…ideally one that was both genuine and that you had the confidence and self awareness to interpret as kind. And for bonus points, what’s one you’ve given?
I’m thinking back to the guy in group therapy years ago who told me he always thought of people who swore as not knowing any better words, but that I obviously knew better words and just also swore and even used them artistically and that’s just really stuck with me. Sometimes I wonder how much of my self esteem has suffered not just because I’ve been told not to brag, but also because I’m extremely weird so the compliments I do receive often reflect that.
My bonus one (and I’m not sure how well he was able to take it) was that one of my fellow psych nurses was frequently and obviously terrified any time shit hit the fan, but that somehow still he’d never once failed to have my back. He’d be stuttering the whole way through an incident but I’d walk out of the med room with both halves of a B52 and he’d take one of the syringes without a second thought. He was literally the epitome of “courage isn’t not being scared, it’s being willing to face it.” I should find a nice presentation of that quote somewhere to send him because I’m not sure I phrased it well at the time.
I was once walking past a gay bar with a buddy of mine. A drunk guy stumbled out, looked us both up and down and yelled “Phwoar! That’s a porno I wanna watch!”.
From a French colleague:
“You are the kind of Italian we like in France.”
“Wonderful, but I’m American.”
“I doubt that”
I’ve had something similar quite a few times.
Meet someone, talk for a bit, “where are you from?” u.s. “really? You don’t seem American”
They meant it as a compliment
Is there anywhere in the world where this isn’t a compliment?
“You’re almost an intellectual.” Which I think will be the name of my autobiography.
I was dancing at a club a couple years ago and someone came up to me and yelled without pause “Are you a boy or a girl you’re gorgeous”
that sounds like a fantastic compliment! your beauty is universal 😮😍
The best I’ve ever received! 🥰
A girl in college once told me I have “beautiful, horse-like legs”. I did martial arts at the time and my calves and thighs were very well toned, but I was actually a little self-conscious about them, and I had never considered horses to be particularly beautiful so I kind of took it as an insult after walking away from the conversation. It wasn’t until I relayed the story to a colleague a few months later that they told me it was probably a genuine compliment.
That i had beautiful eye brows. Didn’t see that coming
“You have the charisma of a garbage man’s cologne”
A neighbor saw me walking barefoot to my mailbox and complimented me on my healthy feet.
Hackles went up thinking he was some foot fetishist who was going to get weird on me. Nope, just a medical person of some sort that works with feet a lot and I genuinely have healthy arches and mobile toes. At least I choose to believe that explanation he gave. Otherwise, I have to assume my neighbor is jerking it every time I walk outside.
Obligatory: Please post feet pics. I’m a bit of a foot-doctor myself.
Hawt. I mean, you have very healthy toes or something. Bonus points for not needing woolen socks.
The Miss “my state” came to sing the national anthem for a big sports event at my job. I took care of the sound for her and we chatted a little bit. She was constantly barraged by guys coming up and wanting a picture with her, so we didn’t get to have too much of a conversation. She sang the anthem, and was moving on to her next engagement and I said glad to meet you and was about to go back to the rest of my job. She stopped me and said " but we didn’t get a picture together!" I told her it was ok, I understand that it’s part of her job. She insisted and handed HER phone to someone walking by and insisted they take a picture of us. After they returned her phone she looked me in the eye and asked for my phone number so she could send it to me. I have a wonderful girlfriend and I would never cheat on her, but miss “my state” asked ME for my number, and I have been walking on air ever since.
Not weird, absolutely awesome. Still upvoted because that’s absolutely awesome.
It is pretty weird to assume that everyone needs a picture of her. I look fuckable, take my picture, NOW.
She didn’t think he wanted a picture with her. She wanted a picture to remember him. And possibly as a way to get his phone number. She was crushing a little bit on the cool sound guy.
I had to have an abdominal ultrasound done once and the tech told me I have a great pancreas, “the most beautiful she’s ever seen”. I didn’t know what to say but it made me happy.
Hide Your pancreas
“You look like a spy” Which is sadly why my career as a spy never got off the ground.
I was told I looked like a cop several times back when I associated with less desirable parts of society. I think the reason they felt that way is because I showered daily, combed my hair, and had an acceptable level of personal hygiene.
It was the middle of summer and I was jogging the last leg of a 20km lake circuit with my shirt off, sweating like crazy, and a guy drove past, leaned out the window, and yelled “My wife likes what she sees!”
Not especially weird compliment just weird that it came from the husband.
I’ve been complimented on my voice before, and those aren’t weird compliments. But delivery is important. I had a coworker tell me, “Your voice is great!” And of course I’m thankful. But then deadpan, she goes, “You should do ASMR so I can listen to it.”
Now that was a weird compliment.
ASMR people are a different breed. I’m married to one. The videos feel intensely intimate, but she’ll just listen to them on the couch like it’s the radio.
Meanwhile I get self conscious if someone walks by while I’m watching a video game cutscene lol
A girl sidled up to me at college when I was About 18 and just said “you have beautiful veins”
Do/did you do a lot of cardio? Runners, bikers, swimmers, etc have the BEST veins (you need em)! - was phlebotomist, now am nurse.
Oh my god I have had this exact same compliment.
Actually I still get this one infrequently at the gym, but they say “nice vascularity” so it’s not weird at all when you put it like that
My college had a very strong nursing program, and that was a surprisingly common compliment.
“Wanna see them engorged?”
I’ve heard from several women that veiny forearms are sexy, and I am inclined to agree despite being a hetero male lol
I was told my calves were absolutely shredded by an attractive woman. I’ll carry that to my grave.
Oh some people have some absolute upside-down shelves on their legs. (Dunno about you but) especially fat people. A lot of people don’t realize how much muscle is under there unless they’re big enough to profoundly affect their mobility and that doesn’t usually start happening until around like 350+. There’s a reason Olympic weightlifters don’t look shredded (except them calves). Shredded muscle, especially abs, is almost all for show.
I used to be 300 and now I’m much closer to 200 (under if I’m careful) and I bike a lot. My calves and thighs are chiseled.
