Pretty privilege is one of those terms that has become popularized over TikTok as numerous girls hopped on a trend somewhat explaining how they have pretty privilege.
If you’re like me and want to keep up with the latest slang, you probably use Urban Dictionary because I simply can’t keep up with internet slang. According to our slang dictionary, pretty privilege is when a person has more opportunities or is treated in a certain way because of how attractive they are.
Why does pretty privilege exist?
How this even became a thing is bizarre because it only builds insecurities for everyone- those who claim to have pretty privilege included.
I could say I have pretty privilege but to an extent. There have been a few occasions where I knew I could get away with something based on my appearance. I’ve had a couple of free uber rides, just because the driver enjoyed the conversation or the distance was ‘short’.
There was one instance after an uber ride ended and I had asked the driver if he took card payments as I don’t move with cash that frequently and he just said it’s cool, and I insisted on going to an ATM but he declined and said it’s cool and even gave me 5-star rating as a passenger…shook.
I think the point I knew I had pretty privilege was when I had a wrong train ticket while in London and couldn’t get a refund, and someone overheard me talking to customer service then offered to buy me a new ticket (cause I was living on an allowance) and it was a sticky situation trying to get home. It’s rare to meet people that will help you out and not want anything in return.
The lesson I take from these experiences is by being nice to the next person and helping if I can. I’m a student, and like many other students that want to help, we simply can’t cause we’re already being exploited by expensive university costs.
I think you get how it works now.
How pretty privilege is problematic
Now you could be thinking, ‘wow, getting let off easy for simple things like paying an uber or have some stranger pay off the change on my groceries’, but for some attractive individuals that lack common sense rather, would exploit this.
The problem with some people that are attractive and know they are attractive is they tend to use their looks or their following on social media to try and justify their actions, which is stupid. This type of power that society both created and acknowledged is what makes the whole ideology problematic.
Multiple Tiktok stars are only famous because they are attractive, because, what are their talents… really?
We as a society and a generation gave these people the power and the platform to just be… Pretty.
I do agree Tiktok has helped people grow their confidence, however, there is a side to it that just irritates me about the entire App and why I don’t use it. In disregard to the actual talented creators, the attractive creators that gained fame for their looks and no talent- unless being cringe-worthy counts then they have succeeded in that aspect. All they do is lip-sync and…
It doesn’t make sense why society allows people with seemingly shallow personalities to be the ones children look up to as it just builds up insecurity, anxiety, etc.
But nevertheless, I think it’s great people are confident but people should know there are limits.
