# Does this statement about young girls strike you as odd? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 15, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053 "2010-01-15T07:18:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/21 "2010-01-15T13:46:00Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > “Wow, she’s like an Olsen _triplet_!” Talk about damning with faint praise… ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/22 "2010-01-15T13:58:26Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > 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. No, it’s not creepy. But, as we have learned from Dateline NBC and other such shows, all grown men are really secret pedophiles predators who are really out to molest little children. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/23 "2010-01-15T14:05:05Z")
It’s completely normal to me. I see kids all of the time that will be attractive when then get older but aren’t currently. What bothers me is that over Christmas I saw a girl walking around with her mom and i though that she’d be cute when she grows up when I passed her later on she was wearing a sweat shirt from the local college. So I’ve gotten old enough that 17-20 is now in the range on she’ll be cute when she becomes an adult and that bothers me. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/24 "2010-01-15T14:07:17Z")
I don’t think it indicates a sexual predator, but I admit such comments grate on my nerves. Focusing on their looks does a lot of harm to pretty and not-so-pretty teen girls and young women as it is. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/25 "2010-01-15T14:12:47Z")
Not creepy at all. I’ve heard comments like that tons of times and never thought anything about it. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/26 "2010-01-15T14:15:14Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > Why was he thinking about how sexually attractive our neighbors’ daughters would be when they grew up? He wasn’t thinking about sexual attractiveness. He was just commenting on that she would probably grow up to be pretty as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/27 "2010-01-15T14:17:20Z")
Nope, my parents say that about people’s kids all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/28 "2010-01-15T14:40:42Z")
Nothing odd about it at all. Now if he had said, “I’d tap that!” … ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/29 "2010-01-15T14:42:19Z")
To answer the OP, your father’s comment is not weird, twisted or immature, in the context that you described it. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/30 "2010-01-15T14:46:03Z")
Not odd. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/31 "2010-01-15T14:50:57Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > To answer the OP, your father’s comment is not weird, twisted or immature, in the context that you described it. I think it used to be a great deal more common than it was. I was going to chime in about how I hear this sort of thing all the time, but then I caught myself, realizing that I don’t hear it nearly as much as I did, say, 15 years ago, and I can’t recall ever hearing those sorts of comments from men. To answer the OP, I wouldn’t say it’s indicative of anything in particular, since it used to be so common, but it seems to be a declining form of courtesy. This is probably owing to society’s increasing fear of pedophiles. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/32 "2010-01-15T15:32:09Z")
FWIW, I think nothing of making comments like that myself, and I’m a 23 year old female. (So my vote is no, not odd.) ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/33 "2010-01-15T15:37:20Z")
I’m more concerned that the OP thought it was necesary to point out that the girls were Hispanic. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/34 "2010-01-15T15:39:21Z")
It doesn’t strike me as odd. It’s a comment on the potential beauty of a young girl, with the implicit undertone that the girl is not **currently** a knockout. Otherwise, the qualifier _when they grow up_ wouldn’t be necessary. I’ve thought the same thing. When I first saw Alyssa Milano on _Who’s the Boss?_, it was clear to me that she was going to be hot when she grew up, though she was not hot at that time. Also, such a remark is generally based on an assessment of a girl’s facial bone structure and skin tone rather than her figure, which is very difficult to predict before puberty hits. (Except that one can make guesses based on her older female relative’s figures.) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/35 "2010-01-15T15:40:59Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Would you find it odd if it were about a boy? Just curious. An ex-girlfriend of mine has a grandson who is clearly going to be as handsome as Denzel Washington when he grows up. You could see hints of it when he was four years old, and now that he’s fifteen it’s even more obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Neverender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@Neverender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neverender)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/36 "2010-01-15T15:57:49Z")
Did he used to sing [this song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jItz-uNjoZA) in the shower too? 😛 I don’t think it’s odd, maybe the word choice of ‘knockout’ might be a teensy bit inappropriate/crash but that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/37 "2010-01-15T15:58:55Z")
> [@chela](#): > > 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. Exactly. For instance, my cousin has a daughter who is already gorgeous as a preteen and will likely become a devestatingly beautiful adult. It’s just a fact, and a glaringly obvious one. I see nothing wrong or weird in discussing this, even though unfortunately, I have personal experience with pedophiles. However, my cousin and I were talking about her daughter, and she offhandedly mentioned that her ex-husband had recently made a joke along the lines of, “Yeah, when she’s a teenager, I’m going to have to break her nose.” I was appalled, and she didn’t get why. “No, he wasn’t _serious_! He would never really hurt her!” I had to explain that what bothered me was the idea that, as a beautiful girl, she’d be helpless to fend off the unwanted advances of those dirty boys, and therefore, it would be easier if she were ugly. It’s essentially the logic behind burqas. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/38 "2010-01-15T16:05:38Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Exactly. For instance, my cousin has a daughter who is already gorgeous as a preteen and will likely become a devestatingly beautiful adult. It’s just a fact, and a glaringly obvious one. I see nothing wrong or weird in discussing this, even though unfortunately, I have personal experience with pedophiles. > > However, my cousin and I were talking about her daughter, and she offhandedly mentioned that her ex-husband had recently made a joke along the lines of, “Yeah, when she’s a teenager, I’m going to have to break her nose.” I was appalled, and she didn’t get why. “No, he wasn’t _serious_! He would never really hurt her!” I had to explain that what bothered me was the idea that, as a beautiful girl, she’d be helpless to fend off the unwanted advances of those dirty boys, and therefore, it would be easier if she were ugly. It’s essentially the logic behind burqas. Well, maybe. I would never even consider doing physical harm to the young girls in my life, but I do worry about their safety in many cases. My baby sister (early 30s) is downright hot; so is my stepdaughter (early twenties) and two of my nieces (both teens). I’ve never worried overmuch about my sister’s ability to fend off unwanted advances, or the younger niece’s, as they are both quite fierce; if a guy got handsy with either of them and refused to back off when told to, I’d fully either of them to deliver a swift kick in the groin followed by a merciless beating. But **Cinderella the Rhymer** and my older niece sometimes leave me concerned because they have distressing tendencies towards passivity that leave them more vulnerable. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/39 "2010-01-15T16:12:44Z")
> [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](#): > > I don’t think it indicates a sexual predator, but I admit such comments grate on my nerves. Focusing on their looks does a lot of harm to pretty and not-so-pretty teen girls and young women as it is. Well, seeing as he probably didn’t have the chance to ask her what she thought of astrophysics, he could only comment based on her demeanor, attitude, and how she looked. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053/40 "2010-01-15T16:15:38Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I’ve never worried overmuch about my sister’s ability to fend off unwanted advances, or the younger niece’s, as they are both quite fierce; if a guy got handsy with either of them and refused to back off when told to, I’d fully either of them to deliver a swift kick in the groin followed by a merciless beating. But **Cinderella the Rhymer** and my older niece sometimes leave me concerned because they have distressing tendencies towards passivity that leave them more vulnerable. Sure, I get that: if someone seems less capable of taking care of themselves, you worry more about their safety, and want to protect them. What bugs me is the assumption (which you are \*not \*making, I’m happy to note) that \*all \*girls, but especially the pretty ones, need and want protection. But enough with the hijack. The point remains that while expressing desire for or attraction toward a kid (or that kid as a future adult) _is_ creepy, just observing that they’re good-looking is not, IMHO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-statement-about-young-girls-strike-you-as-odd/525053.md?page=3)