I’m a woman & I’m trying to figure out the significance of the compliment pretty and what a man really means when he says it. I notice guys without fail always call me pretty, cute or gorgeous but some of my friends get sexy and hot a lot. We also debate about why we receive different compliments.
When a guy calls a girl pretty or cute what does that actually mean for him? Cause can’t pretty girls be sexy too? I’m curious.
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I’m a woman & I’m trying to figure out the significance of the compliment pretty and what a man really means when he says it. I notice guys without fail always call me pretty, cute or gorgeous but some of my friends get sexy and hot a lot. When a guy calls a girl pretty or cute what does that actually mean for him? Cause can’t pretty girls be sexy too? I’m curious.
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You’re way overthinking this sis.
Sexy is usually the way you dress, pretty is the way you look.
I would only call my woman sexy, I would call your woman pretty.
My pov as a man- I’d call a girl pretty cause she has a pretty face, her fit is nice, it usually suits a nicer girl with a simpler vibe. Some girls are more revealing or straight forward with their sexual appeal- the other words are more likely to be used. The level of attraction for the “pretty” and “sexy” girl could essentially be the same though as far as looks go.
You really can be both though.
Pretty is face, sexy is body.
Pretty has connotations of innocence, sexy has connotations of…. not innocence. The opposite.
If you’re pretty and want to be called sexy, adjust your look to cater to the male gaze. Act coy, more makeup, more skin, hip pops, sultry, slow walking.
Or don’t. You do you.
I went from cute to sexy. Man was I tired of working out and caring for my appearance. I can deal with cute.
A lot of guys use these terms interchangeably, they’re not wracking their brains for a specific adjective that hits certain requirements.
I prefer pretty sexy.
Pretty = “most everyone thinks she’s attractive”
Sexy = “she’s not super attractive, but god damn I want to have sex with her”
My daughter is pretty, and her mother is damn sexy. 🙂
It’s the difference between Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.
Pretty: “She’s attractive, but I’m not instantly attracted to her”.
Sexy: “She makes me immediately horny”.
people saying this is “overthinking” but it’s quite clear the comments suggest there are different intents with the different words, I just wanted to see it spelt out tbh
Pretty is just her physical looks.
Sexy can be that plus more. Body language, what you’re saying, how you’re saying it. It can be one thing, a mix of things.
Sexy is basically arousal, so what that means to someone means something else to someone else. It basically just means to them you are sexually attractive.
Okay… My version is very simple.
Pretty is a physical appearance….
Sexy is a mannerism or way of acting or being.
Cute can be both.
Hot is definitely looks.
If you’re being called pretty, cute and gorgeous – you’re good. It’s in the eye of the beholder. To me, Anna Kendrick is cute, Margot Robbie is pretty and Salma Hayek is hot.
Easy.
Pretty/cute/gorgeous means I would 10/10 want to be your goodest boy until I die. I will take the trash out and make you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This is usually a naturally beautiful woman who isn’t wearing or doing anything to highlight/modify her appearance. Picture a cutie in jeans, glasses and a tshirt at a local library.
Sexy means you are triggering the dumb part of my brain that wants to fuck, lick, fondle when I see a hot woman. It’s like a wild dog that I must mentally wrestle with to gain control. It’s automatic. I could be dealing with some of the worst news in my life, but if a woman walks by and has an absolutely disrespectful level of ass I will instantly lose my mind for a half second or more. Even more if she’s wearing booty shorts, yoga pants, etc. You are not who I’d want to be a good boy for. You are just what I’d want to sit on my face until I snap out of it and realize you’re a random person who probably wouldn’t like being thought of like that. Or maybe you do. Idk. Great ass.
Edit to clarify a little more…
For example, my ex gf very much fit into the first category. Very unassuming looking. Pixie cut hair, nerdy glasses and usually almost androgynous look clothing wise. Absolutely cute. Mind numbingly so. Now, when we got home and got intimate that’s when you are made to fully understand how hot she really is under those free flowing clothes. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy appearing modest and tame while being absolutely demonic behind closed doors.
Yes, we still keep in touch.
Not letting that mf go as long as she’ll hold me.
Pretty is strictly aesthetic, and not sexual.
Sexy is sexual.
Pretty has no sexual content.
Sexy has lots of sexual content.
Yes, you can be both, but when one is preferred over the other, that meaning gives the context.
Pretty girls are nice. Sexy girls are mysterious.
Pretty usually is used by a guy when he wouldn’t mind having sex with a woman but that’s not his main focus in regards to her. Some guys find sexy and pretty interchangeable too but think pretty has a more classy sound to it or are just the type to not call women sexy to compliment their looks
I can call my niece pretty, I sure as fuck aren’t calling her sexy.
Pretty- respectfully I would like to engage in coitus
Sexy- disrespectfully I would like to engage in coitus
Sexy- gives u urges
Pretty looks nice
Pretty is usually classy
Sexy can be classy, not always.
Thinkin a little more cleavage, shorter dress. Sex appeal
The best compliment a guy can give in the pre-dating stage is to say she’s cute. Most men think through association aka men’s mind works like boxes of information. Meaning that when using a cute, sexy, or pretty is often associated with other characteristics than just aesthetics.
Terms like “pretty”, “cute”, or “beautiful” are related to various forms of aesthetic appreciation, while terms like “hot” or “sexy” are related to sexual attraction. (It’s in the same principle as how people generally wouldn’t call a mountain “hot” or a sex position “pretty”.)
These sorts of terms are rarely mutually exclusive. When someone is both beautiful and sexy, people generally use the term that they either value more, notice more easily, or think the woman would prefer to hear.
I find them interchangable, but usually “pretty” falls more into the “I feel she is obtainable” category. “Sexy” could apply to that one too, but sexy can also be a label for some celebrity or instagram influencer who would have nothing to do with me.
Not the best stated explanation, but the idea is that both are tremendously good compliments.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sexy is the other way round – for someone to look sexy, they need to FEEL sexy.
I find pretty like good looking for like picture whereas sexy is like there is some arousal of some senses.
If we call you sexy then we are looking at your body. If we call you pretty then we are looking at your face. If we call you beautiful then we are looking past all the shallow bullshit and seeing you for who you are so you are pretty and sexy as well.
probably a subjective component to it for each guy. For me, when I say “pretty,” I mean looks, primarily in the facial features, and I could make that statement about a portrait of a woman. “Sexy,” for me has a physical component, either in dress, body/figure, or perhaps in the way she walks, etc. Someone can be sexy and not pretty, and vice versa. “Hot,” has a component of attitude as well as body/figure. Facial features are less important in this one as well, and doesn’t require being “pretty.” Something about the way she looks and carries herself that says she knows men want her, and she knows she’s good in bed. For me, I also separate the word “attractive” from all these. This one has a personality component that makes her look/appear better than she objectively does in a picture. This can work the other way as well, since she can be objectively pretty and/or sexy/hot, but be completely unattractive by being degrading, self-important (we used to call that “stuck-up,” but whatever the current term is), or doing something objectionable (stealing, smoking, drug use, etc).
You can be any of these(pretty, sexy, hot, attractive) without being the others, but it is absolutely possible to be all of them- I’m engaged to one of those (and no, she doesn’t know/read my reddit account).
Sexy = makes me hard.
Pretty = attractive face.
Cute = pretty with adorable mannerisms
For me pretty I could look at you all day. Sexy I’d like my hands on your hips, doesn’t have to be sex specifically.
pretty is about looks
cute is about personality
sexy is about energy
hot is about sex appeal
it seems like pretty and hot are objective, and sexy and cute are subjective. as in, cute is a pretty person you’re attracted to. sexy is a hot person who you’re attracted to. the spark is the difference. from what i gather. am i wrong