# Natalie Portman: beautiful, pretty, hot, or not? (special superficial poll) **URL:** \ **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:** 3
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/41 "2011-06-10T00:08:01Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Huh? Essentially, An Arky is saying that some Jewish women are stuck up snobs. To which I say “duh!” There are lots of stuck up snobs in the world of all nationalities and religions. See the aforementioned Scarlet Johanssen, who isn’t Jewish. Wait… apparently she is. My point still stands. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/42 "2011-06-10T00:13:54Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > \ > Now, Anne Hathaway is another story. Ol’ Ostrich Eyes? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/43 "2011-06-10T01:02:33Z")
I voted beautiful, and didn’t tick either hot or not. On the rar occasions that I find an actress hot, it’s because of particular character she played, not because of her own character, which I don’t know; Portman hasn’t played any character I find hot. Amidala should have been one, but she wasn’t allowed to kick arse like Leia did in a different generation. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/44 "2011-06-10T01:09:20Z")
Beautiful and hot, but no way is she “pretty”. I am amazed that “pretty” seems to winning. And yes, she is too skinny for my taste, but fattening her up would not suit her at all. Her skinniness is just right for her particular sort of beauty. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/45 "2011-06-10T01:57:07Z")
Pretty, but not ‘hot.’ Also not ‘not hot.’ Mildly annoying. Mostly, I find her ‘eh.’ This poll is the first time I’ve though of her in… Many months? Something like that. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/46 "2011-06-10T02:47:15Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Pretty, not beautiful. Ann Landers or somebody said (roughly) that when a cute girl walks by, young boys turn to look. When a pretty girl walks by, married men turn to look. When a beautiful woman walks by, _other women_ turn to look. Yep, I voted Pretty too and find that there’s a distinction between pretty and beautiful too. > [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > 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. > [@Yookeroo](#): > > [This?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8e6-IeQ0aw) That’s one of my favorite SNL skits ever, and it’s the only reason I can understand why men might find her hot rather than just pretty. It’s a damn shame none of her movie roles have used the sex appeal that short proves she’s capable of demonstrating. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/47 "2011-06-10T03:08:49Z")
As far as I can tell, she has her moments of being [beautiful](http://static.go4celebrity.com/wallpapers/Natalie-Portman/Natalie-Portman-084-1280x800.jpg), [pretty](http://www.straitpinkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/natalie-portman.jpg), _and_ [hot](http://vainstyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/natalieportmanDIOR-article.jpg). I also voted for the ‘cheesecake’ option after seeing some [full-body shots](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fQ4dsAZgAZw/TN9VPJ7gGcI/AAAAAAAAAvg/Kku_I0m2szw/s1600/natalie-portman2.jpg). By the way, these are all work safe unless your work is afraid of attractive humans. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/48 "2011-06-10T03:41:53Z")
Depending on the role, lighting, her makeup and my mood, she has variously been pretty, beautiful, and/or hot. For the poll, though, I voted “beautiful.” She was pretty when younger; now she’s more mature (even before she got pregnant) and thus has smoothly moved over into the “beautiful” column, where I suspect she’ll be staying for a looooong time. I still prefer Keira Knightley, who is similar to her in many ways (and even played her double in _Phantom Menace_), but there ain’t nothin’ wrong with NP. No sireebob. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/49 "2011-06-10T04:06:08Z")
What **Elendil’s Heir** said; variously from pretty to beautiful to hot, depending on how she’s made up and what she’s doing. She’s going to be great looking well into old age, which in my opinion is one of the things that adds up to true beauty. “Hot” fades pretty quickly for almost any woman past the age of 40, but beauty keeps being appealing on both an aesthetic and more visceral level for a long, long time. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/50 "2011-06-10T05:24:54Z")
Before I knew who she was, I had a similar crush on her in “Beautiful Girls” that Timothy Hutton did. She was just cute and smart in that role. Very believable actress, and I thought she would have a nice career. I also thought, like Hutton said in the movie, that she’d be amazing when she got older. I don’t know what kind of a person she is, but to me, she is elegant. Beautiful. I wouldn’t call her hot, even though I find her attractive. She just seems to ooze class. Is she pretty? Yes. Is she hot? I’m guessing seeing her in her Victoria Secrets would do it for you, but for my money, beautiful describes her to a ‘T’. I haven’t seen her in anything in a long while, so I’m not sure if her acting has grown. After seeing her in Star Wars, I lost some of my enthusiasm for her. As an interesting aside, she’s jewish and found it necessary to change her name from Natalie Hershlag to Portman. Both surnames are Jewish (I’d say that Portman is more “jewish” sounding than Hershlag to American ears), so I wonder why the need to change the name at all? It’s not like being Jewish in today’s Hollywood is going to hold her back. Maybe Portman just sounds better to some people… I don’t know. I don’t understand why anyone changes their name these days, and would think Hershlag would have been just fine. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/51 "2011-06-10T06:25:10Z")
As I understand it, hiding her Jewishness had nothing to do with her name change. Her father is a gynecologist and fertility specialist, and she wanted to lessen any connection between her career and his. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/52 "2011-06-10T06:36:13Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Before I knew who she was, I had a similar crush on her in “Beautiful Girls” that Timothy Hutton did. > > She was just cute and smart in that role. Very believable actress, and I thought she would have a nice career. I also thought, like Hutton said in the movie, that she’d be amazing when she got older. > > I don’t know what kind of a person she is, but to me, she is elegant. Beautiful. I wouldn’t call her hot, even though I find her attractive. She just seems to ooze class. Is she pretty? Yes. Is she hot? I’m guessing seeing her in her Victoria Secrets would do it for you, but for my money, beautiful describes her to a ‘T’. > > I haven’t seen her in anything in a long while, so I’m not sure if her acting has grown. After seeing her in Star Wars, I lost some of my enthusiasm for her. > > As an interesting aside, she’s jewish and found it necessary to change her name from Natalie Hershlag to Portman. Both surnames are Jewish (I’d say that Portman is more “jewish” sounding than Hershlag to American ears), so I wonder why the need to change the name at all? It’s not like being Jewish in today’s Hollywood is going to hold her back. Maybe Portman just sounds better to some people… I don’t know. I don’t understand why anyone changes their name these days, and would think Hershlag would have been just fine. Who the fuck wants to say “Hershlag”? But hey, Jon Stewart did the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Khaki\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Khaki\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khaki_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/53 "2011-06-10T06:40:05Z")
Physically too boyish, mentally too JAP. ---
**Author:** ![alexandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@alexandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/54 "2011-06-10T06:56:05Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Before I knew who she was, I had a similar crush on her in “Beautiful Girls” that Timothy Hutton did. > > She was just cute and smart in that role. Very believable actress, and I thought she would have a nice career. I also thought, like Hutton said in the movie, that she’d be amazing when she got older. > > I don’t know what kind of a person she is, but to me, she is elegant. Beautiful. I wouldn’t call her hot, even though I find her attractive. She just seems to ooze class. Is she pretty? Yes. Is she hot? I’m guessing seeing her in her Victoria Secrets would do it for you, but for my money, beautiful describes her to a ‘T’. > > I haven’t seen her in anything in a long while, so I’m not sure if her acting has grown. After seeing her in Star Wars, I lost some of my enthusiasm for her. > > As an interesting aside, she’s jewish and found it necessary to change her name from Natalie Hershlag to Portman. Both surnames are Jewish (I’d say that Portman is more “jewish” sounding than Hershlag to American ears), so I wonder why the need to change the name at all? It’s not like being Jewish in today’s Hollywood is going to hold her back. Maybe Portman just sounds better to some people… I don’t know. I don’t understand why anyone changes their name these days, and would think Hershlag would have been just fine. Portman sounds more Jewish, but maybe Hershlag sounds more… _foreign_. 😉 Changing it because her dad is well known in the gynaecology field sounds a little like a bullshit excuse to cover up the real reason. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/55 "2011-06-10T07:00:16Z")
And Portman doesn’t sound foreign. Having a last name that ends with man and starts with a homograph of an English word is pretty standard American. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/56 "2011-06-10T07:18:45Z")
> [@Khaki\_Campbell](#): > > Physically too boyish, mentally too JAP. Dunno about JAP, but for me you’re right about the boyishness. My definition of “beautiful,” much less “hot,” has to include some degree of voluptuousness. Ms. Portman, though, is pretty in the same way a boy can be pretty. For example, there’s the scene in Black Swan where she’s wearing some skin tight sweaty leotard and everything underneath is clearly defined. Didn’t do a thing for me. The other chick with the tattoo, though . . . ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/57 "2011-06-10T08:08:11Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > As an interesting aside, she’s jewish and found it necessary to change her name from Natalie Hershlag to Portman. Both surnames are Jewish (I’d say that Portman is more “jewish” sounding than Hershlag to American ears), so I wonder why the need to change the name at all? It’s not like being Jewish in today’s Hollywood is going to hold her back. Maybe Portman just sounds better to some people… I don’t know. I don’t understand why anyone changes their name these days, and would think Hershlag would have been just fine. Herschlag is a really ugly name and sounds like ‘her slag.’ It’s not at all surprising that she changed it. Portman’s a Jewish name? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/58 "2011-06-10T08:59:59Z")
I think she’s beautiful, and a talented actress. But I also think I wouldn’t find her particularly appealing company in real life. I imagine I’ll never find out. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/59 "2011-06-10T09:01:11Z")
I think she’s definitely beautiful - classic beauty, even. However, and I rarely say this about anyone, she could really stand to put on about 7 or 8 pounds - currently she looks a bit like she would snap in half if she sat down too hard. I find her unannoying, but also a touch bland. There are other women whose pictures I find captivating (Uma Thurman, Linda Evangelista, for instance) but she is not one - just a classic Hollywood beauty. ---
**Author:** ![Khaki\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Khaki\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khaki_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896/60 "2011-06-10T13:17:55Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Portman’s a Jewish name? No, but Portman **n** is 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natalie-portman-beautiful-pretty-hot-or-not-special-superficial-poll/584896.md?page=4)