Are you Pretty or Sexy?

So a facebook status today that said "Ladies, would you rather be pretty or sexy"

A couple ladies answered “pretty.” Some of their reasons being: “sexy” is a compliment with lustful connotations and that sexiness really doesn’t last beyond youth, while a woman can be “pretty” forever.


I was among the group of women who picked “sexy.” “Pretty” really only describes one thing: your face. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly appreciate it when people tell me I’m pretty, but I consider my “prettiness” a nod to my gene pool. It’s like “Aww thank you,” but in my head I’m saying I’ll tell my parents you appreciate their handiwork.

Sexiness, on the other hand, can be determined by a multitude of factors. Confidence can be sexy. Grace can be sexy. Intelligence can be sexy. Style can be sexy. Sexy can also be intangible. We all know people who have that “It” quality, a je nais se quoi that makes them irresistible. Sexy is that thing Maya Angelou waxed poetic about in “Phenomenal Woman” that makes “pretty women wonder where the secret lies.” Pretty may catch an eye, but sexy can command an entire room.

I don’t buy into the notion that sexiness doesn’t last beyond youth. Plenty of women maintain their sexiness well into and even beyond middle age. Diahann Carroll and Lenna Horne gave many young girls a run for their money. How long did the late Earth Kitt keep that slender, Catwoman body intact? Stacey Dash???? Just sick sick sick wit' it.  Furthermore, “pretty” can be lost to wrinkles and hard living. As a woman you have way more control over your sexy than your pretty. (Unless you have access to plastic surgeons. But how many of those procedures actually maintain one’s attractiveness? You may retain your youth, but plastic ain’t pretty to me.)

And my final point in the battle of pretty vs. sexy, ask any 40+ woman which compliment she relishes more? Nine out of ten, I bet it ain’t pretty.

So what say you, ladies? If you had to choose would you rather be considered pretty or sexy?