Mine was, “You have really shiny hair.” I do have shiny hair sometimes. So my guy friend who complimented me got a “Thank you” in return. However, I actually don’t strive for shiny hair. It’s just an effect of the frizz cream I use. I probably would have liked a “Your eyes look especially beautiful today, Jillian.” Except, that probably would have been weirder and a tad inappropriate since he’s just a friend.
This morning in the elevator, a delivery guy turned to the girl standing behind me and said, “You’ve got some nice eyebrows.” She was clearly weirded out. Who compliments your eyebrows? Especially if they’re someone who you’re never going to see again? Your eyebrows are something you groom, but not to the point of expecting a compliment about them. You groom them to make them blend in with your face so people will concentrate more on your eyes or cheekbones, which actually merit compliments.
(Related: What’s The Best Compliment You’ve Ever Received?)
Elizabeth, our editorial director, says she was once complimented on her eyebrows by a British lady. The Brit called them “interesting.” It’s not necessarily flattering when someone tells you a body part is “interesting.” Gives me the chills just picturing the English accent and the word “interesting” involved in a compliment. The British lady was clearly confused by Elizabeth’s thin, very nice-looking eyebrows and thought it would be nice to note her confusion in a loaded compliment.
Lilit says a guy once meant to compliment her, but he ended up taking a wrong turn when he said, “At least you look legal.” In this particular moment, Lilit was frustrated that she looked so young (she is petite but doesn’t look 18), so the guy was trying to make her feel better. Perhaps he should have gone with, “You don’t look young. You’re beautiful and sophisticated!” Is that too much to ask? For a regular, flattering compliment?
Sometimes guys (or British ladies) take a compliment one step too far and end up undermining you or making you feel worse. It’s as if you worked so hard on picking out an outfit that compliments a certain part of your body and the only thing someone notices about you is your eyebrows. Huge bummer. But maybe some people don’t really know how to give compliments. Which makes it kind of funny. Like when the guys on the Flight of the Concords told a girl at a party that she was so beautiful she “could be a part-time model.” Only part-time? Really? So we want to know, what’s the weirdest compliment you’ve ever gotten?