Former model explains the struggle of being 'a really beautiful woman'

She said she found it harder to make friends because of her beauty, and boyfriends were always suspicious of her male friends. Photo / Getty Images

A woman's account of what it's like to go through life being beautiful has been met with a slew of criticism online.

Speaking anonymously to The Cut, the woman who is now in her late fifties, explained that she first began realising people were noticing her looks when she was in the eighth grade, when people started telling her she was beautiful.

Describing herself as "tall and willowy", she also revealed that she's never weighed over 54kg and when she started modelling in her twenties, had "waist length dark brown hair and brown eyes".

"It's kind of like being born rich, people don't believe that you feel the same pain. It's a bias that people can't shake."

And although those hiring have looked upon her looks as a plus, colleagues over the years haven't been as receptive, and the woman also detailed how in her first job after college, other women tried to sabotage her reputation by placing half empty bottles of alcohol on her desk so it would look like she was drinking on the job.

She has also found it harder to make friends because of her beauty, and boyfriends were always suspicious of her male friends.

"My closest friend was a gay man, he wasn't jealous and he didn't want to get laid. That might have been my only pure friendship," she added.

Waiting until 35 to get married as she "didn't want the merry-go-round to end", the woman concluded her musings on a lifetime of beauty by sharing that once she hit 40, attitudes towards her started to change.

"As far as men, and anyone under 40 is concerned, I am invisible. They do not see me. I could walk across the street naked — it's that bad."

"It doesn't matter how beautiful you were in your youth; when you age you become invisible. You could still look fabulous but … who cares? Nobody is looking. Even my young-adult sons ignore me," she added.

The woman also said that being older has made her a "much better person" even if she has "lost all my value."

However, her insights have been met with a mixed reaction on social media, with some people taking to Twitter to voice belief over her claims, while others suggested her admissions proved beauty privilege does exist.

Twitter user Rachel Syme first tweeted: "oh no I clicked", before sharing a meme of the character of Jenna from 30 Rock saying, "Listen up fives. A ten is speaking".

And Anna Khachiyan commented under a highlighted passage from the article about alcohol being planted on the woman's desk: "Yeah... this didn't happen".

However, Twitter user Hoodie Rebecca suggested: "Been seeing too many people mock this 'what it's like to be a beautiful woman', and y'all are horrible humans. Try practicing empathy, cause clearly you didn't bother to read the piece".

A sentiment shared by Jessica Wakeman who wrote: "Beauty privilege is a topic we need to discuss more.

"The problem is that when a beautiful woman herself tries to discuss it, she's automatically accused of being self-involved and oblivious. And you know, people want to see pictures. When a 'regular' women [sic] tries to discuss is, she's accused of being jealous.

"(And people want to see pictures of her to 'prove' it.) These reactions are damaging, even if they're well-intentioned. We *KNOW* conventionally attractive people go through life differently -- not always more easily, but yes, often that."

She also proposed that to "dismiss any discussions of beauty privilege, or jealousy, especially amongst women, because it's too 'shallow' or not worthy of serious examination/critique is short-sighted".