That was me. Looking back, I think I was probably a 5 or 6 back in my late teens and 20s. At the time, however, I would have rated myself a 3 at best.
More like, “boy, are you stunned!”
Was: 10
Am: 2/3
In high school I was a walking Barbie doll. Now I am old and fat and just don’t give a crap anymore. LOL! Cronehood suits me mentally, but physically? Ah, well, I am far more comfortable this way. I guess I’m a three if you are into long hair, otherwise about a two.
I have to say, of the 3 fellows here whose pictures/videos I have seen, they are judging themselves at least 2 points lower than I would. Probably more.
I’m not saying which fellows! Just assume that if you’ve ever linked to or posted a pic of yourself, you are probably one of them.
Well, when I was 20, I had a guy tell me he could lick his eyebrows and I thought that was a pretty weird thing to say. Yeah, I was naive, and when I later figured out what he meant, I’m still not sure if it was flirty or just skeevy.
Then there was my first flight instructor who introduced himself with “Hi, I’m Dick and I’m a dirty old man!” I figured out pretty quick that he was hitting on me, but he was married and just a year younger than my mother. < shudder >
Meh. I hate these 10 point scales. Are they bell shaped around the 5? Even numbers in each decile? Are most of us thinking we should be 8ish? Everyone above average? Clearly I overthink it!
I was a pudgy mess as a young kid. As a late high schooler to college aged boy to man I didn’t think I was so great looking but looking back at pictures now, I envy that punk’s cute looks and full head of curls. Still in the middle third, and the being vertically challenged was a big deal back then.
Now? Not as good looking as that kid was, but if suddenly single he would not be the competition. I inherited my mom’s persistently youthful features, and I care about a healthy lifestyle. Most men my age don’t have that gift of my mom’s genes, and have, um, not aged well. I’m even shorter now than I was then, probably getting closer to 5’4” than 5’5” and long gone is the 5’6” of days long past. But that matters less at my age than it did in High School and college. So my relative position to peers is much better than young me’s.
Of course my wife’s main comment about looks is that she fell in love with the curls and it was false advertising… 
At her request I am experimenting with letting the beard get bushier and longer rather keeping it tightly trimmed. I like it but given that it is mostly white it definitely ages me up.
I was an average height, average looks kid. As I approach 55, I’m in better shape than I was in my 30s and 40s and still have a full head of hair although my beard is about 50% grey now and I have a dad bod that’s 10lbs over ideal. I think I’ve added a point compared to some of my cohort.
Look up Jim Jeffries’ ‘secret to happiness’ stand-up routine (the second half of which is often labelled ‘One Two’) on YouTube for a laugh. Based on his logic, I’d probably be a five.
Erm, definitely skeevy. < shudder > indeed.
My mom said I was handsome.
No, actually one day she asked “Do you realize you are actually good looking?” I’m pretty sure I responded with a teenager’s nonchalant “Yeah”.
I dunno, I have been told several times that I have a memorable, striking face. When I was young, I got all kinds of comparisons. Sting, Peter Scolari (generally referred to as “the guy from Bosom Buddies, not Tom Hanks, but the other guy”), Glenn Danzig (when my hair was dyed black(they did actually apologize)), Kurt Cobain for awhile, Greg Kinnear. I also had a roommate who was a RTVF major who was pretty convinced my true calling was to be a film villain. He just said I had that look and voice. If nothing else, that convinced me that a life of crime wasn’t for me because I was probably going to be convicted of the crimes on looks alone. Was I a looker back then? I dunno, I got a lot of comparisons to people who were in TV and movies.
As I got older, I got compared to a lot of different character actors, such as Brendan Gleeson. Sometimes my friends would apologize for comparing me to them. I’d tell them to not worry, I know I’m Hollywood ugly, so I probably rate a solid 6 or so in the real world. Plus, thanks for apologizing. I don’t think that I really looked like any of these people. I mean, I can kind of see it in each case, but we wouldn’t be mistaken for each other in a line-up.
So, infants don’t cry when they see me, in fact they kind of seem to want to interact with me in the line at the grocery store. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m attractive, or if they just want to interact with the creepy, striking looking guy. On the other hand, I’ve never had a problem with finding a romantic partner. My very long-term sweetie almost assuredly outclasses me in the looks department by a couple of points at any given time, she’s got classic good looks. So yeah, probably a 6 or so, I like to think I’ve been getting by on personality.
ETA: My brother tells me I look like Ben Franklin. He’s probably right.
Kids don’t appreciate it much when Mom says you’re good-lookin’.
I definitely told mine they were beautiful. Even during the awkward teeth braces, more legs than baby giraffes phases.
I specifically thought my son was gorgeous as a Marine. And is a handsome young man, altho’ prematurely grey. Don’t tell him that. He’ll argue.
My young daughters are always in a flux. Whose hair is good this month. Whose put on pounds. You just gotta not say things about it. So sensitive. Ugh!
Yeah. Can’t go by Mother. She might know, but she ain’t sayin’!
Haven’t read the entire thread, but I’ll admit to being to being totally unremarkable. “Joe Average,” that’s me. I’m just a face in the crowd.
Family lore holds that my sister got the looks while I got the brains. She may have been a standout in her younger years (and she was, apparently), but I’ve still got my brains.
I’ve been told that I’m quite a “looker” for all of my adult life, so that’s good.
But I’ve always been socially awkward, and that’s bad.
When I was young I’d say I was a 2 out of 10 attractive-wise. Oversized noggin, spoke gibberish, and walking was still an advanced skill I’d only heard rumors about. Now I’m a solid 10. Well… that’s what I assume anyway. Could be my epic confidence—or maybe it’s the funhouse mirrors and poor eyesight fueling that belief.
I was “pretty for a Jewish girl” in my teens & 20s, and I guess maybe a bit into my 30s. although, I cut my hair short when I was 30, and it really changed my looks, but I still
looked good, I thought. After college, I started biking everywhere and working out, and I thought I really looked good.
Then I got pregnant. I gained a lot of weight, so after the baby was born, I was still 25 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight (132lbs). 10 came of easily, with no special effort, over the next few months, but seemed I was stuck with the other 15.
Having a baby, and taking care of one, really aged me somehow, too, Before I had a baby, I was always being told I looked quite a bit younger than I was-- when I was in my late 20s, I worked in a high school, and even in professional dress, and carrying a briefcase, I sometimes got mistaken for a student. Through about right up until I was wearing a wedding ring at age 34, I was mistake for an undergrad at the local university.
But once I’d had the baby, that was the end of looking young. By the end of the first year of parenting, I looked my age. Some days, when I’d slept really badly, I looked two years older than I was.
Not that you can’t be beautiful in your 40s, or even 50s, or if you are Helen Mirren, 60s, or Lillian Gish, 70s, 80s & 90s; but when you look 42 and you are really 37, you don’t look like one of those wise and lovely goddesses like Helen Mirren or Lucy Lawless at the same age. You look like the dog’s lunch.
My baby turned 18 last Oct., and next week I turn 58. And lately people have been guessing my age at “56 or 57.” I’ve been getting more sleep. I also finally lost 10 of those 15 pounds last year. I think the other 5 are here to stay.
At a Jewish function, a few months ago, I overheard a little girl who goes to the preschool, but isn’t in my class tell her mother that I was the only adult who was her friend in the school, and that I was pretty for an old lady.
As a kid and teen, I was small for my age, short, wore ugly horn-rimmed glasses and was very shy and socially awkward with zero self-esteem. Not a good combination. I might have been a 4, if that.
Now, closing in on 73, I wear stylish glasses, have a respectable amount of grey hair, a neatly-trimmed grey goatee, and no wrinkles, because I’ve never been a sun worshiper. I could lose a few pounds but the extra doesn’t show on me that much. Though still somewhat shy by nature, working in radio and TV forced me to be much more outgoing. I still would not consider myself good looking, but for my age, I might be a 7 in comparison to my contemporaries.
I’ve often wished I was taller, though. I’m still 5’7", but what’s a guy to do?
I recall a high school reunion some 15 years ago. I did not attend, but I saw pictures. I had two high school friends who were homely as could be. They were still homely, but they were smartly dressed (one in a military uniform), fit and trim and looked great compared to some of the “good looking” guys from our class, who had not aged well.
I was in the 9-10 range, as told to me by other people. But I knew it myself, because an awful lot of conventional good looks is deliberate effort, as opposed to just being blessed with good genes, and I was very preoccupied with it: with working out, with diet, with makeup, with figure-flattering clothes, shoes that made my ass look better, underwear that flattered and enhanced my curves, hair removal, hair, nails, general grooming.
It was a pretty crappy mental space to be in. You base a lot of your self-worth on how you look, get fearful of letting yourself slip, and see other women as competition. I started to get into a healthier mental space in my thirties.
Today? Well, I work in IT, and do obstacle course racing in my free time. Compared to other women in IT, I’m a 10, because a lot of women in this field don’t put much effort into their looks. Compared to other women who do obstacle course racing, I’m a 2, because a lot of women in that activity want to be social media influencers or are otherwise obsessed with their physical appearance to the point of having eating disorders.
Remember, Kids! The better you look, the more you’ll see!
I know at least one person is lying.
Hard to rate yourself, but I’ve always had dates. Not doing too bad, I’m 2 months away from 70, still have most of my hair (and there’s still some color to it). Reasonably good shape.
My Jewish wife is 57. I thought she was gorgeous when we met in 1995, and I think she’s still gorgeous today.