Interesting Moral Question

[GilAskan]

This is an interesting situation that was once brought forth to me by a friend of mine. A similar thing had happened to him (and to a lesser degree, myself) as is described below, but I'd like to hear what people would do if in the situation themselves.

Alright, here it goes:

Concept

You have never been good looking. By almost any standard. You've always been overweight, and this has always altered your whole look. The extra weight always gave you worse skin, clothes didn't fit you well, and hair-cuts always looks disproportionate.

You have always been a fairly nice person, and intelligent. You have many friends of your preferred sex, but they're just friends. No one has really ever shown any romantic or sexual interest in you, inside or outside your circle of frineds.

Until now.

Dieting and exercise has led to your loss of weight. The loss of weight has fit you very well, leaving you with an extremely attractive face and body. Your clothes all fit well, and almost anything you wear is complementary to your figure. With a better looking face and body, you now pay more attention to your hair and skin, which are now clean and healthy.

For the first time in your life, you are being approached by people romantically. They're flirting with you, some directly, and some very subtley. Even people you've been friends with for years now seem to be somewhat attracted to you. You're no "God of Beauty" or anything, you just now appear to be noticably more attractive than most people around you.

Moral Dilemma

No one particularly noticed you before your "transformation". You now are getting people with both romantic and sexual interest in you, from both people you know and people you've never met.

In such a situation, would you embrace the newfound attraction of your peers? Or would you choose not to, because their interest has only now come forth since you became better looking? Should you enjoy the spoils of your new figure, and take your pick of suitors? Or would you be turned away by their shallow interests which previously ignored your personality and intelligence?

Notes-

Just to clear some things up:

- Again, no, you're not some God of Sex. You aren't some irrefusable pinnacle of human romanticism. You're just good looking. Maybe even as good looking as a movie-star, or a well known musician.

- The "friends" concept should be based around YOUR friends. The scenario isn't meant to be based around the idea that you have all fictional, all shallow pals. No one is perfect, and most people (even those who speak out against discrimination and preach relationships based around personality) will immediately show more interest in a good-looking person.

- No, I'm not trying to define beauty or any such nonsense. When I say you weren't good looking, I mean that the overwhelming majority of people would find you unnattractive. WHen I say you are now good looking, I mean that most people would be attracted to you.

Discuss:
- Embrace the spoils of your hard work, or take a higher moral route?
- Has anything like this happened with you, whether it be weight-loss, changing appearance, even wardrobe change?  

[-Resurrected Writer-]

Personally, I'd take the former: embracing the new attention.
I say this because having a better appearance may lead to more confidence. Because of this new confidence, which could lead one to express their opinions with more gusto, it could lead to someone simply becoming a more interesting person. So in a way, it can be a development of character to take the former route.
Still, if someone were to take it and choose to abandon all of those longtime friends for a crowd which only now accepts them, that would certainly be a degradation of character. Another issue would be if the confidence mentioned earlier became pretentiousness - thinking of themselves as a God(dess) of Beauty/Sex, to paraphrase you.

In a way, this has happened to me in recent times with some improvements to my diet, hygiene, and activity; more of my friends and peers find me attractive. Before, I was very shy and reserved; whatever personality and intelligence I had, I wasn't able to express.
I haven't experienced the full effect of the example, though.  

[Rellik San]

Humans always look for a certain physical type to be honest, its just their nature, so not to embrace the new found attention would be to deny yourself simple human pleasures. I'm actually in the reverse of this, I used to be skinny and bony now I've filled out a bit, I fit my features and look more attractive.  

[Kakei Setsunai]

Being rather shallow myself, I would embrace the new attention since that is what I do now after I apparently became more attractive after graduation high school last year.
I think it funnythough, because in high school i had to deal with the confines of the school system and cope with being around mass amounts of people that I didn't like and wear clothes that I didn't want to because the ones I loved were 'inappropriate'.
The fact that people though I was a lesbian didn't help wither since I naturally have a more masculine body compared to all the other females in my town.
Now, since I dyed my hair, changed my apparel among a few other things all the guys I hung out with (Yes, I hang out with mostly guys because they are more simple, interesting creatures.) started trying to pick up on me or asking me out and I got really creeped out because I'd known these people for years and never thought about them that way before.
The attention from new people that I don't know but thought were cute is rather nice though.

Sorry, that kinda turned into a rant. u.u  

[GilAskan]

I suppose I haven't voiced my opinion yet...

I would embrace it to a degree, but I (being a somewhat bitter person) wouldn't indulge those who have never shown interest.

More specifically, I would embrace attention from most people. Women who I'd never met before. I'd probably flirt and have fun talking with women I didn't know, and who previously never would've paid attention to me. I'd enjoy the rewards of my work in that sense.

I wouldn't, however, embrace such attention from people I'd known regularly for some time. People I'd see on a day to day basis, or people I'd consider friends. Why? I suppose I'd have a strong feeling of "You never showed interest before. And I'm not going to let you just discover that now that it's convenient to you." I don't want it to seem to revenge-like or grudge based, but being able to turn people down seems to be another reward.  

[babykitty18]

I had the exact situation u described. I wasn't that over weight but it was significant. the minute i slimed out and sophomore year hit. Everyone, even some of my friends tried to get with me. Flirting on the down low though. I would say that i embraced it a little, but even that much made me make a bad decision...3 times gonk crying But then finally i learned to embrace my new found beauty in a different manor. I looked for suitors who where intelligent enough not to see me as a "piece of meat". I cut off ties with the friends who only noticed the transformation and not me in general. I still have bitterness even if it was 2 years ago. stare
I found my perfect suitor who never knew b4 my transformation and only sees me as me and nothing more 3nodding biggrin heart  

[AmberGriffon]

I wouldnt indulge in those who didnt show interest before.

This did happen to me, and its really annoying when suddenly all regardsyou as a better person and company all of a sudden. I think I am pretty bitter, dont care for those who compliment my looks. My looks are for myself alone, for the feeling of wellness and fashion.

Looks can always change, and those who didnt care for me before wont learn to ever love me for real now that Ive changed, Im not someones doll. And I have enjoyed rejecting them after the change. Kind of like if you didnt love me as the Beast, you didnt pass the test.  

[Henneth Annun]

I would indulge in the interest of people who I'd never met/known before (why deny yourself after all that work?), otherwise, as said above, it's just like the only reason they became conveniently interested in you was because of your transformation. Plus, it would be awkward between the old you they knew and the new you others are starting to see.

You do have to remember that their newfound "shallow" interest comes from your improved physical image, but that's how many things start out. Once you start talking to them, it could get better or worse. They may the shallow type, or go a lot deeper and see the atractiveness as a bonus. It's why you talk to them, to get to know them and see what they're like.  

[SC_Anubis]

I would definately take advantage of the new changes. It feels good to know that you are considered attractive and even more so when you know many of the opposite sex want you.

As far as friends or aquantances go, that falls directly into how i date. The ones I don't take seriously I hardly get to know. Its the ones that I spark a friendship with that I pursue a serious romantic relationship with. Of course I give everyone the chance to become a friend of mine, but I find out rather quickly which ones are only interested in my body. Those are the ones I tend to play with more sadistically. Its fun to pull their strings and watch them dance like little marionettes!  

[Sica_Lunae]

This kinda happened to me. I'm no goddess, but I'm not too hard on the eyes.
I wouldn't reject interest from anyone. Part of romance does involve physical attraction, no matter how many people deny it. It does serve as at least a minute factor. I may question motives, but with regard to my friends and people I knew before, perhaps they find me more attractive because my personality shifted along with the physical change. Perhaps I became more open than before, more confident. If it's honest interest and not just some sort of shallow, automatic response to beauty, then it shouldn't be completely disregarded.  

[mechanical kitsy]

hmm... if they didn't really pay attention to me in that way before, no i wouldnt flirt with them or any of that. maybe people i didnt know.
being attractive is more than physical, it's personality too. if they only like your looks, they aren't worth it.
my opinion.  

[nautilus pilot]

People like a better-looking guy, and that's the way it is. You should enjoy it.  

[Rellik San]

Actually since cutting my hair, I have received a lot more female attention. So yes I can relate to the problem and I can say in all honesty, there is nothing wrong at all with exploiting that attention, at the end of the day you've not changed yourself and looks will only get you so far, you need personality and charm too, if you have neither then looks are a moot point.  

[Spooky Wasabi Princess]

That is exactly what's happened to me. I was really overweight a year ago and now I'm slim.

I love the attention! Both from people I know and haven't met before. I don't think there's anything immoral about loving the way I look. Just because I used to be fat doesn't mean I can't love being thin and all the attention that comes with it. I love to flirt and be flirted with. It's awesome.  

[Awesome Akwardness]

I probably wouldn't (Ofcourse as bad as I look I don't have to worry about this -_-) but that's just me I probably wouldn't bother with people who only care about my apperance and not me as a person... but I suppose I don't see anything wrong with it for other people... aslong as you don't caught up in all of it and forget about the people who loved and cared about you for you even before all of that.