Fishing for compliments Options

[miyashu]

Let's say you're talking to a friend and she says something like, "OMG that girl is so pretty. Why can't I look like that ?"

I used to reply with "No, you look good!" But I've just grown tired of constantly flattering her whenever she feels insecure.

And then there's this scenario:

If I tell her she's pretty, she'll get depressed and say "Ugh no I'm not. Don't say that."

WTF. Seriously, I'm not here just so I can fondle your under-developed ego.

What would you say to a friend in this situation?

[libertie]

I'm around musicians all the time, and girls are really bad about being overly hard on themselves. I don't know if they're wanting to hear from me that I think they're good, or if they really think these things about themselves, but I typically reply with something like, "You don't really think that, don't be so hard on yourself."

I do the same thing when I'm around people who trash talk their appearances, too, although I have a much lower tolerance for that. "I'm so fat!" This girl's my friend and I know her well enough to be able to tell her straight up, "I know you don't think you're fat, but if you keep telling yourself and other people that, you're never going to be happy with the way you look. Lighten up." People are usually a bit shocked when they hear that from me, because it's not the answer they're looking for, but once they hear that I'm not buying it, I don't have to hear the same BS from them anymore. =x