New York Post

IT'S MORE OF A CURSE'

Hot gal says being pretty is no privilege

- By ADRIANA DIAZ

There’s an ugly side to pretty privilege.

While many beautiful women boast about the free drinks and work perks that good looks have brought their way, Shye Lee says being hot has left her cold.

“It’s honestly more of a curse than a privilege,” Lee, a 29-yearold from Orlando, Fla., told The Post.

“People overall treat you much differentl­y and they don’t judge you for your actions, they judge you just from your appearance,” Lee explained.

Pretty privilege is a hot topic, with the hashtag #prettypriv­ilege attracting more than 300 million views on TikTok.

Some women are debating whether or not the phenomenon is real and whether they’ve benefited from it. Others, like Lee, say there’s no question it exists and they’re pretty enough to experience it, but they claim it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

Freebies have a cost

“Pretty girl privilege only works in certain aspects of life,” Lee said. Sure, being really good looking is handy when it comes to free drinks, VIP tables and rich guys, but the benefits, she notes, are limited.

“I’m concerned for everyone who thinks those are such glamorous privileges,” Lee says in a TikTok. “Pretty girls are never taken seriously.”

The beauty said that she makes sure to buy her own drinks and pays for her own vacations so that she doesn’t feel beholden to a man.

Meanwhile, when it comes to making friends, being attractive makes things hard.

Jealous frenemies

“I’ve gotten the same comment over and over again. ‘Oh, my God, I thought you were a bitch but when I got to know you, you’re actually very kind,’ ” she said. Lee recently had a falling out with her best friend, who, she believes, was jealous and would make judgmental comments about her sexy outfits, try to turn people against her and even try to date her exes.

“She just didn’t like me, because so many other people liked me,” Lee said.

On a more serious note, Lee said she’s been discrimina­ted against and sexually harassed and assaulted in the workplace.

She runs her own social media agency, 7 Figure Creators. As such, she doesn’t have to deal with sketchy bosses, but there are creepy clients.

“I once messaged a doctor trying to get him on a call as a client and he goes, ‘Oh, yeah, so what is it that you do?’ and then goes, ‘You should totally come to the office so I can examine you, winky face,’ ” she said.

Lee has drasticall­y altered her plans because of how she’s treated, recently even putting off a trip to Dubai because she worried that she’d be mistaken for an escort.

“What is the real privilege?” Lee sighed. Being pretty is “more of a negative than a positive.”

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 ?? ?? FACE VALUE: Shye Lee, 29, has taken to TikTok (inset) to argue against the idea that being beautiful is such a boon.
FACE VALUE: Shye Lee, 29, has taken to TikTok (inset) to argue against the idea that being beautiful is such a boon.

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