! We’d been taking this route forever and had no clue. None.
A male friend and I went to a junk electronics shop. I was checking out the IR sensors for a robot I was thinking about building. The cute clerk offered me a free sample. Awesome! After we we left the store my friend complained that he had never gotten any free samples. Wait, what? This didn’t seem out of the ordinary. Electronic stores generally give out low dollar value samples… don’t they?
So, there are two examples of people a bit friendlier and more helpful than normal. When have you experienced pretty girl land?
The idea of Pretty Girl Land originates from my college roommate Tim… Thanks Tim!
My name is Kelly Seiler. I'm an electrical engineer working in the defense industry. I realized that there was an undercurrent of sexism present at work... no one person or attitude seemed to be the culprit. I've decided to learn more about feminism to help me better combat sexism without damaging my reputation. I consider myself an undercover feminist. I'm a feminist, but I avoid pointing things out directly.
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One Comment
I’ve lived in the land of “Please Stop Gawking at Me” ’cause you’re scaring me ever since I was born. It’s a very creepy situation. Both men and women gawk, creep and lust and I hate it. I’m not so much pretty, I’m exotic. Some woman called me striking before. That was different. I don’t look like anyone else.
When I was pregnant, it seemed like every closet creep was mesmerized with me. I was frightened and fat and miserable, but none of that seemed to matter.
I’m really uncomfortable going out into the public arena by myself, so I stay at home. I rarely wear much makeup because that seems to only make the situation worse. I just don’t want to be bothered in this manner. I’m a business women, however I never go to meetings unless I have one or 2 of my male team mates with me.
I’m very blunt with men and tell them that we are never gonna hook up and/or get married.
I was funny-looing as a child but grew into my face I guess. All I know is that I am very defensive about the whole thing. There is more to a beautiful woman than how she looks. It’s a packaged deal.