Woman asks strangers, 'What's it like being beautiful?' Turns out it's a magical question.
People's reactions speak volumes.
So many people aren't used to getting compliments.
Asking random strangers questions has become a fun way to utilize social media in the 21st century, with viral gems like "the corn kid" and couples sharing their love stories delighting audiences. But one woman in New York has a unique twist on the "asking strangers" trend that has people inspired to see the beauty in everyone.
Tanya Sangani, whose social media content focuses on kindness, asks random people in New York City one question: What's it like to be beautiful? That's it. So simple. But the way people respond to that question speaks volumes about how they're used to—or not used to—seeing themselves.
Watch these reactions:
@tanyasangani Hope core in New York #god #hopecore #actsofkindness #humanity #actsofservice
First of all, "Oh bro, that's so wholesome," is the most wholesome response possible to that question, right? And clearly the guy at the end needed to hear the compliment embedded in the question.
See how everyone's first reaction to the question is to smile and then seem sort of humbly embarrassed? Being told they're beautiful as the baseline of the question takes them off guard. The question they're being asked to answer is "What's it like?" but the underlying message is an unequivocal "You are beautiful, no question about it."
That's the wisdom of the question itself. Sangani doesn't ask people, "Do you think you're beautiful?" or "Do you see your own beauty?" Their inherent beauty is not in question. It's a given. And just that simple wording disarms people in way that's truly beautiful to see.
"When I ask others, 'What’s it like to be beautiful?' my intention is not only to explore the meaning of beauty but to help each person recognize it within themselves," Sangani tells Upworthy. "I want them to see their own light—the radiance that starts from within and shines outward. Through their stories, I hope to remind all of us that beauty is not just seen, it is felt. It is within all of us."
In video after video, we see similar responses, with some people even getting teary as they try to figure out what to do with the question.
@tanyasangani Hype up these amazing humans in the comment section ! #hopecore #actsofservice #actsofkindness #wordsofaffirmation #newyorkers
"I started asking people what it’s like to be beautiful because, growing up, I was bullied for not fitting into conventional standards of beauty," Sangani tells Upworthy. "It made me question: What does it really mean to be beautiful? Is beauty something we can see and measure, or does it come from a deeper place within us? This question stayed with me for years, shaping how I saw myself and the world. There were times when I felt I looked good on the outside, but something still felt missing—I didn’t truly feel beautiful. It was in those moments of disconnect that I came to understand: beauty isn’t just about appearance. True beauty is found in the essence of who we are and the energy we bring into the world."
People in the comments share what seeing these videos means to them and how simple acts of kindness like this can make a surprisingly bit impact.
"Normalize treating people with love and watching them glow."
"Omg the lady who cried. Why is it the most beautiful people and ypu just feel her beautiful aura too that just never know their true beauty."
"This was wonderful because those young men will remember that compliment when they are 80. Guys almost never get an honest compliment so it will hold with them."
"I love this. You be amazed how many people are shook with a question like this. It shows you how many people struggle with their self esteem. This was a sweet experiment."
"Girl you healed something inside each one of them that day. 🫶"
"Sometimes I really really love humans. Wow."
"If only we could all see the beauty in ourselves and others.... what a wonderful world this would be."
What's interesting is that the responses are so similar, whether it's a person considered "conventionally beautiful" or not. People often don't see their own beauty, even when others do, and
The word "beautiful" also means so many things—it's not just about meeting some arbitrary criteria for social beauty standards. It's not the same as "pretty" or "handsome." Beauty is something bigger, deeper, more than what someone looks like on the surface.
As one person said, "I was noticing how they actually look more beautiful after you asked them the question." So true.
As Sangani says, "Beauty is the kindness that lives in your heart, the part of you that touches others and never fades. It’s the warmth you give—the way you make people feel seen, loved, and valued. It’s found in the how you make others laugh, the comfort of being with those who matter most, and the light you carry that can brighten someone’s day, even without a word. Beauty is an energy, an aura, a presence that can touch lives even before a conversation begins."
Who would imagine that a question as simple as "What's it like to be beautiful?" could elicit such emotional responses, both from the people being asked and the people witnessing their responses?
"This made me cry. Love it. We need to compliment each other more!!!!"
"My eyes are getting watery, what’s happening 🥺 ugh, i love this!!!!!!!!"
"Crying for everyone of us that doesn’t know how to respond to this question. This touches my heart so deeply. ❤️"
"Thank you for making me cry and I mean that in the most awesome way. 🥰"
"This is the most positive life affirming act. It is so easy to tell someone they are beautiful and mean it. Why can’t we do this more?!?"
It's true. This is something any one of us can do at any time. Clearly, most of us could use the confidence boost, and who wouldn't want to see a stranger's face light up the way these folks' do?
Thank you, Tanya, for the inspiration. Let's all vow to pay people more compliments, however we choose to do it.
You can follow Tanya Sangani on Instagram and TikTok for more examples of humans being beautiful.
How a DIY dress helped one woman reclaim the power words had on her body.
'We should all be able to celebrate and love ourselves without fear of criticism from others, whatever shape or size we are.'
News flash: Words have power. This is something Jojo Oldham knows all too well.
Whether you're a soap star hearing lewd comments made by a politician 10 years ago or the average woman getting catcalled on her way home from work, what other people have to say about your body leave a lasting impression.
Over Oldham's 31 years of existence, she's received countless comments about her body — both good and bad.
After years of letting these words affect how she sees herself, however, Oldham was finally ready to release them and embrace herself.
She took all the comments she's heard about her body over the years and painted them on a dress. Posing for pictures, with a smile on her face, she took the power those words had over her and refused to let them dictate her self-worth any longer.
Photo via Jojo Oldham/Lovely Jojo's, used with permission.
"The love I have for my body these days is something I've had to learn. And it requires constant maintenance," Oldham wrote on her website.
Photo via Jojo Oldham/Lovely Jojo's, used with permission.
Like so many of us, Oldham says she's been in a love-hate relationship with her body for as long as she can remember. There are days when she's thrilled with how she looks, and then there are days when she wants to delete every unflattering photo ever taken of her. The comments she would receive fanned the flame of her own insecurities.
"I had 31 years-worth of other people’s comments about my body swirling around my head and popping into it on a daily basis, and I wanted to do something positive with them," Oldham explained over email.
The dress is a badge of honor, symbolic of the fact that, while Oldham may have been called these things, she is not defined by them.
Photo via Jojo Oldham/Lovely Jojo's, used with permission.
"The comments that made the final cut have all stuck with me for different reasons," Oldham wrote. "Some because they’re really weird, some because they’re really lovely, some because they’re funny, and some because they’re particularly nasty and they really crushed me at the time."
Photo via Jojo Oldham/Lovely Jojo's, used with permission.
"Once I learned how to be happy with myself as I am, the negative things that other people said about my body just stopped mattering to me," Oldham explained.
Photo via Jojo Oldham/Lovely Jojo's, used with permission.
Comments can do serious damage to even the strongest, most self-confident people. Oldham hopes her dress will help curtail some of that damage.
"We should all be able to celebrate and love ourselves without fear of criticism from others, whatever shape or size we are," she wrote on her website.
She hopes the work will inspire women to remember they are not the sum of the comments made about their bodies; they are so much more.