The Good, The Bad and The Cute

Diary Entry 5

June 1 2002, It was my birthday and my dad took a couple of pictures to mark the occasion. Everybody in the family thought the pictures came out well and so I decide to upload them in the internet. I never thought I looked good so this was a big step for me.

Girl: Is that you Abhi?

Me: Yeah. Do I look bad?

Girl: You look soooo cute.

Me: Gee thanks. :D

I was ecstatic. I mean how many people in the world are called cute. I felt special. Guys always try to interpret what the girl actually means when she says this and that. Back in 7th grade we were no different. After a long and constructive discussion with my friends I learnt that being called cute is not something you should be proud of. They explained to me, the various adjectives used by both sexes. This is the wisdom we had as 7th graders.

Handsome/Beautiful - Well this is the best adjective a person can use to compliment you. If you are called this, then it means that the girl or guy has every chance of falling in love with you. You cant be called anything better. If they cant take their eyes of your face then you are here. But if you belong here it might not necessarily be because you look good. It might be the way you carry yourself or your intelligence or something of that sort. So don’t go wanting to be a super model just because a bunch of people say you are beautiful (True Story - I was once flirting with this chick and I told her that she looks beautiful. I had her so convinced that she asked me if she should try modeling. Sheesh never calling people without a brain beautiful again)

Pretty- You can think of modeling if people say you are pretty. It has more to do with your looks and nothing to do with your character, brains or the other things that a person should be valued for. But then again most  women dont care about anything other than how they look. All the extra makeup and hairstyles is going to give you a few pretty points.

Hot - This has more to do with the choice of clothes. So when they (men) say you are hot what they actually mean is that your choice of clothing provokes thoughts in a mans mind. Some women are offended because of this but hey they have only themselves to blame because we did not ask them to dress like J lo or Shakira. Then again not all women can look hot contrary to the accepted notion that if you dress in a way, you are hot no matter who you are.

Sexy  - This is something like hot except that it has nothing to do with the clothes you are wearing. No matter how they dress they are going to make even a saint behave lewd. Well this is the blessed category that men wish women would classify them in and women wish men don’t classify them in. If you are in this category people cant take their eyes of you. 

Cute - Sigh. This is one thing you don’t want to be called. If guys calls other guys cute its gay. If guys call girls cute then it means the girl is something like a little kid or baby sister. Its not a good thing. Because if you are trying to impress the guy and if the guy thinks you are cute then its over. However what girls mean when they call guys cute is still a matter of question. But it cant be good. 

The incredible 7th grader's wisdom was not enough to completely understand the term cute. All we knew was that its something offensive. It’s a kind of racism. That is why when a girl told me I am cute I tried to insult her back by saying that she looks cute too. You will expect her to be offended but no she blushes and says thanks. How the hell do you get back at people who feel complimented when you try to insult them?

So I went and spoke to a girl to end the mystery once and for all. What do you mean when you call someone hot, handsome and cute, I asked. She told me that hot is when they have a good physique like John Abraham. It can also mean someone like Brad Pitt who doesn’t have much of a body but you still want him. Handsome is the elusive guy that all women want. He is looks good, he is charming, he is smart and he probably is rich too. Then I asked her if I could ever be handsome. She said not in another 7 lifetimes because I am way too cute. Pissed off I ask her what she meant by cute. And she says that its like a teddy bear. A small puppy. Something you want to cuddle and play with.

This explanation only confused me more. The girl I called cute blushed and thanked me as if I complimented her. All I did was say she looked like a teddy bear or maybe worse - a small puppy. When men genuinely compliment women by saying they look hot or sexy they get offended. But when they try to offend them they are strangely complimented. No wonder men have such a hard time figuring out women.

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