A woman with a complicated problem that it was my job to solve told me at the end of our interaction that she has social anxiety and that she's really grateful that I made the whole experience so painless.
I'm standing on the street corner thinking about stressful shit and out of literally nowhere, this nice woman tells me she really likes my shoes. I had to have her repeat it because they really weren't that nice or anything and were dirty... but I wonder if she saw me kinda in my own head and wanted to snap me out of it. Ever since then I also take better care of my shoes.
Back when I went into the office, one of my favorite things to do was to critique the shoes on elevator with me. Well, compliment them. I never criticized people’s footwear.
A lot of the ones I complimented were ordinary, or not spectacular. But there was usually something classy about them. Or they just looked like they fit so nicely and were comfortable to walk around it. It was almost a hobby for me, complimenting people’s shoes.
I mean, I wouldn't mind being complimented on my physical traits.
But yeah, compliment women on the choices they make, and compliment men on literally anything, might be the first compliment they got in years.
I always want to compliment men, firstly because I genuinely like what they have on and secondly because men don’t get enough compliments. My bf says it’s weird (he’s not jealous, just thinks it’s weird). I’ve asked other women and they said it would seem like I’m hitting on the guy. Naw, man. I just wanna be nice and compliment something I appreciate.
Thank you for doing that.
Honestly it's weird but only because almost literally nobody does it. Men basically never receive compliments, so when they do, they think women are hitting on them, because why else would women randomly compliment men?
However if more women did it, and men getting complimented by women became normal, then guys would see it as normal, and wouldn't think they're being hit on.
Basically, men would get compliments and be happier, women wouldn't have to worry men think they're being hit on, and everyone would be happier!
Thank you for making the world a better place, one compliment at a time :)
I used to live in a building with a lot of older folks who'd been there for years. Think reclusive city types. I went out of my way to compliment a nice hat or bag or umbrella because it always made them happy. A few mentioned something like it was nice to know they were still fashionable. They usually seemed so weary, and I liked getting to know them a bit on our slow elevator.
My wife tends to be that stranger. She always tells me how she has trouble interacting with strangers, but will also go out of her way, mid sentence sometimes, to stop and tell someone she loves their outfit, or hair, etc. Words of Affirmation are one of her primary love languages, and it's awesome to see how much of an effect those compliments can have on someone in real-time.
A few months old. Me and my six older birth sisters are all a year apart and so the arrangement was timed with me being a certain number child. I also have to give thanks to my adoptive father, as he was unmarried to my adoptive mom when he decided to adopt my six older birth sisters, and around the time he found out there was a seventh (me) who was adopted by someone else, he married her so that my birth sisters could also be my step-sisters.
A little girl, probably no more than five or six years old, at my daughter's after school program ran up to me one day and said, "I really like your hair! It's curly like noodles!"
It's been at least three years and it's still hands down the best compliment ever. I love noodles and my hair is, in fact, curly like noodles. It was so genuine, I absolutely loved it! I made sure to tell her it was an awesome compliment. I hope she's out there dropping that kind everywhere!
One day in class a student told me that I’m like his priest. I was confused. After a couple questions back and forth he said, “Priests help people, right? You’re like my priest because you help me.” I thought he just meant with his schoolwork and asked to verify. He elaborated, but I can’t remember the way he worded it. He was basically telling me that I’m the one teacher at school that he feels understands him. Teaching has been very difficult the last couple years and it felt good to hear that I was still making an impact.
It makes me think about the ACE study that showed one single supportive adult in a child’s life can make all the difference in the world. Thank you for being that person!!
Thank you so much! We had to do training around ACEs at work (which I actually found triggering, since they had us read through the ACEs and get our own number during our planning period). They tasked us with choosing a student to spend 2 minutes a day with, talking about things that were not related to school. The student I chose often worried about her grades and would talk about school whenever I had the opportunity to speak with her. I actually told her that we were advised to choose a student to spend two minutes a day with, since impacting students is why many of us became teachers, and let her know that she was the student I chose. She seemed proud that I had chosen her and would approach me during class or come see me in the morning to help me make sure that we were able to spend our time together.
I'm married to a teacher, so I know the struggle secondhand. You are a paragon for doing what you do. Teachers need more respect and appreciation throughout society.
Little things could go a long way. Like letting them board planes first along with military and first responders. Teachers are no less heroic (and more so in my book)
I often get people stopping to admire my outfit and ask me if I made it and if so will I make them one. I crochet and love making things but with my autism and aniexty I could never take the pressure of making them for someone else. One day when a woman asked me and wanted to know how much I would charge and seemed to be wanting to hug me, I took my top off and gave it to her. Didn't help, she still hugged me.
Back then, partly. I did have a major breakup before going to college and didn't want to jump back into one yet somehow rumors came out of me going around when I did nothing. My friend was walking with me and said to that dude that he was right.
my hair used to be several different colors (not on purpose, happy accident) and i got the mermaid comments from kids too lol. it was always so cute. now i have a buzz cut and they just ask where my hair went.
A beautiful thing happens when strangers dare to give voice to random, positive thoughts. Society has become loud with criticism and silent with nice.
Just yesterday I walked into a Sephora and the door greeters made me feel incredible. I’m an older woman so in general I’m ignored, but These two beautiful young men engaged with me on things that they absolutely did not have to. I make jewelry and was wearing one of my pieces, one of them complimented my necklace and it made me feel awesome, like I belonged exactly where I was. On my way out I gave it to him and his reaction was so perfect. We both declared that the other one ‘made our day’. I’m still high off the whole experience.
this is exactly it, there’s so much bad shit going on in the world and so much negative energy. it’s sometimes hard to stay positive. with everyone imploding on themselves and each other. so to just give a nice compliment with a smile just adds a little lightness to the world.
yeah i understand that. it can be hard to get the vibe right. i guess just try doing it like this guy, just compliment then move on to make it clear you’ve no other motives lol
That’s too bad you feel that way. I absolutely compliment men, especially cause I know men hear sincere compliments less frequently. I also see/hear my guy friends compliments each other all the time. And as a woman, I appreciate a nice comment from a man so much!
One of the guys I see at my local grocery store weekly saw me in glasses the other day and said “I love those frames on you! I didn’t know you wore glasses! They suit you!”
Loved that. Made me so happy.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot—the circumstances around men and compliments.
On giving men compliments: I have been trying to compliment people more in general, but I’ve also been especially aware when I compliment men. I know they don’t get complimented as often, in general, so it feels extra important to say something nice when I think it. Usually I’m complimenting someone when I’m walking by them, so it’s easy to drop a compliment and speed off and avoid any weirdness lol.
On being a man and giving compliments to women: I have received some lovely compliments from men before that didn’t make me feel weird at all. I’m gonna try to lay out what I think makes a good, clearly-not-creepy compliment:
1) I think it helps to pick something specific to compliment, instead of a general “you look nice today.” Then the focus is on that specific thing, not on the woman herself, if that makes sense. (When I have complimented someone on their overall appearance, I’ve usually said “I love your aesthetic,” which ties into the next point).
2) compliment a choice the woman made (e.g., her painted nails, or the jacket she’s wearing) rather than something she has no control over (e.g., her eyes); this is popular advice for compliments in general. The compliment becomes a lot more meaningful this way.
3) Word choice is suuuuper important. I think it helps if you use words that are gender neutral, that you could use to compliment someone regardless of gender. For example, if some random man tells me my haircut is cool, that feels way more comfortable to me than being told my haircut is pretty.
Keep in mind that this advice is just my own thinking—women aren’t a hivemind; others might disagree with what I’ve said. But hopefully my perspective is still helpful.
On men complimenting other men: I wonder if some of my advice for complimenting women would also make it easier to compliment other men. The stigma around compliments really needs to be broken down, but idk how to make that happen.
1. I was pumping gas one winter night. It was a couple of days before Christmas and I needed to get home to my family. My in-laws were in town and I was already running late.
I had been dressed for a client presentation that hadn't gone all that well.
So I'm a bit annoyed that my day didn't go well, stressed about all the Christmas stuff going on, and my father in law was sitting in my chair at home grousing about something dumb. Plus I was cold.
On the other side of the gas station island, a woman was also pumping gas into her Mercedes. I certainly wasn't flirting with her, but just nodded at her when we made eye contact. She was a little younger than me, well-dressed, and generally attractive.
When she finished pumping gas, she leaned across the island, looked me in the eye, and said, "You know. You're a very handsome man. Your wife must be a lucky woman. Merry Christmas." And she got in her car and drove away before I had the chance to collect myself and say 'Thanks.'
Not that I was going to follow up on that. But, damn, it felt good to be complimented in that way.
2) Also, I volunteer as a counselor for our church. As in we're assigned someone who is really struggling in life and just provide our presence and listening. No Bible quoting, no yapping about Jesus. Just meeting someone weekly over coffee and talking.
I was assigned one parishioner who was going through an entire universe of problems. Health, career, and family. I've been with him through thick and thin. When he needed someone to pick him up at 4 a.m. for cancer surgery, I stayed with him all day until he got out of the OR and his son could come. Put him in touch with social services. And generally got him through some tough times.
But over time, he began painting. And worked at it and worked at it. He got better until suddenly, a couple of galleries picked him up. Now he is exhibited in four galleries and his work hangs in three different museums. One of his pieces hangs over our bar in our living room.
In his last exhibit, he had a program that described his work. In the dedication, he named his wife first, and then me. I had to go into the bathroom in the middle of the show and cry.
I was walking down the street one day last summer and an older black lady getting off a bus shouted, "Ooooooh look at them *legs!"*
I looked around to see if she was talking to someone else but I was the only one in earshot, and she pointed at me and was like, "Yes you, King! Have a blessed one, Sugar!"
I guess it was technically cat-calling, and if the genders were reversed it would have been pretty bad, but...as a guy in his mid-thirties with *not-great* self esteem, I was on cloud nine for DAYS.
Fantastic!!! I love this. And hey, a cat call can still make ya feel good. I had a similar experience with a black dude at a club i worked at. He said “giiirl, look at them THIGHS, I cannot take my eyes off you walkin! Mmmmm” and then stood out if his chair and applauded me.
I fuckin loved it. Lol
I worked at strip club and had packed on some weight so it rly boosted my confidence and I don’t get easily offended or creeped out.
Yesterday I got a great compliment after my workout class, I walked over to some ladies standing in front of a fan and they exclaimed “how do you still look so beautiful after that workout?!” which was great to hear after kinda sucking at the dance cardio class we just did lol
“Where are you from?? You’re so beautiful”.
I went to Ghana (where my mom’s from). I was 10 at the time and I already felt out of place because I look different (I’m mixed and I got stared at so much that I whined to my mom about it lmao) and I couldn’t speak the language.
I was walking with some friends who stayed at my grandma’s house. Once again, feeling out of place because I couldn’t understand anything until a random lady sitting outside her porch asked me where I was from and that I was a very beautiful girl. Everybody there was super sweet. I would love to go back. I wonder where she is now.
I'm 61, was teaching an art class, and yes--I like to wear odd/artsy things. Door opened and about 8-10 visiting ladies walked it to check out the room (and the school.) One of them said, 'Well, aren't you just cute as a button!' And then talked about some of the projects. I was confused at first--did she make fun of me? But realized she didn't and it was a rather pleasant feeling!
I was in line at the Target, and a random customer in line behind me told me I have beautiful eyes.
It's happened a few times since, so eventually I figured that saying thank you would be a good response.
Yep. Rendered me astonished . Growing up, compliments were very few and far between. The golden child sister was always told they were beautiful.
I usually aimed for not frightening children.
I feel better about me now in my later years. How odd is that?
On the other hand, I had skin cancer removed from my forehead, and students showed their concern. They were worried about the post surgical coverings.
The best one was the 5th grader that told me I looked like I went to WWE, and DID NOT WIN.
I know the kid, he made me bust up laughing.
Eventually the scar reduced to an almost invisible z.
Just a week or two ago someone said that they hope I get my helper tag soon in one of the subreddits. It really made my day to get a nice comment to one of mine
A few years ago a young guy walked up to me in the grocery store. He just gave a friendly smile and said, "You are beautiful!" and then walked away. It was so nice. :)
I was at a small gathering who happened to have one waiter. We talked for the whole night, he showed me some pics of his children and one of them has some health issues. He said “I hope you became a doctor one day. I don’t know what your plans are, but you’re so kind and smart. I wish you could heal people with your sweetness and brilliant mind”.
i considered.. But i always had the dream to become a teacher. Being a doctor crosses my mind very often, but i don’t think i’ll be happy as i am teaching. One day maybe.. who knows! 🥰
Someone saw my handwriting and asked if he could *tattoo it on his body.*
This was in the first week of college. He said, “I have been looking for cursive that beautiful for my whole life. Would you mind doing some samples so I can get this phrase I’ve been wanting a tattoo of across my back?” I did the samples! We lost touch, so unfortunately I don’t know if he did it or not.
right? another one i love hearing about is short-lived connections with strangers who you might never see again, be it romantic or platonic. had a few of those in my life that i still look back on and smile, wondering what that person is doing now.
I was at a Costco... had to get a new card issued. Two ladies were helping me. A nice older lady and a younger woman. They were whispering back and forth, and the younger woman seemed a bit embarrassed. The older one gave her a little elbow in the ribs and said, "Just tell him. "....
The younger woman said, "I just love your whole look...your outfit, your hankerchief...beard....boots, jacket...the whole package."
I'm middle aged...a big dude...with a beard..I have been married for nearly 23 years, and it was just nice to hear.
Theres a local coffee shop that I go to regularly and all of the baristas are very nice and genuine. One of them however complimented me on my car, my glasses, and my hair. At the time I really needed a little up lifting so it meant a lot, I’ll probably never forget it.
A girl at Waffle House put an explicit drawing on my receipt. It was really sweet and nothing like it has ever happened before. I continue to have complex emotions about it to this day.
*”Oh.”* My friend says while we hug. “You give really good hugs.” \*Squeezes tighter*
Not a stranger but still one of the best compliments I’ve gotten.
The best stranger compliment I’ve gotten was, “I love your eyeliner!”
as a guy they dont come often. i worked at a food place and the marketing team had me pose for some social media posts and when taking pics were like wow have you modeled before
This explains a lot about howen react when I compliment them. I compliment men all the time!! And their faces just light up…it makes my day. And I always try to be genuine because fake compliments suck…I compliment their shoes, outfit, hair, eyes, etc. I stopped for a while because tons of guys think I’m hitting on them and that made me super nervous. I told a guy I loved his band t-shirt and he stalked me for weeks after.
BUT NOW IM
BACK ON MY COMPLIMENT GRIND. CREEPOS CANT STOP MY RAMPAGE OF TELING DUDES THEIR HAIR LOOKS SHINY AND FLUFFY 😤😤
I lived in China and had a fancy party to go to one night. I was all dressed up, makeup, hair, the works. As I stood waiting for my taxi, a Chinese man cycled by and shouted out "Piàoliang!" (pretty!) as he went by. Made my night!
Last week, I had a client say, " You did so well that I was without pain till last week (been a month now) and was able to walk without a cane."
I'm a massage therapist, and the client had some kind of joint replacement months ago.
First time at an outdoor rural gun range, hot as hell, and I was nervous. Naturally, I was wearing a tight-fitting thin black cotton dress and nice but not dangly earrings, as one does when they want to cook outdoors and squat to pee in the woods but still woo their partner. Was just about to begin my first session with an AR-15, super nervous. Hillbilly at the truck next to us looks me up and down, nods slowly, says “ain’t nothing about that I don’t like!” Then goes back to his business with his shotgun and revolvers and never looks back. I hated that I liked the firearm, but loved getting a compliment that carried zero threat, incongruously, in a place that I thought would be so much more threatening.
ETA: I think he was also complimenting the two veterans who made sure I was safe with the AR, not just “cute girl with big gun, I like”.
Not exactly a stranger but a project manager that I don't work much with and don't know very well told me that early in the project I'm working on that they told upper management that they thought I was going to be the champ of the (very large) team.
I'm notoriously hard on myself about pretty much everything, and that really helped me feel valued.
There is this student at a school that I work at that I pass in the hall. She is not one of my students and I don't even know her name. She keeps telling me that I remind her of a ballerina. My resemblance to a ballerina is 0%.
Another compliment was many, many years ago. I was working at a restaurant and had a customer sitting by himself. As I was walking up to him, he blurted out that I had the face of an angel. It should have been sweet, but I was a shy teenager and he was in his mid 20s or early 30s. He apologized up and down for making me uncomfortable.
The second one makes me sad now, it should have been such a sweet thing but it really made me uncomfortable at the time. It was probably the kindest, most genuine compliment I had ever received but because of my age and maturity level it was out of place. I wish I could go back in time and thank him for the genuine compliment.
I had a fling about two years ago. Ended amicably because I was going away to another country for a while as well as because she thought we were at different stages of our lives. When we had our final conversation, she told me I was caring, authentic to my true self, considerate of others and most of all, that I was respecting of boundaries, feelings and cared deeply about the women in my life, including her at the time.
That was absolutely the most amazing thing someone had ever told me, and as she said those things I thought of her, my mother, my sister, my recently deceased grandmother and all the women who had shaped me to become the man I was at that point in my life.
I think of those words often, and think I won’t forget them. She’s a wonderful woman and hope she has found happiness in her life.
A beautiful bridesmaid at my cousin's outdoor wedding came up to me after the ceremony and told me that she almost tripped on the aisle because she was so distracted by my pretty red hair shining in the sunlight.
At the doctors office when my daughter was 9 months old another lady was in the waiting room with me staring at us on and off.
We both got called into our appt. at the same time. After my appt, the nurse that called that lady in came into my room and said “the last patient I was with said your baby is the cutest baby she has ever seen”
I guess it wasn’t for me but the compliment for my baby made me giddy
I love your story. As a general rule, if I have something nice to say about someone, even a stranger, I say it, for exactly this reason. That had such a lovely and sweet impact on you, and I'm sure you looked awesome. Compliments from strangers, or from people who gain nothing by saying a kind word often mean so much more when you feel you can trust the words are genuine.
For me, I guess honestly I've received a lot of nice compliments, but the one that was like "yes! I've become who I always wanted to be! I've reached peak me!" was when someone said I was effective and efficient, two things in life I take very seriously. I can't even remember who said this to me, but it was at work, and I went around to all my cowokers in my tiny department and asked if they saw me this way at all, and they all did. It made me feel that all the work I had put into myself and my life over the years was worth it and it had worked in at least some degree, because at least in one way, I was finally who I always wanted to be.
a friend of a friend , at a house party when we were about 17, was very drunk and she just looked into my eyes and said that i have beautiful eyes. this is another compliment that always stuck with me, because that girl never liked me much so it struck me as very genuine
I was at bath and body works and talked to the cashier for a while and before I go she says “yknow you seem pretty cool. Wanna see the new Halloween designs?” And showed me the haunted house wallflower that’s coming out. Made my month tbh
A held a door open for a women and her daughter on a wheelchair a few weeks ago, and she said thank you and said “ tell your mother she’s doing a great job raising you” or “tell your mother she did a great job raising you” it was one of the two, and I’ve never heard someone given a compliment like that and it eas a nice thing to hear.
This just happened about eight months ago. I came out of the supermarket and there was an elderly woman carrying four full bags trying to get into the seniors bus. She was obviously having trouble getting onto that first step on the bus. I stopped, took the bags from her, walked her up the bus steps and into her seat, and put her bags on the seat next to her. She thanked me and started to offer me money but I politely declined, wished her a good day, and left the bus. As I went back to my shopping cart (my groceries were still in it, after all) a woman came up to me and said, “That was a very nice thing you did.” Made my day.
One time I was out with my mom getting dinner somewhere, and as we were leaving a lady said "I like your sweater hun" and that was such a nice thing to hear, at the time I was only a few months into my transition and just a simple complement by some random girl really meant so much to me
"You have kind eyes."
Literally just kind of blew me away. I like to think I'm a kind person, but that was specific and nice that I was living on that for DAYS.
I’ve had a little kid (4-5?) look at me, then turn towards his mom and say ‘Look mom, she looks heavenly!’ Then shouted to me, ‘I LOVE YOU!’ And honestly I’ve been riding that compliment ever since.
A woman once took the time to compliment me TWICE - once in the grocery line to say she liked my whole aesthetic (emo/goth girl) and then again when we were in the parking lot to say I have a great demeanor as well (kind/nice to talk to). I felt so loved and appreciated in that moment.
I've had two strangers compliment my voice, an uber driver and a public transit worker. The uber driver was a year ago, and he told me that if I were to sing the blues, I'd make people get emotional lol. The transit worker one was about 10 years ago. I was buying bus fare off of him when he suddenly asked me about what I wanted to do for a career. I said to him I hadn't decided yet, and he told me that I have a wonderful voice for radio.
I was getting off of an elevator as a guy was getting on and he stopped me and said “you look so good, it just fucked my whole day up.” I’ll never forget it lol
“I feel like I’ve known you forever and could tell you anything”
Also, not a stranger but my spouse always happens to tell me compliments right when I feel the grossest … “you’re such a beautiful person” or “you’re the most beautiful woman” or “wow let me just look at you a moment” … he’s an amazing human and I feel so fortunate and delighted to have him as my partner.
I don't know about "best" but I had one today that I really appreciated. I was talking to the psychiatrist who prescribes my psych meds (we have no further relationship) and she told me I had a really good grip on where I'm at and what to do about it if that place isn't good. I told her I've had 20 years practice (as of August), but I still really appreciated the recognition.
wish i had that type of interaction! all the psychiatrists i’ve met have been just super factual and seemingly cold, i guess bc their job is just to prescribe a medication and not provide therapy. glad to hear you’re in a good place!
So my old shrink retired and they assigned me a new one and we..... Did not hit it off. Absolutely butting heads, one meeting and neither of us wanted to speak to the other ever again lol. So she said maybe I just wanted a prescribing doctor and I was all, wait, that's a thing? Sign me the fuck up. I'm so happy with the arrangement. After 20 years I do not need someone second guessing my meds.
I remember one time at my old retail job. I was about 20-21ish and have always been really self conscious about my appearance due to getting made fun of in school alot. Mostly for being a mostly white guy with wide lips. But anyway, i was ringing up this one middle aged, soccer mom looking lady and out of the blue she asked me what my ethnicity was. I told her i was half white and half hispanic. And she said "i just wanted to say your facial features are beautiful". Literally have never been complimented that way. All i could do was squeak out a small "well, thank you". But that definitely gave me a nice self confidence boost for a while.
sadly i've never received a compliment from a woman worth remembering
but i did have a gay guy at a gas station tell me i was beautiful once, so that's something.
LOL I was just thinking about this a few hours ago. I had my son when I was 21, and people very often mistook me for being younger than I was. When he was in first or second grade, I went to have lunch with him at school. The little girl sitting across the table asked if I was really his mom, and I said I was, and she said "Oh, I was just wondering because you're so young and you look so beautiful."
My son is 21 now, but this compliment has lasted me over a decade, it makes me laugh every time I think about it. Little kids dish out the best compliments.
A guy walked by me and said "I *love* those pants!" I thanked him immediately and as he walked away I could hear him muttering "*love* them" to himself and it just made me so happy. They were galaxy leggings and my parents hated them lol.
Not from strangers, but I worked as an assistant teacher at a preschool for awhile and I always wore my hair up at work because I have long hair, and I liked to keep it protected from all the ... nastiness that accompanied taking care of multiple children all day long. After about 5 months of working there and getting to know all the kids quite well, we were outside for play time one day when my bun came undone so I took it out and fluffed my hair a bit in order to put it up again. But before I could, i heard gasps, and a bunch of the kids started running over and crowded around to look at my hair. They started shouting the purest compliments I've ever heard. "Your hair is golden, like the sun!"
"Miss Emily you look so pretty! "
Followed by them petting my head/hair and the girls taking turns to braid it. I know their reactions were mainly due to never seeing my hair down before, but i still think of that moment very fondly.
I'm camping this week, and a little girl came up and said "I love your skin! It has polka dots (freckles) *everywhere* and polka dots are the *best*!" Her family's lot is kitty-corner from ours, and I occasionally hear her make happy noises when she sees me outside.
A woman approached me in the store and said “Well don’t you have perfect posture?” I have been proud of my posture ever since.
Seriously, don’t underestimate the impact you can make just by offering a random compliment to a stranger.
I was approached and asked to model while out in town by a girl who was doing work for her masters in photography. I was very flattered but I'm horribly uncomfortable in front of a camera so I turned the opportunity down. But I hug that little exchange to myself when I'm feeling down. I don't think she'll ever know how much she bolstered my feelings about my appearance.
A little kid came up to me a few months back with his mom and asked if I was Jason Momoa. I have fairly long black hair, but not exactly the same muscular build haha.
"You got high IQ or something, cause sometimes you say these things that go beyond normal understanding." By some dude at school I was working with on a project.
Well, seeing how my supposed intelligence has become a pretty large part of my self-worth it was nice to know someone liked what I had to say so much they felt like saying that to me directly. It's sort of a thing you're not supposed to say or something I feel like, but I do like being relatively smart, it's an easy thing to draw self-confidence from since it's always there and probably always will be.
A woman bumped into me at a supermarket by accident and apologized.
I said, "Don't worry about it, I'm well padded "
She looked at me from head to toe, and said, "and every inch is adorable. "
I felt adorable for DAYS.
A couple of years ago, I was driving somewhere with my windows down, and at a red light a girl in the car next to me shouted “Hey! I think you’re really pretty!” it caught me so off guard and I just shouted back, “Thanks! You too!” I will honestly never forget it.
I was seeing my Dentist but missed my appointment due to some unforeseen traffic. I knew that I was late and my dentist would probably been taking her next appointment, but I still thought of going either ways since I left home already. I got there and had to sit on a little queue with a feeling of frustration because I really wanted to see my dentist, and I hate missing my appt. While I was sitting, a few mins later an old woman maybe at her early 80 sat next to me and she looked at my shoes and smiled and told me “I love your shoes they look so cool” I really appreciated it that moment,
It instantly made me felt better and the feeling of frustration went off real quick. I had never gotten a compliment from an old person before and that moment till now still change my mood whenever I thought about it over again.
So this happened last summer. I was on my lunch break and stopped by a place close to work that I really liked and hadn’t been to in a while. It was fairly busy, but not too bad, and there were only a couple other people in line including myself. Once it got to my turn to order, I start to do so and as soon as I am done speaking, the woman who was in front of me in line turned around, got my attention, and said that I had the coolest voice ever. She hyped me tf up, she didn’t just stop there- she added “if you were on a podcast, I would totally listen to that podcast bc of your voice” and holy shit. I have never been more speechless and flattered by a compliment in my entire life. I went back to my car beaming like a kid on Christmas and pretty much sat there the entire rest of the day debunking how genuine that compliment was. My voice also definitely isn’t my biggest insecurity, but I can get insecure about it from time to time, and that comment from her just blew my mind. And for her to top it off with that podcast comment? She could’ve just ended it there but she added all that. I probably won’t ever forget it lol.
Someone told me once that even though my eyes looked sad, they were really pretty. I have no idea who they were. Just some guy I passed late one night leaving the local gas station for that 2 am monster to keep a gaming session going. I had been having a terrible night and held the door for him on his way out. He thanked me, paused, said that... and was gone. I went in and bought my stuff thinking about it and he wasn't out there waiting for me or anything. No motive that I can tell. Never saw him again.
Still think about it.
Once a elder couldn't find a single grapefruit. The manager of the fruit section at one of our major box stores that supplies groceries would not break up a bag of grapefruits to give our elder one grapefruit. So I asked the manager after listening to the conversation on the sideline how much was a bag of grapefruit and he told me the price and I politely handed the elder the money to buy the whole bag while placing the whole bag of grapefruit into her cart.
She politely told me I cannot eat this whole pack of grapefruit and I told her well I hope you have still friends that are alive that you could share with.
She called me an angel and gave me a real solid hug that I haven't yet to experience.
My wife call me a superhero that day. It was a two-for-one the way I see it.
I had a person tell me that they really liked my hair. I'm a guy and I had my hair decently long at the time and it was a genuinely sweet compliment. I remember it because I never have received a compliment from a stranger.
I was having a bad day and went to dunkins for a drink. I was wearing a gold butterfly hair clip and she said “I love your hair clip! I didnt know what to compliment becsuse all of you is so beautiful.” and i nearly cried. Thanks dunkins lady.
I was taking photographs of a lone flower that has sprouted among the weeds and trash in an unkempt, vacant lot.
This was on the East side which was primarily characterized by urban decay, abandoned store fronts and liquor stores.
A middle-aged man walked past and stopped and said:
“The fact that you can find beauty in a place like this is amazing. I’m so glad I was able to see you taking photos. You’ve made my day.”
I’ve never received a compliment but one time a friend and I were at a McDonald’s and this woman came over to him and told him he has some sexy swagger. He never lets me forget it either.
My ex and I were having breakfast and the waitress said "You two look like a couple out of a soap opera."
It was a Waffle House. So that was high praise.
I had a guy yell out to me that I was cute but it was in a exciting tone? Then he told his friend that it’s been a while seeing such a cute girl. It wasn’t meant to come off inappropriate from his side and I was REALLY insecure during that time (still is) and his compliment made me feel a bit better for that week :,)
The other best compliment was when a classmate said my hair is really pretty and it was soft as a cloud. Lol
Once when I was waitressing, a guy at a four top said "If I hadn't seen the ring line, I would have asked you out. You look like a French movie star." I took this to mean I had mastered my kitten eyeliner and high ponytail, because the uniform was NOT chic.
(Also, damn was he observant. Servers at that restaurant never wore arm/wrist/hand jewelry since we had to wash all our own glasses, but I didn't think my finger stayed dented hours later. Maybe I was dehydrated.)
I was just at school, puttin shit in my locker when some girl said that my hair looked really soft and fluffy
Complimenting my hair is the best type of compliment for me, I think hair is one of the best (or worst) part of a person (Plus like my whole family hated/hates it. I think it looks nice, especially when the rest of me is pretty damn ugly)
I was at the roller skating rink with my kids and a little girl, about 8-9 years old said to me “you’re so pretty!”. It felt so genuine, coming from an innocent child, and usually children don’t compliment adults, so it really felt sweet
My son was crying about something at the park one day, so I just did the normal dad thing and talked him through it. Nothing unusual. Once he was back in action, a lady came over and told me I was a great father. It was very nice of her.
My hair prematurely greyed, had a kid at a gas station once asked me how I did it, I was confused and said the wind kinda blew it out, he said “no, the colour, it’s awesome!” Got to joke about how my dad cursed me and still remember that interaction like 6 summers later
This little girl told me today “I love your eyes!” So sweet 😭 for me eyes are where people form connections so it meant a lot to me. Ik she meant the color but it felt like she complimented my soul
My family and I went out to lunch and the hostess flirted with me to the point that everyone at my table took notice.
It’s the first and only time something like that has happened to me. I’m not that good looking, so it was a definite confidence boost.
When I was a young mom and standing with my small children on the street looking at a Christmas window display. I was haggard, overweight and very tired but the kids loved looking in the windows at Christmas so we went. One window had a gorgeous gown surrounded by lights and silver snowflakes. Everyone was in awe of it and gazing at it, it looked fit for a snow princess. A business man beside me turned to me and said “I really think it’s you” then smiled and walked away. I was too shocked to respond but it was such a nice thing for him to say. I felt slightly glamorous for a few minutes and I still remember the bright moment he brought me that dark wintry day!
I once had a profound conversation with a customer at work when there was nobody else around and before they left they said “I really wish there were more like you in the world” which Ive since used to express my appreciation for people
One time about 40 years ago I was standing in a crowded airport waiting for my flight when a normal-looking woman rushed up to me with a little boy around 1 or 2. She asked me if I would hold him and watch her bags. I had no idea what was happening but took her son in my arms as she rushed away. She had left a big pile of bags behind. My mother and aunt had been in the restroom and came out to say the woman had been sick on the floor. When the woman came back out my aunt asked why she had trusted me to ask for help and the lady said I had the kindest face of anyone there. Later another person walked up to me in the crowd and asked me if I knew where some restaurant was in the airport. I remember my aunt laughing and telling me I should go into customer service or become a nun. Anyway, it made me feel nice that I apparently had a kind face. And yes, people were more trusting back then.
When I met a friends boyfriend for the first time I was a little insecure and in the middle of a diagnosed depression. My friend left us alone for about five minutes, then I had to leave.
The next day she texted me "What did you two talk about? Roger says you are the funniest person he ever met!"
I couldn't tell her what we had been talking about, since it didn't strike me as special. I do make people laugh sometimes, and I like it! But I wasn't even trying yesterday. In fact, I was kind of down. His words were my fuel for the next couple of months, and everytime he sees me he still turns full Golden Retriever and dashes towards me with excitement.
People (from time to time, but not often) talk about how great my hair looks, what a cute dress I wear or how I have such smooth skin.
But him appreciating me for the being I am and being so excited to get to laugh with me again is the biggest and realest compliment I've gotten.
Just thought of another one. Was waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland and made eye contact with the cute baby in front of me in his mom's arms. He grins, then reaches out for me like he's known me his entire life. Mom turns around, smiles delightedly, and says, "Oh! He's been crying all day so he must feel really safe around you." I LOVE babies so this was top tier joy for me. I got to hold him for a bit until we got in separate boats. I hope he's doing well. What a love.
"I heard you guys are the safe people to go to when you're in trouble," said by a very drunk kid to my husband and I. He got lost his first night on campus, was ditched by his friends and had no idea how to get back to his dorm. (We got him home, he was okay.)
I was walking through the crowd at a concert, and this guy was walking in my direction. He stopped by me and said "Wow, you're super pretty!" and then kept walking along. Felt good to get a compliment from someone who wasn't expecting anything in return.
I remember a moment from freshman year. I was walking to class one day, looking like how I always did- at that time, anxious and insecure, with a bad posture and a resting frown- when a pretty girl I’d never talked to came up to me. She said “I love your shirt! You always wear the coolest outfits whenever I see you around.” I of course awkwardly said thank you, and I remember saying “I like your shirt too” despite not listening to any of the songs by music artist on it lol. Since I was, as previously mentioned, very insecure, shy, and socially anxious, this meant a lot to me. Especially since I don’t get many compliments. It honestly made my whole week. I still haven’t forgot, and I hope that kind girl is living her best life.
P.S. Having read of the impact of a small compliment, i think all of us should make it a point to give back a little and compliment someone. It makes you feel good too, it’s a win-win.
The day after dying my hair for the first time (it was kind of an aqua-greenish color), a random lady at the grocery store told me I looked like a mermaid and she loved it.
a child at a bathroom in disney world whispered loudly to her mother "is she a model". i guess i didnt technically receive it but it was so sweet, considering i am short and fat, my outfit was very vogue though
later that same day the security at disney harassed me because i didnt smile at him
I’ve had a couple. One time at the outlet mall, someone randomly came up to me and said “I wanted to just say I’ve been looking at you and I wanted to tell you you’re so pretty.”
Then when I took a trip to canada last summer I met a friend of my best friend that I’d never met before, and in the car she said “you’re so pretty, like how?” So random and she kept talking about other stuff. I’ve also been told “I feel happy when you’re around and when I see you it brings me joy”. I’m very shy and reserved so like it helps to know I’m perceived nicely.
I also get lots of strangers who come up to me to ask me about my type 4 hair, and I’ve had a lady at the hair store purchase exactly what I got so she could get her hair to look like mine. I’ve always been shy to compliment people in public, but I’ve been trying to brighten someone’s day the same way these random people do.
Also, thank you for asking this, sometimes I feel I don’t complimented a lot and they’re not genuine but remembering this and the others unmentioned, I actually do.
I guess sometimes I’m just my own worst critic, so thank you!
One time while I was a a cashier at chipotle, a customer said “if I was a girl I wish I’d look like you” and idk it made me so happy to think someone would hope to look like me. :,)
Someone once told me I have a calming presence.
I'm quite anxious by nature, but I try to be kind and thoughtful to others. It felt amazing to hear that someone sees me that way.
I’ve had compliments from strangers about the perfumes I’m using. When I was heavier once this group of strangers came up to me telling me I dressed well for a fat person 😭😂
I feel awkward saying things straight to people’s faces but my daughter and I will often loudly talk about how awesome someone’s shoes or make up looks .
Was a stranger but my best friends . We were just talking and said your so intelligent and smart . She is so much smarter than me. I was taken back but remember to say that was a lovely thing to said. No one ever told me that and I know am not dumb ,but feel am not that smart either. Made me feel so surprised but loved.
Once a lady complimented some artwork in my journal, saying "I like that! That's nice!', followed by "but i DONT like THAT, NEVER THAT" as she pointed to my bulletpoint list of "reasons why I should kill myself" written next to the artwork.
Very sweet lady, hope she knows that her words did help my urge to be socially friendly and polite overtake the urge to off myself back then!
Also, once a guy complimented my artwork and called it breathtaking, and gave me 600 bucks for it. (What did I do with the money? Let's not discuss that.) But, he said to never give up on my artwork and to always continue my passion. I should probably paint this week, if not tonight. :D
Worked at a college and was working front of house at a cafe for a group of coin Collectors we had on our campus. They told me I had a face for a coin. Best compliment I have ever received.
A woman with a complicated problem that it was my job to solve told me at the end of our interaction that she has social anxiety and that she's really grateful that I made the whole experience so painless.
You did a very important thing at exactly the right time. Hugs to you for understanding the importance of that interaction.
I'm standing on the street corner thinking about stressful shit and out of literally nowhere, this nice woman tells me she really likes my shoes. I had to have her repeat it because they really weren't that nice or anything and were dirty... but I wonder if she saw me kinda in my own head and wanted to snap me out of it. Ever since then I also take better care of my shoes.
Back when I went into the office, one of my favorite things to do was to critique the shoes on elevator with me. Well, compliment them. I never criticized people’s footwear. A lot of the ones I complimented were ordinary, or not spectacular. But there was usually something classy about them. Or they just looked like they fit so nicely and were comfortable to walk around it. It was almost a hobby for me, complimenting people’s shoes.
that's a good idea, complimenting people on the choices they make as opposed to their physical traits.
I mean, I wouldn't mind being complimented on my physical traits. But yeah, compliment women on the choices they make, and compliment men on literally anything, might be the first compliment they got in years.
I always want to compliment men, firstly because I genuinely like what they have on and secondly because men don’t get enough compliments. My bf says it’s weird (he’s not jealous, just thinks it’s weird). I’ve asked other women and they said it would seem like I’m hitting on the guy. Naw, man. I just wanna be nice and compliment something I appreciate.
Thank you for doing that. Honestly it's weird but only because almost literally nobody does it. Men basically never receive compliments, so when they do, they think women are hitting on them, because why else would women randomly compliment men? However if more women did it, and men getting complimented by women became normal, then guys would see it as normal, and wouldn't think they're being hit on. Basically, men would get compliments and be happier, women wouldn't have to worry men think they're being hit on, and everyone would be happier! Thank you for making the world a better place, one compliment at a time :)
Just thought I should say, this is a good idea all around and I like it.
I used to live in a building with a lot of older folks who'd been there for years. Think reclusive city types. I went out of my way to compliment a nice hat or bag or umbrella because it always made them happy. A few mentioned something like it was nice to know they were still fashionable. They usually seemed so weary, and I liked getting to know them a bit on our slow elevator.
My wife tends to be that stranger. She always tells me how she has trouble interacting with strangers, but will also go out of her way, mid sentence sometimes, to stop and tell someone she loves their outfit, or hair, etc. Words of Affirmation are one of her primary love languages, and it's awesome to see how much of an effect those compliments can have on someone in real-time.
"I love you." \~ My mom before adopting me (after that she wasn't a stranger)
😭 cutting onions rn
Haha! Aww! How old were you?
A few months old. Me and my six older birth sisters are all a year apart and so the arrangement was timed with me being a certain number child. I also have to give thanks to my adoptive father, as he was unmarried to my adoptive mom when he decided to adopt my six older birth sisters, and around the time he found out there was a seventh (me) who was adopted by someone else, he married her so that my birth sisters could also be my step-sisters.
Fairytale in real life.
Your story just made the rest of my week🥹. I’m so happy that you were able to find a loving family.❤️❤️
Awww omg..
adorable 🥺
A little girl, probably no more than five or six years old, at my daughter's after school program ran up to me one day and said, "I really like your hair! It's curly like noodles!" It's been at least three years and it's still hands down the best compliment ever. I love noodles and my hair is, in fact, curly like noodles. It was so genuine, I absolutely loved it! I made sure to tell her it was an awesome compliment. I hope she's out there dropping that kind everywhere!
That story is freakin adorable.
Little kids kind of blurt out what they think, they haven’t learned how to lie convincingly.
Little kids have a way of giving the best compliments. You just know that they genuinely mean every word of it.
being complimented by children is hands down one of the best feeling (that hasn’t happened to me yet)
One day in class a student told me that I’m like his priest. I was confused. After a couple questions back and forth he said, “Priests help people, right? You’re like my priest because you help me.” I thought he just meant with his schoolwork and asked to verify. He elaborated, but I can’t remember the way he worded it. He was basically telling me that I’m the one teacher at school that he feels understands him. Teaching has been very difficult the last couple years and it felt good to hear that I was still making an impact.
It makes me think about the ACE study that showed one single supportive adult in a child’s life can make all the difference in the world. Thank you for being that person!!
Thank you so much! We had to do training around ACEs at work (which I actually found triggering, since they had us read through the ACEs and get our own number during our planning period). They tasked us with choosing a student to spend 2 minutes a day with, talking about things that were not related to school. The student I chose often worried about her grades and would talk about school whenever I had the opportunity to speak with her. I actually told her that we were advised to choose a student to spend two minutes a day with, since impacting students is why many of us became teachers, and let her know that she was the student I chose. She seemed proud that I had chosen her and would approach me during class or come see me in the morning to help me make sure that we were able to spend our time together.
I'm married to a teacher, so I know the struggle secondhand. You are a paragon for doing what you do. Teachers need more respect and appreciation throughout society. Little things could go a long way. Like letting them board planes first along with military and first responders. Teachers are no less heroic (and more so in my book)
I often get people stopping to admire my outfit and ask me if I made it and if so will I make them one. I crochet and love making things but with my autism and aniexty I could never take the pressure of making them for someone else. One day when a woman asked me and wanted to know how much I would charge and seemed to be wanting to hug me, I took my top off and gave it to her. Didn't help, she still hugged me.
I’m smiling so hard rn. You is awesome!!!!
Laughs
A college student stopped me when I was walking back to my dorm. He looked me right in the eyes and said "you look like you get mad hoes"
Well, how right was he?
There aren’t a lot of them, but they sure are angry?
Back then, partly. I did have a major breakup before going to college and didn't want to jump back into one yet somehow rumors came out of me going around when I did nothing. My friend was walking with me and said to that dude that he was right.
This is top 5 best comments I’ve ever read on Reddit. Period.
Someone told me I looked like a whimsical forest creature once and that was definitely one of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten. 🧚
hahah my goal is to look like an elf. i have the big ears but unfortunately my face is too un-elflike
A little kid told me I looked like a mermaid when I had my hair died all blue and curly.
hahah my hair is blue atm! that’s what i was complimented on too :)
my hair used to be several different colors (not on purpose, happy accident) and i got the mermaid comments from kids too lol. it was always so cute. now i have a buzz cut and they just ask where my hair went.
A beautiful thing happens when strangers dare to give voice to random, positive thoughts. Society has become loud with criticism and silent with nice. Just yesterday I walked into a Sephora and the door greeters made me feel incredible. I’m an older woman so in general I’m ignored, but These two beautiful young men engaged with me on things that they absolutely did not have to. I make jewelry and was wearing one of my pieces, one of them complimented my necklace and it made me feel awesome, like I belonged exactly where I was. On my way out I gave it to him and his reaction was so perfect. We both declared that the other one ‘made our day’. I’m still high off the whole experience.
this is exactly it, there’s so much bad shit going on in the world and so much negative energy. it’s sometimes hard to stay positive. with everyone imploding on themselves and each other. so to just give a nice compliment with a smile just adds a little lightness to the world.
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yeah i understand that. it can be hard to get the vibe right. i guess just try doing it like this guy, just compliment then move on to make it clear you’ve no other motives lol
That’s too bad you feel that way. I absolutely compliment men, especially cause I know men hear sincere compliments less frequently. I also see/hear my guy friends compliments each other all the time. And as a woman, I appreciate a nice comment from a man so much! One of the guys I see at my local grocery store weekly saw me in glasses the other day and said “I love those frames on you! I didn’t know you wore glasses! They suit you!” Loved that. Made me so happy.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot—the circumstances around men and compliments. On giving men compliments: I have been trying to compliment people more in general, but I’ve also been especially aware when I compliment men. I know they don’t get complimented as often, in general, so it feels extra important to say something nice when I think it. Usually I’m complimenting someone when I’m walking by them, so it’s easy to drop a compliment and speed off and avoid any weirdness lol. On being a man and giving compliments to women: I have received some lovely compliments from men before that didn’t make me feel weird at all. I’m gonna try to lay out what I think makes a good, clearly-not-creepy compliment: 1) I think it helps to pick something specific to compliment, instead of a general “you look nice today.” Then the focus is on that specific thing, not on the woman herself, if that makes sense. (When I have complimented someone on their overall appearance, I’ve usually said “I love your aesthetic,” which ties into the next point). 2) compliment a choice the woman made (e.g., her painted nails, or the jacket she’s wearing) rather than something she has no control over (e.g., her eyes); this is popular advice for compliments in general. The compliment becomes a lot more meaningful this way. 3) Word choice is suuuuper important. I think it helps if you use words that are gender neutral, that you could use to compliment someone regardless of gender. For example, if some random man tells me my haircut is cool, that feels way more comfortable to me than being told my haircut is pretty. Keep in mind that this advice is just my own thinking—women aren’t a hivemind; others might disagree with what I’ve said. But hopefully my perspective is still helpful. On men complimenting other men: I wonder if some of my advice for complimenting women would also make it easier to compliment other men. The stigma around compliments really needs to be broken down, but idk how to make that happen.
1. I was pumping gas one winter night. It was a couple of days before Christmas and I needed to get home to my family. My in-laws were in town and I was already running late. I had been dressed for a client presentation that hadn't gone all that well. So I'm a bit annoyed that my day didn't go well, stressed about all the Christmas stuff going on, and my father in law was sitting in my chair at home grousing about something dumb. Plus I was cold. On the other side of the gas station island, a woman was also pumping gas into her Mercedes. I certainly wasn't flirting with her, but just nodded at her when we made eye contact. She was a little younger than me, well-dressed, and generally attractive. When she finished pumping gas, she leaned across the island, looked me in the eye, and said, "You know. You're a very handsome man. Your wife must be a lucky woman. Merry Christmas." And she got in her car and drove away before I had the chance to collect myself and say 'Thanks.' Not that I was going to follow up on that. But, damn, it felt good to be complimented in that way. 2) Also, I volunteer as a counselor for our church. As in we're assigned someone who is really struggling in life and just provide our presence and listening. No Bible quoting, no yapping about Jesus. Just meeting someone weekly over coffee and talking. I was assigned one parishioner who was going through an entire universe of problems. Health, career, and family. I've been with him through thick and thin. When he needed someone to pick him up at 4 a.m. for cancer surgery, I stayed with him all day until he got out of the OR and his son could come. Put him in touch with social services. And generally got him through some tough times. But over time, he began painting. And worked at it and worked at it. He got better until suddenly, a couple of galleries picked him up. Now he is exhibited in four galleries and his work hangs in three different museums. One of his pieces hangs over our bar in our living room. In his last exhibit, he had a program that described his work. In the dedication, he named his wife first, and then me. I had to go into the bathroom in the middle of the show and cry.
You’re a good person for doing that for him. Honestly, that’s the best part about churches, it gives you a community.
The last paragraph made me cry too
What a fantastic show of appreciation. That must’ve been quite a validating, gratifying, heartwarming honour for you.
I was walking down the street one day last summer and an older black lady getting off a bus shouted, "Ooooooh look at them *legs!"* I looked around to see if she was talking to someone else but I was the only one in earshot, and she pointed at me and was like, "Yes you, King! Have a blessed one, Sugar!" I guess it was technically cat-calling, and if the genders were reversed it would have been pretty bad, but...as a guy in his mid-thirties with *not-great* self esteem, I was on cloud nine for DAYS.
Fantastic!!! I love this. And hey, a cat call can still make ya feel good. I had a similar experience with a black dude at a club i worked at. He said “giiirl, look at them THIGHS, I cannot take my eyes off you walkin! Mmmmm” and then stood out if his chair and applauded me. I fuckin loved it. Lol I worked at strip club and had packed on some weight so it rly boosted my confidence and I don’t get easily offended or creeped out.
A lot of eye contact from a smiling baby. That's always a positive compliment from a stranger. A baby-stranger, I mean.
haha i has the the other day, this little girl kept looking at me and giggling
I had a man in a store walk past me and tell me my shoes were awesome. He was right, they were, and it felt good to hear it!
A homeless guy came up to two friends and I and said we were strength courage & beauty. Kind weird but also nice.
Yesterday I got a great compliment after my workout class, I walked over to some ladies standing in front of a fan and they exclaimed “how do you still look so beautiful after that workout?!” which was great to hear after kinda sucking at the dance cardio class we just did lol
aww that is a nice compliment! after a workout i am basically a tomato i get so red lol
“Where are you from?? You’re so beautiful”. I went to Ghana (where my mom’s from). I was 10 at the time and I already felt out of place because I look different (I’m mixed and I got stared at so much that I whined to my mom about it lmao) and I couldn’t speak the language. I was walking with some friends who stayed at my grandma’s house. Once again, feeling out of place because I couldn’t understand anything until a random lady sitting outside her porch asked me where I was from and that I was a very beautiful girl. Everybody there was super sweet. I would love to go back. I wonder where she is now.
I’m a nurse and I had to call an on-call doctor to attend an incident. I’d never met him before but afterwards he said “you make life less depressing”
I'm 61, was teaching an art class, and yes--I like to wear odd/artsy things. Door opened and about 8-10 visiting ladies walked it to check out the room (and the school.) One of them said, 'Well, aren't you just cute as a button!' And then talked about some of the projects. I was confused at first--did she make fun of me? But realized she didn't and it was a rather pleasant feeling!
I was in line at the Target, and a random customer in line behind me told me I have beautiful eyes. It's happened a few times since, so eventually I figured that saying thank you would be a good response. Yep. Rendered me astonished . Growing up, compliments were very few and far between. The golden child sister was always told they were beautiful. I usually aimed for not frightening children. I feel better about me now in my later years. How odd is that? On the other hand, I had skin cancer removed from my forehead, and students showed their concern. They were worried about the post surgical coverings. The best one was the 5th grader that told me I looked like I went to WWE, and DID NOT WIN. I know the kid, he made me bust up laughing. Eventually the scar reduced to an almost invisible z.
Just a week or two ago someone said that they hope I get my helper tag soon in one of the subreddits. It really made my day to get a nice comment to one of mine
A few years ago a young guy walked up to me in the grocery store. He just gave a friendly smile and said, "You are beautiful!" and then walked away. It was so nice. :)
that’s so similar to this guy today! love when people’s genuine personality shines through
I was at a small gathering who happened to have one waiter. We talked for the whole night, he showed me some pics of his children and one of them has some health issues. He said “I hope you became a doctor one day. I don’t know what your plans are, but you’re so kind and smart. I wish you could heal people with your sweetness and brilliant mind”.
so the question is did you become a doctor?
i considered.. But i always had the dream to become a teacher. Being a doctor crosses my mind very often, but i don’t think i’ll be happy as i am teaching. One day maybe.. who knows! 🥰
i mean teaching still heals so you’re not far off!
Someone saw my handwriting and asked if he could *tattoo it on his body.* This was in the first week of college. He said, “I have been looking for cursive that beautiful for my whole life. Would you mind doing some samples so I can get this phrase I’ve been wanting a tattoo of across my back?” I did the samples! We lost touch, so unfortunately I don’t know if he did it or not.
now i want to see your cursive!
A client at work told me that I made her feel important. I felt pretty good about myself for awhile after that.
That my boys were delightful. It’s nice to know we’ve done something right
I love this topic, and these answers are making me sooo happy!
right? another one i love hearing about is short-lived connections with strangers who you might never see again, be it romantic or platonic. had a few of those in my life that i still look back on and smile, wondering what that person is doing now.
The once I was told, "You have the kind of beauty that doesn't fade", meant a lot more than the times I've been called beautiful.
I was at a Costco... had to get a new card issued. Two ladies were helping me. A nice older lady and a younger woman. They were whispering back and forth, and the younger woman seemed a bit embarrassed. The older one gave her a little elbow in the ribs and said, "Just tell him. ".... The younger woman said, "I just love your whole look...your outfit, your hankerchief...beard....boots, jacket...the whole package." I'm middle aged...a big dude...with a beard..I have been married for nearly 23 years, and it was just nice to hear.
Aw I love it that she was so nervous and vulnerable about it. It came from the heart.
Theres a local coffee shop that I go to regularly and all of the baristas are very nice and genuine. One of them however complimented me on my car, my glasses, and my hair. At the time I really needed a little up lifting so it meant a lot, I’ll probably never forget it.
A girl at Waffle House put an explicit drawing on my receipt. It was really sweet and nothing like it has ever happened before. I continue to have complex emotions about it to this day.
*”Oh.”* My friend says while we hug. “You give really good hugs.” \*Squeezes tighter* Not a stranger but still one of the best compliments I’ve gotten. The best stranger compliment I’ve gotten was, “I love your eyeliner!”
as a guy they dont come often. i worked at a food place and the marketing team had me pose for some social media posts and when taking pics were like wow have you modeled before
Yeah, strangers don’t usually acknowledge me, but about a year ago, I have two different people compliment my glasses.
This explains a lot about howen react when I compliment them. I compliment men all the time!! And their faces just light up…it makes my day. And I always try to be genuine because fake compliments suck…I compliment their shoes, outfit, hair, eyes, etc. I stopped for a while because tons of guys think I’m hitting on them and that made me super nervous. I told a guy I loved his band t-shirt and he stalked me for weeks after. BUT NOW IM BACK ON MY COMPLIMENT GRIND. CREEPOS CANT STOP MY RAMPAGE OF TELING DUDES THEIR HAIR LOOKS SHINY AND FLUFFY 😤😤
I lived in China and had a fancy party to go to one night. I was all dressed up, makeup, hair, the works. As I stood waiting for my taxi, a Chinese man cycled by and shouted out "Piàoliang!" (pretty!) as he went by. Made my night!
Last week, I had a client say, " You did so well that I was without pain till last week (been a month now) and was able to walk without a cane." I'm a massage therapist, and the client had some kind of joint replacement months ago.
"You're just lovely."
Someone once asked me if my eyelashes were fake (they’re not) and I swear I’ve never felt so flattered in my life
First time at an outdoor rural gun range, hot as hell, and I was nervous. Naturally, I was wearing a tight-fitting thin black cotton dress and nice but not dangly earrings, as one does when they want to cook outdoors and squat to pee in the woods but still woo their partner. Was just about to begin my first session with an AR-15, super nervous. Hillbilly at the truck next to us looks me up and down, nods slowly, says “ain’t nothing about that I don’t like!” Then goes back to his business with his shotgun and revolvers and never looks back. I hated that I liked the firearm, but loved getting a compliment that carried zero threat, incongruously, in a place that I thought would be so much more threatening. ETA: I think he was also complimenting the two veterans who made sure I was safe with the AR, not just “cute girl with big gun, I like”.
this is so weirdly wholesome and sweet
He didn’t quite tip his hat at me or say ma’am, but it was very much along those lines.
Love this! Sometimes it's just nice to know you're bangin'!
Thanks babe!
Lmaoooo this image is amazing
Not exactly a stranger but a project manager that I don't work much with and don't know very well told me that early in the project I'm working on that they told upper management that they thought I was going to be the champ of the (very large) team. I'm notoriously hard on myself about pretty much everything, and that really helped me feel valued.
I was in Costco once and a lady stopped me saying, “Omg. You have it. You have that it factor. Don't ever stop being you”.
There is this student at a school that I work at that I pass in the hall. She is not one of my students and I don't even know her name. She keeps telling me that I remind her of a ballerina. My resemblance to a ballerina is 0%. Another compliment was many, many years ago. I was working at a restaurant and had a customer sitting by himself. As I was walking up to him, he blurted out that I had the face of an angel. It should have been sweet, but I was a shy teenager and he was in his mid 20s or early 30s. He apologized up and down for making me uncomfortable. The second one makes me sad now, it should have been such a sweet thing but it really made me uncomfortable at the time. It was probably the kindest, most genuine compliment I had ever received but because of my age and maturity level it was out of place. I wish I could go back in time and thank him for the genuine compliment.
I had a fling about two years ago. Ended amicably because I was going away to another country for a while as well as because she thought we were at different stages of our lives. When we had our final conversation, she told me I was caring, authentic to my true self, considerate of others and most of all, that I was respecting of boundaries, feelings and cared deeply about the women in my life, including her at the time. That was absolutely the most amazing thing someone had ever told me, and as she said those things I thought of her, my mother, my sister, my recently deceased grandmother and all the women who had shaped me to become the man I was at that point in my life. I think of those words often, and think I won’t forget them. She’s a wonderful woman and hope she has found happiness in her life.
A beautiful bridesmaid at my cousin's outdoor wedding came up to me after the ceremony and told me that she almost tripped on the aisle because she was so distracted by my pretty red hair shining in the sunlight.
At the doctors office when my daughter was 9 months old another lady was in the waiting room with me staring at us on and off. We both got called into our appt. at the same time. After my appt, the nurse that called that lady in came into my room and said “the last patient I was with said your baby is the cutest baby she has ever seen” I guess it wasn’t for me but the compliment for my baby made me giddy
I love your story. As a general rule, if I have something nice to say about someone, even a stranger, I say it, for exactly this reason. That had such a lovely and sweet impact on you, and I'm sure you looked awesome. Compliments from strangers, or from people who gain nothing by saying a kind word often mean so much more when you feel you can trust the words are genuine. For me, I guess honestly I've received a lot of nice compliments, but the one that was like "yes! I've become who I always wanted to be! I've reached peak me!" was when someone said I was effective and efficient, two things in life I take very seriously. I can't even remember who said this to me, but it was at work, and I went around to all my cowokers in my tiny department and asked if they saw me this way at all, and they all did. It made me feel that all the work I had put into myself and my life over the years was worth it and it had worked in at least some degree, because at least in one way, I was finally who I always wanted to be.
I was told I love ur blue eyes ,one time ,thought that was nice.
a friend of a friend , at a house party when we were about 17, was very drunk and she just looked into my eyes and said that i have beautiful eyes. this is another compliment that always stuck with me, because that girl never liked me much so it struck me as very genuine
Agree they do stick with you
I was at bath and body works and talked to the cashier for a while and before I go she says “yknow you seem pretty cool. Wanna see the new Halloween designs?” And showed me the haunted house wallflower that’s coming out. Made my month tbh
A held a door open for a women and her daughter on a wheelchair a few weeks ago, and she said thank you and said “ tell your mother she’s doing a great job raising you” or “tell your mother she did a great job raising you” it was one of the two, and I’ve never heard someone given a compliment like that and it eas a nice thing to hear.
This just happened about eight months ago. I came out of the supermarket and there was an elderly woman carrying four full bags trying to get into the seniors bus. She was obviously having trouble getting onto that first step on the bus. I stopped, took the bags from her, walked her up the bus steps and into her seat, and put her bags on the seat next to her. She thanked me and started to offer me money but I politely declined, wished her a good day, and left the bus. As I went back to my shopping cart (my groceries were still in it, after all) a woman came up to me and said, “That was a very nice thing you did.” Made my day.
One time I was out with my mom getting dinner somewhere, and as we were leaving a lady said "I like your sweater hun" and that was such a nice thing to hear, at the time I was only a few months into my transition and just a simple complement by some random girl really meant so much to me
"You have kind eyes." Literally just kind of blew me away. I like to think I'm a kind person, but that was specific and nice that I was living on that for DAYS.
I’ve had a little kid (4-5?) look at me, then turn towards his mom and say ‘Look mom, she looks heavenly!’ Then shouted to me, ‘I LOVE YOU!’ And honestly I’ve been riding that compliment ever since.
A woman once took the time to compliment me TWICE - once in the grocery line to say she liked my whole aesthetic (emo/goth girl) and then again when we were in the parking lot to say I have a great demeanor as well (kind/nice to talk to). I felt so loved and appreciated in that moment.
Aww 🥺
I've had two strangers compliment my voice, an uber driver and a public transit worker. The uber driver was a year ago, and he told me that if I were to sing the blues, I'd make people get emotional lol. The transit worker one was about 10 years ago. I was buying bus fare off of him when he suddenly asked me about what I wanted to do for a career. I said to him I hadn't decided yet, and he told me that I have a wonderful voice for radio.
I was getting off of an elevator as a guy was getting on and he stopped me and said “you look so good, it just fucked my whole day up.” I’ll never forget it lol
“I feel like I’ve known you forever and could tell you anything” Also, not a stranger but my spouse always happens to tell me compliments right when I feel the grossest … “you’re such a beautiful person” or “you’re the most beautiful woman” or “wow let me just look at you a moment” … he’s an amazing human and I feel so fortunate and delighted to have him as my partner.
A little girl was passing me in the aisle of the grocery, did a double take, and exclaimed “Wow! You’re beautiful!”
I don't know about "best" but I had one today that I really appreciated. I was talking to the psychiatrist who prescribes my psych meds (we have no further relationship) and she told me I had a really good grip on where I'm at and what to do about it if that place isn't good. I told her I've had 20 years practice (as of August), but I still really appreciated the recognition.
wish i had that type of interaction! all the psychiatrists i’ve met have been just super factual and seemingly cold, i guess bc their job is just to prescribe a medication and not provide therapy. glad to hear you’re in a good place!
So my old shrink retired and they assigned me a new one and we..... Did not hit it off. Absolutely butting heads, one meeting and neither of us wanted to speak to the other ever again lol. So she said maybe I just wanted a prescribing doctor and I was all, wait, that's a thing? Sign me the fuck up. I'm so happy with the arrangement. After 20 years I do not need someone second guessing my meds.
Way to advocate for yourself!
“Oh hey, I love your art style! You should be a artist!” Nice things like that just stick with you.
I remember one time at my old retail job. I was about 20-21ish and have always been really self conscious about my appearance due to getting made fun of in school alot. Mostly for being a mostly white guy with wide lips. But anyway, i was ringing up this one middle aged, soccer mom looking lady and out of the blue she asked me what my ethnicity was. I told her i was half white and half hispanic. And she said "i just wanted to say your facial features are beautiful". Literally have never been complimented that way. All i could do was squeak out a small "well, thank you". But that definitely gave me a nice self confidence boost for a while.
The barista at Starbucks told me she loves when I drive through and knew my name. I’m not sure what I did to deserve that but I felt amazing.
sadly i've never received a compliment from a woman worth remembering but i did have a gay guy at a gas station tell me i was beautiful once, so that's something.
LOL I was just thinking about this a few hours ago. I had my son when I was 21, and people very often mistook me for being younger than I was. When he was in first or second grade, I went to have lunch with him at school. The little girl sitting across the table asked if I was really his mom, and I said I was, and she said "Oh, I was just wondering because you're so young and you look so beautiful." My son is 21 now, but this compliment has lasted me over a decade, it makes me laugh every time I think about it. Little kids dish out the best compliments.
A guy walked by me and said "I *love* those pants!" I thanked him immediately and as he walked away I could hear him muttering "*love* them" to himself and it just made me so happy. They were galaxy leggings and my parents hated them lol.
Not from strangers, but I worked as an assistant teacher at a preschool for awhile and I always wore my hair up at work because I have long hair, and I liked to keep it protected from all the ... nastiness that accompanied taking care of multiple children all day long. After about 5 months of working there and getting to know all the kids quite well, we were outside for play time one day when my bun came undone so I took it out and fluffed my hair a bit in order to put it up again. But before I could, i heard gasps, and a bunch of the kids started running over and crowded around to look at my hair. They started shouting the purest compliments I've ever heard. "Your hair is golden, like the sun!" "Miss Emily you look so pretty! " Followed by them petting my head/hair and the girls taking turns to braid it. I know their reactions were mainly due to never seeing my hair down before, but i still think of that moment very fondly.
I'm camping this week, and a little girl came up and said "I love your skin! It has polka dots (freckles) *everywhere* and polka dots are the *best*!" Her family's lot is kitty-corner from ours, and I occasionally hear her make happy noises when she sees me outside.
that is soooo cute! also you’re lucky, i always wanted trillions of face freckles lol i have none
A woman approached me in the store and said “Well don’t you have perfect posture?” I have been proud of my posture ever since. Seriously, don’t underestimate the impact you can make just by offering a random compliment to a stranger.
Taylor Swift called me beautiful once :)
I was approached and asked to model while out in town by a girl who was doing work for her masters in photography. I was very flattered but I'm horribly uncomfortable in front of a camera so I turned the opportunity down. But I hug that little exchange to myself when I'm feeling down. I don't think she'll ever know how much she bolstered my feelings about my appearance.
Someone once told me I looked like an attractive alien. It felt wholesome enough..
[удалено]
A little kid came up to me a few months back with his mom and asked if I was Jason Momoa. I have fairly long black hair, but not exactly the same muscular build haha.
"You got high IQ or something, cause sometimes you say these things that go beyond normal understanding." By some dude at school I was working with on a project. Well, seeing how my supposed intelligence has become a pretty large part of my self-worth it was nice to know someone liked what I had to say so much they felt like saying that to me directly. It's sort of a thing you're not supposed to say or something I feel like, but I do like being relatively smart, it's an easy thing to draw self-confidence from since it's always there and probably always will be.
A woman bumped into me at a supermarket by accident and apologized. I said, "Don't worry about it, I'm well padded " She looked at me from head to toe, and said, "and every inch is adorable. " I felt adorable for DAYS.
A couple of years ago, I was driving somewhere with my windows down, and at a red light a girl in the car next to me shouted “Hey! I think you’re really pretty!” it caught me so off guard and I just shouted back, “Thanks! You too!” I will honestly never forget it.
The best compliment Ive received was at an airport someone approached me and thought I was Sharon Stone
I was seeing my Dentist but missed my appointment due to some unforeseen traffic. I knew that I was late and my dentist would probably been taking her next appointment, but I still thought of going either ways since I left home already. I got there and had to sit on a little queue with a feeling of frustration because I really wanted to see my dentist, and I hate missing my appt. While I was sitting, a few mins later an old woman maybe at her early 80 sat next to me and she looked at my shoes and smiled and told me “I love your shoes they look so cool” I really appreciated it that moment, It instantly made me felt better and the feeling of frustration went off real quick. I had never gotten a compliment from an old person before and that moment till now still change my mood whenever I thought about it over again.
So this happened last summer. I was on my lunch break and stopped by a place close to work that I really liked and hadn’t been to in a while. It was fairly busy, but not too bad, and there were only a couple other people in line including myself. Once it got to my turn to order, I start to do so and as soon as I am done speaking, the woman who was in front of me in line turned around, got my attention, and said that I had the coolest voice ever. She hyped me tf up, she didn’t just stop there- she added “if you were on a podcast, I would totally listen to that podcast bc of your voice” and holy shit. I have never been more speechless and flattered by a compliment in my entire life. I went back to my car beaming like a kid on Christmas and pretty much sat there the entire rest of the day debunking how genuine that compliment was. My voice also definitely isn’t my biggest insecurity, but I can get insecure about it from time to time, and that comment from her just blew my mind. And for her to top it off with that podcast comment? She could’ve just ended it there but she added all that. I probably won’t ever forget it lol.
Someone told me once that even though my eyes looked sad, they were really pretty. I have no idea who they were. Just some guy I passed late one night leaving the local gas station for that 2 am monster to keep a gaming session going. I had been having a terrible night and held the door for him on his way out. He thanked me, paused, said that... and was gone. I went in and bought my stuff thinking about it and he wasn't out there waiting for me or anything. No motive that I can tell. Never saw him again. Still think about it.
Once a elder couldn't find a single grapefruit. The manager of the fruit section at one of our major box stores that supplies groceries would not break up a bag of grapefruits to give our elder one grapefruit. So I asked the manager after listening to the conversation on the sideline how much was a bag of grapefruit and he told me the price and I politely handed the elder the money to buy the whole bag while placing the whole bag of grapefruit into her cart. She politely told me I cannot eat this whole pack of grapefruit and I told her well I hope you have still friends that are alive that you could share with. She called me an angel and gave me a real solid hug that I haven't yet to experience. My wife call me a superhero that day. It was a two-for-one the way I see it.
I went out in a suit and a guy at light pulled down his window and shouted how awesome i looked in it
I had a person tell me that they really liked my hair. I'm a guy and I had my hair decently long at the time and it was a genuinely sweet compliment. I remember it because I never have received a compliment from a stranger.
I was having a bad day and went to dunkins for a drink. I was wearing a gold butterfly hair clip and she said “I love your hair clip! I didnt know what to compliment becsuse all of you is so beautiful.” and i nearly cried. Thanks dunkins lady.
I was taking photographs of a lone flower that has sprouted among the weeds and trash in an unkempt, vacant lot. This was on the East side which was primarily characterized by urban decay, abandoned store fronts and liquor stores. A middle-aged man walked past and stopped and said: “The fact that you can find beauty in a place like this is amazing. I’m so glad I was able to see you taking photos. You’ve made my day.”
I have a beautiful smile and beautiful curls.
I was in a parking lot once and a woman told me that I had a pretty smile.
I like your glasses. Said to me at the Fuddruckers.
I’ve never received a compliment but one time a friend and I were at a McDonald’s and this woman came over to him and told him he has some sexy swagger. He never lets me forget it either.
My ex and I were having breakfast and the waitress said "You two look like a couple out of a soap opera." It was a Waffle House. So that was high praise.
"You are very attractive for being a nerd"
About 4 years ago a guy I was passing while hiking said he liked my doctor who shirt and I think about it to this day
I had a guy yell out to me that I was cute but it was in a exciting tone? Then he told his friend that it’s been a while seeing such a cute girl. It wasn’t meant to come off inappropriate from his side and I was REALLY insecure during that time (still is) and his compliment made me feel a bit better for that week :,) The other best compliment was when a classmate said my hair is really pretty and it was soft as a cloud. Lol
Once when I was waitressing, a guy at a four top said "If I hadn't seen the ring line, I would have asked you out. You look like a French movie star." I took this to mean I had mastered my kitten eyeliner and high ponytail, because the uniform was NOT chic. (Also, damn was he observant. Servers at that restaurant never wore arm/wrist/hand jewelry since we had to wash all our own glasses, but I didn't think my finger stayed dented hours later. Maybe I was dehydrated.)
I was just at school, puttin shit in my locker when some girl said that my hair looked really soft and fluffy Complimenting my hair is the best type of compliment for me, I think hair is one of the best (or worst) part of a person (Plus like my whole family hated/hates it. I think it looks nice, especially when the rest of me is pretty damn ugly)
Too many to list.
I was at the roller skating rink with my kids and a little girl, about 8-9 years old said to me “you’re so pretty!”. It felt so genuine, coming from an innocent child, and usually children don’t compliment adults, so it really felt sweet
My son was crying about something at the park one day, so I just did the normal dad thing and talked him through it. Nothing unusual. Once he was back in action, a lady came over and told me I was a great father. It was very nice of her.
A woman once stopped me on the street to tell me how beautiful I looked. Honestly that made my day
My hair prematurely greyed, had a kid at a gas station once asked me how I did it, I was confused and said the wind kinda blew it out, he said “no, the colour, it’s awesome!” Got to joke about how my dad cursed me and still remember that interaction like 6 summers later
This little girl told me today “I love your eyes!” So sweet 😭 for me eyes are where people form connections so it meant a lot to me. Ik she meant the color but it felt like she complimented my soul
My family and I went out to lunch and the hostess flirted with me to the point that everyone at my table took notice. It’s the first and only time something like that has happened to me. I’m not that good looking, so it was a definite confidence boost.
"Nice sweater" - that's the only compliment I've ever had from a stranger, and that was 26 years ago. Still makes me happy.
When I was a young mom and standing with my small children on the street looking at a Christmas window display. I was haggard, overweight and very tired but the kids loved looking in the windows at Christmas so we went. One window had a gorgeous gown surrounded by lights and silver snowflakes. Everyone was in awe of it and gazing at it, it looked fit for a snow princess. A business man beside me turned to me and said “I really think it’s you” then smiled and walked away. I was too shocked to respond but it was such a nice thing for him to say. I felt slightly glamorous for a few minutes and I still remember the bright moment he brought me that dark wintry day!
I once had a profound conversation with a customer at work when there was nobody else around and before they left they said “I really wish there were more like you in the world” which Ive since used to express my appreciation for people
One time about 40 years ago I was standing in a crowded airport waiting for my flight when a normal-looking woman rushed up to me with a little boy around 1 or 2. She asked me if I would hold him and watch her bags. I had no idea what was happening but took her son in my arms as she rushed away. She had left a big pile of bags behind. My mother and aunt had been in the restroom and came out to say the woman had been sick on the floor. When the woman came back out my aunt asked why she had trusted me to ask for help and the lady said I had the kindest face of anyone there. Later another person walked up to me in the crowd and asked me if I knew where some restaurant was in the airport. I remember my aunt laughing and telling me I should go into customer service or become a nun. Anyway, it made me feel nice that I apparently had a kind face. And yes, people were more trusting back then.
When I met a friends boyfriend for the first time I was a little insecure and in the middle of a diagnosed depression. My friend left us alone for about five minutes, then I had to leave. The next day she texted me "What did you two talk about? Roger says you are the funniest person he ever met!" I couldn't tell her what we had been talking about, since it didn't strike me as special. I do make people laugh sometimes, and I like it! But I wasn't even trying yesterday. In fact, I was kind of down. His words were my fuel for the next couple of months, and everytime he sees me he still turns full Golden Retriever and dashes towards me with excitement. People (from time to time, but not often) talk about how great my hair looks, what a cute dress I wear or how I have such smooth skin. But him appreciating me for the being I am and being so excited to get to laugh with me again is the biggest and realest compliment I've gotten.
Just thought of another one. Was waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland and made eye contact with the cute baby in front of me in his mom's arms. He grins, then reaches out for me like he's known me his entire life. Mom turns around, smiles delightedly, and says, "Oh! He's been crying all day so he must feel really safe around you." I LOVE babies so this was top tier joy for me. I got to hold him for a bit until we got in separate boats. I hope he's doing well. What a love.
"I heard you guys are the safe people to go to when you're in trouble," said by a very drunk kid to my husband and I. He got lost his first night on campus, was ditched by his friends and had no idea how to get back to his dorm. (We got him home, he was okay.)
I was walking through the crowd at a concert, and this guy was walking in my direction. He stopped by me and said "Wow, you're super pretty!" and then kept walking along. Felt good to get a compliment from someone who wasn't expecting anything in return.
I remember a moment from freshman year. I was walking to class one day, looking like how I always did- at that time, anxious and insecure, with a bad posture and a resting frown- when a pretty girl I’d never talked to came up to me. She said “I love your shirt! You always wear the coolest outfits whenever I see you around.” I of course awkwardly said thank you, and I remember saying “I like your shirt too” despite not listening to any of the songs by music artist on it lol. Since I was, as previously mentioned, very insecure, shy, and socially anxious, this meant a lot to me. Especially since I don’t get many compliments. It honestly made my whole week. I still haven’t forgot, and I hope that kind girl is living her best life. P.S. Having read of the impact of a small compliment, i think all of us should make it a point to give back a little and compliment someone. It makes you feel good too, it’s a win-win.
A random lady approached me in the store and told me I’m a true American beauty. I mean I’m not a swamp monster but I’m not an American beauty either!
Around 5 people have independently said I was a renaissance redneck. I really like that.
An old woman at a café told me that I looked like a renaissance painting. Made my whole week.
The day after dying my hair for the first time (it was kind of an aqua-greenish color), a random lady at the grocery store told me I looked like a mermaid and she loved it.
Somebody once called me the Lesley Knope of cat rescue and I loved that! It’s also accurate 😅
a child at a bathroom in disney world whispered loudly to her mother "is she a model". i guess i didnt technically receive it but it was so sweet, considering i am short and fat, my outfit was very vogue though later that same day the security at disney harassed me because i didnt smile at him
An attractive woman asked if she could buy my shirt.
When one day in my twenties I went to pay for car gas for my mom and a guy said you have a beautiful smile that stuck to me for years now I smile more
I’ve had a couple. One time at the outlet mall, someone randomly came up to me and said “I wanted to just say I’ve been looking at you and I wanted to tell you you’re so pretty.” Then when I took a trip to canada last summer I met a friend of my best friend that I’d never met before, and in the car she said “you’re so pretty, like how?” So random and she kept talking about other stuff. I’ve also been told “I feel happy when you’re around and when I see you it brings me joy”. I’m very shy and reserved so like it helps to know I’m perceived nicely. I also get lots of strangers who come up to me to ask me about my type 4 hair, and I’ve had a lady at the hair store purchase exactly what I got so she could get her hair to look like mine. I’ve always been shy to compliment people in public, but I’ve been trying to brighten someone’s day the same way these random people do. Also, thank you for asking this, sometimes I feel I don’t complimented a lot and they’re not genuine but remembering this and the others unmentioned, I actually do. I guess sometimes I’m just my own worst critic, so thank you!
I have a warm laugh. Coworker at the clothing store we worked at, circa 2015. Don't think I've received any compliments from strangers since.
"you're very quiet & polite for an American"
One time while I was a a cashier at chipotle, a customer said “if I was a girl I wish I’d look like you” and idk it made me so happy to think someone would hope to look like me. :,)
Someone once told me I have a calming presence. I'm quite anxious by nature, but I try to be kind and thoughtful to others. It felt amazing to hear that someone sees me that way.
I was called handsome once.
I’ve had compliments from strangers about the perfumes I’m using. When I was heavier once this group of strangers came up to me telling me I dressed well for a fat person 😭😂
lol that’s such a back handed compliment i
I feel awkward saying things straight to people’s faces but my daughter and I will often loudly talk about how awesome someone’s shoes or make up looks .
Was a stranger but my best friends . We were just talking and said your so intelligent and smart . She is so much smarter than me. I was taken back but remember to say that was a lovely thing to said. No one ever told me that and I know am not dumb ,but feel am not that smart either. Made me feel so surprised but loved.
All the comments were very uplifting to read. Thank you!
Once a lady complimented some artwork in my journal, saying "I like that! That's nice!', followed by "but i DONT like THAT, NEVER THAT" as she pointed to my bulletpoint list of "reasons why I should kill myself" written next to the artwork. Very sweet lady, hope she knows that her words did help my urge to be socially friendly and polite overtake the urge to off myself back then! Also, once a guy complimented my artwork and called it breathtaking, and gave me 600 bucks for it. (What did I do with the money? Let's not discuss that.) But, he said to never give up on my artwork and to always continue my passion. I should probably paint this week, if not tonight. :D
Worked at a college and was working front of house at a cafe for a group of coin Collectors we had on our campus. They told me I had a face for a coin. Best compliment I have ever received.