Extremely Beautiful People Talk About What It’s Like to Be Extremely Beautiful

This article originally appeared on VICE Netherlands

Recently, while standing on a rooftop bar in Lisbon – my face sunburned and sand in my hair after a day on the beach – I looked around to realise that everyone else in this bar was ridiculously beautiful. Every single person there was stunning and stylish in equal measure, and all that physical perfection seemed to come completely natural to everyone there.

Being surrounded by these gorgeous people, who all looked like the “after” to my “before”, made me wonder what it must be like to be incredibly good-looking. Are beautiful people constantly aware of exactly how beautiful they are? Do they ever tire of hearing positive feedback on their looks? On a night out, how many of their drinks do they actually pay for themselves?

In search of answers, I took to social media and asked my friends to point me to the most good-looking people they know – which led me to get in touch with the six beauties below. They helped me understand what life is like when your face is so beautiful it could launch a thousand ships.

Billie*, 28

VICE: Hi Billie, you are absolutely gorgeous.
Billie: Yes, I know. But the truth is, like everybody else, there’s a lot I would change about myself. And I realise I shouldn’t think that way – I should be grateful for my looks. It’s true though, there are a lot of advantages to being good-looking. I work in hospitality and I often get huge tips, or guys offering to buy me drinks.

Do your friends ever get jealous when you get all the attention?
Yes, I do get that impression sometimes. So I always feel guilty on nights out when men talk to me but ignore my friends. I do try to brush off guys who do that. What also happens is that when I tell my friends they look great, they don’t think I’m being serious.

Is it true that people take you less seriously because they don’t expect you to have brains?
Absolutely. When men strike up a conversation with me, they mostly talk about how beautiful I am, instead of asking about my interests. It’s always the same – when you’re good-looking you’re only judged on your appearance. People sometimes forget we have a personality lurking underneath.

Emil, 32

VICE: Do you think life is easier when you’re extremely attractive?
Emil: Yes, studies have proven that physically beautiful people are better liked. But on the other hand, people often assume I’m arrogant. They’ll tell me they can’t figure me out because I’m rather socially awkward, and they think that with the way I look, I should be more confident.

Have you ever noticed people getting nervous around you because of your looks?
I used to have a colleague who would suddenly start dropping things – plates, cups, pens – whenever she was around me.

When did you realise you were handsome?
My mother always told me I was handsome, but every mum says that about her son, so I didn’t take that very seriously. It took a whole year of working as a model before I started believing it. But it’s not something I really think about – it’s pretty normal to me that women on the street smile at me. But maybe that isn’t normal at all, I wouldn’t know.

Do you get a lot of free stuff?
No, unfortunately not. This probably sounds sexist, but I think women are generally better at flirting their way to free things.

Nina, 23

VICE: Do you think very attractive people are generally happier?
Nina: Well, being good-looking can be very useful. I’ve never had a proper job interview, for example. I usually just have an informal chat and then get offered the job. I also notice that it’s easier for me to get away with shit than it is for others. When I misbehave in a club – standing on the bar, pouring my own beer from the tap – I never get thrown out. And people are always really nice to me – I don’t have to work that hard to make friends.

So would you say you’re very confident?
No, not really. I know I look hot, but it’s not as if I just stare at myself all day. Some days, especially if I’ve had a bad night’s sleep, I think I look like shit.

But come on, the rest of us would probably kill to look the way you look on a shitty hair day.
I don’t think I’m crazy gorgeous. I used to work as a model, but it made me feel quite uncomfortable because the industry is so superficial. Being good-looking doesn’t only have benefits, you know. People are often intimidated by you, or they assume you’re arrogant.

Peter, 37

VICE: Are you afraid of losing your looks when you get older?
Peter: Yes, absolutely. I used to be a professional dancer, so my looks played a big part in my career. When you’re young and pretty, everything seems possible. As you get older, that definitely changes.

Have you ever taken advantage of the fact that you’re fit?
Well, I can be quite charming if I want to get something done. A while back, for example, a friend of mine was nominated for GQ’s Man of the Year Award in the Netherlands. He didn’t win, so to make up for that disappointment, he and I used our looks and charm to convince the girl in charge of the goodie bags to give us about a dozen of those bags to take home.

Do you get asked out on dates all the time?
Yes, quite often. But I think that also has to do with the fact that I’m a performer. People come up to me thinking they know me, because they saw me on stage once. That can be weird.

Luca, 21

VICE: How amazing is it to be so beautiful?
Luca: It’s not always fun – quite often people will just stare at me, making me extremely uncomfortable. And they love to assume that I’m really dumb.

Do random people ever come up to you just to give you a compliment?
Yeah, it does happen. I often get compliments on my freckles or my hair – which is really lovely, but it does get tiring. It would be great if people asked about my job or my interests sometimes.

Can you take anybody you like home?
I can’t complain. Sometimes I just want sex, like everyone else. But at a certain point, random hook-ups start to feel a bit meaningless. And when people who I don’t like come on to me, I have to turn them down. That’s not fun.

If I were extremely attractive, I think my favourite thing would be all the free goodies – all the stuff PRs send because they want their products to be seen with you.
True, that is a nice perk. I get free clothes and other products sent to me, which I then feature on my Instagram.

Dyllan, 21

VICE: Do you think life is easier when you’re good-looking?
Dyllan: No, life is hard either way. I honestly don’t think it matters how fit you are, in the end.

So you’re not worried your life will be harder when you get older and become less of a looker?
Not really, no. And I’m not scared of losing my looks in general, because the saying is “black don’t crack”, right? Apart from the occasional haircut, I don’t spend much time on my appearance, and I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon.

Are people less interested in your personality after seeing your beautiful face?
Yes, and that does bother me a bit. A lot of people don’t realise I have brains. They’re actually very surprised when I tell them I’m a really good student.

*Billie’s name was changed for this article at her request.