When I lived with my father between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, we lived next door to a Hispanic couple who had at least two daughters. I’m pretty sure that they were all under ten.
My father said something like “they have the most beautiful daughters. You can just tell that they’re going to grow up to be knockouts.”
The statement really unsettled me. Why was he thinking about how sexually attractive our neighbors’ daughters would be when they grew up? My father was about sixty at the time he said this.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting at all that my father was in any way a pedophile. But I just have to ask, does this statement strike any of you as being indicative of some sort of sexually twisted or immature mindset?
Not really. It’s natural to look at children and project how they will be/look when older, and if the child shows promise in some area or another (attractiveness, brains, vibrant personality, etc.) to comment upon it.
I don’t find it odd at all. I’ve heard plenty of people make comments like, “She’s going to be a heartbreaker when she grows up” or something along those lines about a kid. Seems natural to me.
I don’t see anything odd about it, nor do I really think it is thinking about how sexually attractive the girls were (or would be).
There are many of my daughters’ friends who when they were young I either thought or commented on just how beautiful they were going to be as adults.(And I am a straight woman, so sexual attractiveness of girls or women isn’t something I would even consider.) It is really more of projection of how they will grow into their looks than speculating on sexual desirability (even using the work “knockout”).
Well, for what it’s worth I don’t see anything wrong in the observation per se. I say that as father of a four year old knockout-to-be, which gives me enough anxiety for the future, thankyouverymuch.
(Now if somebody said that about my girl with the slightest hint of a leer in his voice, he’s going to have one bad daddy gunning for him . . .)
Exactly what I was going to post. It’s about the same as the more common, “My, haven’t you’ve grown into a handsome young man,” done while grandma is pinching your cheeks.
I’m really struggling to come up with a modern equivalent. Any takers?
It’s not unheard of, though. My college roommate (female, straight) said something similar after we’d watched a video of Man in the Moon. She said something to the effect of “that girl is going to be gorgeous when she grows up – a real heartbreaker.” Of course a little bit later we find out “that girl” had already done exactly that (Reese Witherspoon).
All it is, is an observation that pretty children often grow up to be pretty adults. “Oh, my, they’ll be beautiful women.” Nothing remotely wrong with that.
Innocent enough, but what I find offputting is when someone is presented with the idea of beautiful daughters and they have to say something stupid like"Daddy, get your shotguns ready" or some such comment that indicates the girls might have a future being brainless victims of some horny boys.
I think it only seems odd in the current overprotective climate. Not twenty years ago it wouldn’t have batted anybody’s eyelid to say something like that.
And in my opinion it should still be that way, but inevitably it will probably shift.
My two young girls are in the Brownies program (pre-Girl Scout, for the unfamiliar). There are about a dozen girls in each of the programs. My wife and I will occasionally (later, out of earshot of our kids) comment to each other about so-and-so in the group is going to grow up to be a beauty, or so-and-so somehow didn’t get her parents’ good looks. Because let’s face it- in any group, there will be those who stand out from the others at one end of the spectrum or another. I don’t think it’s creepy to recognize it.
Exactly this. Although it’s not totally from a bygone era. I mentioned to my partner the other day that the older of two boys down the street, at the current rate, was going to be quite the stunner in a few years, and she agreed that he’s going to be quite popular with the girls. It seems like only last year he was the scruffy slob that was curb stomping snails by the park with his little brother. He’s since had a major growth spurt, shot up well over a foot and is well on his way to looking like a much better looking Gary Dourdan. They are both really nice, good, courteous boys too. If they stay on track and become nice, courteous, decent men, there will be hope for future generations.
What may be making the OP slightly uncomfortable, is the word “knockout” which may come across on the cusp of crass and/or too adult in context to describe a kid. It would be comparable for me to say “That kid down the street is turning into quite the hottie!” which suggests I’m recognizing “traits of hotness” and suspicious minds don’t like those implications. “Knockout” or “hottie” I would use to describe people within my own peer group, I can’t say I would describe someone significantly younger or older than me the same way.
For anyone of an inappropriate age range, the language has to be more diplomatically neutral to convey your intentions correctly. “Your daughter is maturing into a stunning young woman!” = Compliment acknowledging she is growing up and comes from a good-looking gene pool. “Your daughter is turning into a hottie!” = Creepy, almost implies you want to date her.
