# Natalie Portman: beautiful, pretty, hot, or not? (special superficial poll)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 9, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896 "2011-06-09T19:11:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/1 "2011-06-09T19:11:36Z")
One of you will know exactly why I started this thread at this particular time, and no, it’s not because it’s her birthday; I didn’t know that until a certain inciting event a moment or two ago.
I’m not going to link to any pictures of her, partly because there are eleventy jillion such available by typing her name into Google but mostly because I’m freaking lazy.
Poll in a moment. I’m making the results public partly because the subject is so incredibly trivial but mostly because I’m a jackass. The latter condition also prevents me from defining the terms.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/2 "2011-06-09T19:31:41Z")
Incidentally, when I wrote the OP, I had it in mind to name her beautiful but not hot. After thinking about it, though, I have decided she is both, though her beauty is paramount; that is, though she is only moderately hot, her beauty is like, oh, something in a Brughel painting.
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### Author:  [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/3 "2011-06-09T19:32:06Z")
She’s a very pretty little talentless\* thing. And the most undeserving Best Actress Oscar™ winner since the undeniably hot, and vapid, Halle Berry.
(\*Save for crying. She’s the fucking Sir John Gielgud of blubbering.)
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/4 "2011-06-09T19:33:15Z")
I don’t think she’s much of anything. I don’t even think she’s hot, and can’t quite figure out what makes people love her so. I don’t hate her, I am just…bored by her.
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### Author:  [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/5 "2011-06-09T19:35:47Z")
Vote: Beautiful. Nitpick: Sometimes she seem underweight. Fixed with the force feeding of cupcakes as necessary. But she’s in a rather unforgiving industry, as far as that goes, so I cut her some slack.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/6 "2011-06-09T19:37:30Z")
> [@Dietrich\_K](#):
>
> She’s a very pretty little talentless thing. And the most undeserving Best Actress Oscar™ winner since the undeniably hot, and vapid, Halle Berry.
I’m that outlier straight guy who doesn’t find Halle Berry hot. I have only seen two movies with her in them – the last Brosnan Bond flick and something with Hugh Jackman – and as neither of those called for acting chops I cannot comment on her acting ability.
But as for Portman, I find her an absolutely engrossing actress. She’s always the most interesting thing in her movies. I’m particularly thinking of last year’s _Brothers_, but also _Black Swan_, _Garden State_, and _Closer_. I haven’t seen _Thor_ because of my adaptation boycott rule.
> [@mlees](#):
>
> Vote: Beautiful. Nitpick: Sometimes she seem underweight. Fixed with the force feeding of cupcakes as necessary. But she’s in a rather unforgiving industry, as far as that goes, so I cut her some slack.
Fool of a elector!
There’s no reason to call that a nitpick. It’s a poll option, and multiple choices allowed.
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### Author:  [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/7 "2011-06-09T19:40:50Z")
Portman is a very generic Hollywood beauty to me. Pretty, but nothing distinctive to make her stand out from the pack. I didn’t even know it was her in Thor until the credits.
I find her obnoxious because of her defense of Polanski.
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### Author:  [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/8 "2011-06-09T19:41:03Z")
I have a thing for her in _Where The Heart Is_. I prefer the word “attractive” in the sense that I find myself attracted to her, magnetized by her, in certain scenes in certain movies.
There’s a scene where she’s sitting on a concrete stoop, her elbows on the step above her, talking girl talk with Ashley Judd, and I just want to touch her.
She brings out my bi side in a big way at times. At other times I just want to feed her cupcakes.
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### Author:  [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/9 "2011-06-09T19:41:33Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer]
Fool of a elector!
There’s no reason to call that a nitpick. It’s a poll option, and multiple choices allowed.
[/QUOTE]
Temper, temper, mon capitain. I checked the boxes as indicated. I was only indicating what I voted, and why. I realise madamme Portman is a… tender subject for you. No reason to pull out the dueling pistols yet.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/10 "2011-06-09T19:46:50Z")
Judging her on her own terms, or as compared to the population as a whole (as I did), she qualifies as all three of pretty, beautiful, and hot. More meaningful, though, might be to compare her to various other attractive celebrities. I would say that there are actresses who are significantly prettier than her, actresses who are significantly more beautiful, and actresses who are significantly hotter.
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### Author:  [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/11 "2011-06-09T19:49:40Z")
I think she is pretty, but not even remotely hot, and the vegan thing is mildly annoying to me. I also think that she is a talented actress.
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/12 "2011-06-09T19:50:05Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#):
>
> Portman is a very generic Hollywood beauty to me. Pretty, but nothing distinctive to make her stand out from the pack. I didn’t even know it was her in Thor until the credits.
>
> I find her obnoxious because of her defense of Polanski.
Thank you for bringing up Polanski. I knew there was another reason to be vexed by her but couldn’t remember what it was; everyone should pretend I had the sense to mention it in the poll. 😃
That said, I tend to let stuff like that wash over me, as I deliberately try to know as little about artists’ personal & political views as possible. I’m sure if I were to search out, say, Kate Winslet’s history (mentioning her because she’s even lovelier and more talented), I’d find something to irritate me.
> [@mlees](#):
>
> Temper, temper, mon capitain. I checked the boxes as indicated. I was only indicating what I voted, and why. I realise madamme Portman is a… tender subject for you. No reason to pull out the dueling pistols yet.
Rhymers have no tender parts. As the FAQ makes clear, I am a bastard-coated-bastard with bastard filling.
And there’s always reason for dueling pistols, particularly as they allow easier cheating for cowardly bullies such as myself.
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Judging her on her own terms, or as compared to the population as a whole (as I did), she qualifies as all three of pretty, beautiful, and hot. More meaningful, though, might be to compare her to various other attractive celebrities. I would say that there are actresses who are significantly prettier than her, actresses who are significantly more beautiful, and actresses who are significantly hotter.
Mileage obviously varies, both in re the meanings of the terms and personal judgments. To me, beauty & hotness are distinct, though they sometimes overlap in a specific person. Paget Brewster, for instance, is a lot hotter than Portman, though not nearly as beautiful. And the woman from Black-eyed Peas is hotter still, but not beautiful at all.
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### Author:  [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/13 "2011-06-09T20:25:12Z")
I chose pretty and hot. I stopped just short of clicking “beautiful” as well, and might have done so on a different day in a different mood. The terms are fluid. Bottom line is, yeah, I like her pretty much.
I didn’t know she was a vegan, but don’t really care. It’s not as if I’ll be taking her to dinner anytime soon.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/14 "2011-06-09T20:26:26Z")
> [@](#):
>
> To me, beauty & hotness are distinct, though they sometimes overlap in a specific person.
I agree, though they’re at least somewhat correlated. Give me pictures of two women and ask me which is more beautiful and which is hotter, I’ll probably give the same answer more than 50% of the time, but certainly not always. And I’m sure I could, if I put in more effort than I feel like going to, find examples of women who are more beautiful than Ms. Portman but less hot, or vice-versa.
One difference between beauty and hotness, off the top of my head, is that beauty ages much better. It’s difficult (though not impossible) to maintain hotness into old age, but a beautiful young lady is likely to grow into a beautiful old lady.
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### Author:  [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/15 "2011-06-09T20:28:37Z")
Smoking hot, especially in Black Swan. Unga bunga, crunk like.
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### Author:  [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/16 "2011-06-09T20:44:43Z")
Beautiful (which is pretty that goes to 11) and Hot. But also obnoxious as Portman and Scarlett Johanssen seem to have cornered the market on “diva-like young actresses who would be that annoying know-it-all girl even if they didn’t work in Hollywood.”
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### Author:  [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/17 "2011-06-09T20:55:55Z")
I voted Beautiful and Hot, and I haven’t seen Black Swan. She just does it for me. I have no type, and I can’t really explain it.
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### Author:  [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/18 "2011-06-09T21:00:19Z")
Beautiful, but not “hot”. I can’t specify exactly why, but she just don’t have any sex appeal. But I do think she is a talented actress, and have ever since I first saw her in _[Leon: The Professional](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110413/)_.
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### Author:  [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/19 "2011-06-09T21:03:57Z")
Pretty. Watching her, do things, in “BS,” though – she could well be hot, in corpore.
+1 to **Bailey** ’s line, though – she’d probably be someone around whom I wouldn’t care being in life. Maybe she’s cool, but she does seem to have an extremely high opinion of herself.
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### Author:  [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/20 "2011-06-09T21:15:54Z")
I think she’s hot but then I don’t rate hotness on personality. I think the time she was on SNL and did that short where she’s all nasty and tough she was sexy as all get out.
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