No.

I think the whole inner beauty concept has great merit, but I interpret the original question as using the word "beautiful" in its orthodox, external sense (as both elpgal and Angie alluded to it).

In that sense, I'm pretty sure I'm not beautiful, but at the same time I'm fairly sure that I'm interesting and charismatic, and so my sense of not being beautiful doesn't hold me back in relating to other people.

Thanks, rhubarbgirl, for a thought-provoking question.

Beautiful? No

Yes, I think I am beautiful. Like Maya, I think makeup makes a huge difference for me! I don't really think of beautiful as a competition, although there probably is a scale for me of beauty. I wouldn't say I'm on the way far beauuuuuuutiful end of beautiful, but I like the way I look.

It is totally relative and in the eye of the beholder. Characteristics of beauty to one person may be repulsive to another.

My husband thinks I am beautiful and (for me) that is all that matters.

I don't know that I *consider* myself beautiful as much as I *feel* beautiful when I've got my hair, make-up and attire ducks all in a row. Having said that though, I believe that beautiful encompasses more than outer appearance... pretty would be the term I would use to describe visual beauty.
So, when I'm b****ing at my kids, gossiping with friends, nagging my husband, or exhibiting other such unattractive behaviors, I might be looking nice, but I don't feel very beautiful.
Often, a woman becomes more beautiful to me as I get to know her better.

Oh dear. What a loaded question. If you say yes, you sound vain, which is not a character trait anyone aspires to! But one the other hand, you've got to admire a woman who is confident enough that she could describe herself as beautiful.

Beauty is a funny thing, because, as I'm sure others have said, it is somewhat subjective. There are some basic beauty standards that appear to be universal, however; for example, facial symmetry is appealing to everyone. Women tend to have proportionally smaller noses and jaws than men, and proportionally bigger eyes; these features work to make a woman's face more attractive, as long as it is not taken to the extreme (i.e. bug eyes and a receding chin). I suppose, if pressed, I would say that while I am not exactly beautiful, most of the time I feel quite pretty. "Cute" is probably the best word. For what it's worth, I'm happy with what I look like. And as we all know, the beauty on the outside is much less important than the beauty within -- and of that, I am no judge.

I think I am because I've heard it a lot from others, but I didn't always think so! I used to hate my freckles and pale white skin (pale as in Nicole Kidman). People tell me that I have a great smile (my teeth are naturally very white) and that I have beautiful eyes (a unique shade of blue-green). I've never cared for my profile, but recently I heard that it's one of the things people envy most about me...go figure! I must add, though, that a lot of beauty really does come from the inside. I may think someone is beautiful initially, but if they are a jerk upon getting to know them, that makes them ugly to me.

I am really surprised at the amount of 'no' answers! From gorgeous laides! I agree with shabbychick: I think I must be beautiful, because people tell me I am. If nothing else, the fact that my mate thinks I'm beautiful means that I'm beautiful. I take the compliments when I can and run with 'em!

I think there is a difference between subjective beauty ("in the eyes of the beholder") and "objective" beauty (as defined by western standards of beauty). Risking sounding arrogant, I do consider myself to be objectively beautiful (long hair, clear skin, slim toned body, symmetrical features, etc...), but I'm certainly not universally subjectively beautiful (as some people prefer blondes or tan skin or height, etc...). However, I'm only 19, and I think most girls my age do consider themselves beautiful - after the puberty awkwardness and before our bodies start going through the process of aging (not that one shouldn't feel beautiful before or after, it's just that the late teens/twenties seem to be the "ideal" physical age according to the media).

I am neither beautiful nor ugly. I am attractive. I have plenty of imperfections, but I'm not a troll. I think very few people are truly beautiful. If you think about it, very few celebrities are truly beautiful. Some clearly are, but if you look at Julia Roberts or Jennifer Aniston, or Reese Witherspoon, for example, they aren't beautiful per se. They are very attractive however and over time, we come to think of them as beautiful. Beauty and attractiveness is closely linked to how you carry yourself and dress yourself. If you look like you care and project confidence, then you can be attractive. My looks are also unusual - I have an olive skin tone (unfortunately, I only have a so so complexion) and very curly hair, neither of which is classically beautiful. So, some people may think I am pretty (or perhaps beautiful) but I don't really have a look that is universally accepted as beautiful.

Sometimes!

I was a skinny, awkward kid and not very comfortable with myself. As a teen, I did some local modeling, but I still didn't think I was beautiful, although I have always been very confident and positive with my INNER self.

Both my hairstylist and husband tell me I'm beautiful, but I don't think of myself as drop-dead gorgeous, just happy, fun and somewhat attractive - on a good day!

At 56, I think I look pretty good, but if hubby wants to keep calling me beautiful, he certainly can! Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

No. Not beautiful. I think that when I put all my make up on, I am "pretty", but not beautiful. Without my make-up on, I am really rather plain looking. I think beautiful implies either a single very attractive, striking feature, or a collection of attractive features. I don't really have either. I am average looking bordering on pretty with my make-up.

I don't think of myself as beautiful in terms of my appearance. Although, sometimes when I'm wearing make-up I think of myself as pretty. I also don't think others see me as beautiful (perhaps my BF) due to of my child-like features and petite frame (I'm almost 28 but people assume I'm 16), I think they see me as "cute" or "adorable".

However, I do think I am beautiful on the inside

"Feeling beautiful" and "thinking of oneself as beautiful" seem to me to be two different things. I don't think of myself as beautiful, and I'm perfectly okay with that. Classical physical beauty is (in my opinion) rare and tends to cause people to focus overly much on a person's exterior, to the extent that it often becomes a burden to the beautiful person. I would categorize myself (and virtually everyone here) as "attractive" (more so when I make an effort) and I consider this the best category to be in, as this is what I want people to experience when around me. When I have made an effort to look good, or gone out of my way to help someone, or when someone looks at me with love, I feel beautiful.

Nope. But I have a great personality.

I accidentally clicked on "body type" instead of" latest" and found this interesting older thread. I think Stacy and Clinton mean "Do you FEEL beautiful?". I am kind of amazed that some of you that I know are beautiful don't feel it!

I agree with Angie, that it's an "In the eye of the beholder" situation. In the movie Bill Cunningham New York, about the street photographer for the NYTimes, he says: "He who seeks beauty shall find it". It made me tear up because it felt so profoundly true.

Because beauty is everywhere. And the more beauty I behold and am witness to around me, I notice that I feel happier. It's not a positive thinking thing, more like a different way to experience the world around us. I end up actually FEELing beautiful. LIke looking with a kind lens rather than a critical mind. If I "think" about whether or not I am beautiful, I could talk myself right out of it. So I don't!

Just last night in my figure drawing class we had a model that was what perhaps the objective standard of beauty would define as plain.

She was pale, had a very pear shaped body with shortish large legs and a flat chest.

She was radiant and beyond beautiful!! She was drawn by students getting accustomed to really seeing. The shapes, the softness of her skin, the regal posture were all extraordinary and I was honored to be in her presence. I would say that everyone in the room appreciated her beauty in a way that perhaps no one else has been able to.

I resonate with what Angie said and hope that I can remember this while I am obsessing over the latest flaw I discover on my aging face or body.

No, I do not think of myself as beautiful, at all, by the standards of classic physical beauty. However, that kind of classic physical beauty is not beautiful unless the heart is beautiful too. I've heard men say things like, so and so is drop dead gorgeous, or a stone cold fox. That is a scary description of beauty in our society. In my eyes, if the outside classic beauty is not matched with a heart of gold, the beauty turns to ugly.
Beauty is making others feel beautiful about themselves. When it is turned the other way and someone goes into the narcissistic pool, to me it erases all of their physical beauty.
I feel beautiful around people who are loving and caring and tender hearted. That is absolutely beautiful to me and I strive to be that, not saying I always achieve it.

Judy, Jean and San, I had to chime back in and say that I *always* enjoy your wisdom. I learn a lot from your approach and perspectives on life - for which I am grateful. Thank you.

Yes-ish. Because I put too much focus on imperfections and beautiful might be too strong of a word to match how I feel about how I look. So often times yes, and sometimes no.

But also, part of me says, "so what?" Who cares about exterior beauty if you are an empty shell of a human being? This is how I perceive certain celebrities, but I have no way of knowing who they really are.

My mother used to tell me, "beauty is as beauty does."