This Is How It Feels to Go from Awkward to Hot

In a refreshing essay for The Huffington Post, Victoria's Secret model Lyndsey Scott talks about what it feels like "to go from physically unattractive to physically attractive." Though maybe we didn't all grow up to be lingerie models like Scott, there's something relatable in the elementary school photos Scott shares (big glasses, bad hair) and the way she describes being stereotyped based on her appearance.

As a kid, Scott was "bullied and friendless" because of her nerdy looks; now people are quick to befriend her but "often disappointed that I'm kind of a nerd," she writes. By nerdy, she clearly means awesome. A college computer science major, Scott spends time between catwalks programming iOS apps. There are perks to being pretty, she says:

"People offer me a lot more freebies, I make money off of my looks through modeling, strangers talk to me more often, more people listen to me and laugh at my jokes, and I even have the occasional suitor ... all good things."

But people are now quick to judge her as a bitch and an airhead, writes Scott. And some women — "although very few," she notes (two points for not needlessly hating on other women) — are catty to her "from the get-go." As a model, Scott clearly relies on her looks for a living. But she's also self-aware about the way her looks can affect the way people perceive and treat her.

... in general, having beauty and intelligence is super useful during occasions that require me to assert a bit more authority. When I need to feel most powerful, I'll do my hair, throw on a nice outfit, put on a bit of makeup and it helps a disgusting amount. In general, I feel extremely lucky to have been granted this new super-power. But when I'm home and completely myself, when my hair is a mess, when I'm wearing my now broken glasses with the tape in the middle, and I'm up coding at 3 AM, I could give my middle-school self a major run for her money. I have to wonder, why didn't they like me then when I'm still the same person now? Why do they like me now? How do I know that they like me now? Does anyone actually really even like me now?

We do! We do!

Image: Getty Images