What actually is Average?

[LovelySerene]

I always hear people ask "am I above or below average?"

But what is average? I need examples

Updates

+1 y

I'm talking about looks, I forgot to specify.

[Alonso14]

Look at this graph of a standard distribution, then read what is below. link

Assume we had a group of 1000 men and a group of 1000 women. We ask the 1000 men to rate each of the women's attractiveness out of 10 and we average the score she gets. The woman who gets the highest average rating would be in the top 0.1% of women and she would be on the far right of our graph. The woman who gets the lowest rating would be in the bottom 0.1% of the women and would be on the far left of the graph. The majority of women, around 70% would be rated somewhere near to 5/10, some men would rate them higher and others lower but it would average to somewhere around 4-6/10. Those women are average looking.

It gets more complicated when women rate men as they are far more picky about looks but a similar principle applies, the peak of the graph just moves to the left a bit.

[LovelySerene]

Hmmmm...I see

[Anonymous]

I think most people use the word average as meaning the person is neither attractive or ugly to that individual. It doesn't actually mean that the person is average.

[GiftShop]

Exactly.

I find a lot of guys "average" and others fall on their knees.

I find guys crazy attractive and I get sour faces.

Beauty if in the eye of the beholder

By average I think people don't find you hot but they don't think your "ugly".

[Cottoncandydreams]

ugly - link

average- link

cute- link

hot- link

beautiful-

link

[Jager66]

your are being fooled by the women with done up hard and makeup, not really a good comparison.

[Cottoncandydreams]

oh well I tried

[pr3ttybr0wn]

Average means not ugly but not someone you're attracted to

[Anonymous]

Average to me means someone who I'm not attracted to but I wouldn't think they are unattractive. Basically, they don't do anything for me but I wouldn't run away from them either.

[LovelySerene]

Ah, I see

[Anonymous]

Hers a good representation: link

I think the average person to me kinda falls on "Somewhat attractive" on that chart.

[LovelySerene]

hmmmm...I wish there was one for guys

[Anonymous]

Its hard to say because everyone had different tastes in looks.

[LovelySerene]

That's why I can't seem to grab the concept of average

[Robotic]

If we're talking looks here, it means to them, that you are not a 10 or as hot as other women.

I think you're pretty by the way :)

[LovelySerene]

I Understand that, but what are some examples of people who are average? What is considered average?

[Robotic]

its really hard to describe the specifics. all I can do is just maybe post examples of what I think is hot vs average. and that very much depends on the person.

[Robotic]

for instance I'm almost always going to prefer brunettes over other hair types, so a 10 in my book is most likely going to be brunette. an average person is most likely going to have the other hair types. just one example

[LovelySerene]

I guess that's where I get confused, if someone says that someone is hot, and another person says that the same person is just average...how is it really average?

[Robotic]

well average to them... average meaning normal, not like getting the average score on a test.

[LovelySerene]

Hmmmm...then why is average considered bad most of the time? It's not bad to look normal.

[Robotic]

well... I guess to the person who has been rated normal they take it bad because they feel they just aren't good enough to be above average. they get looked over.

[LovelySerene]

Hmmmm...people are just never pleased are they?

[Robotic]

right. I'm OK with being average myself. no biggie for me.

[abundantlyrich]

Some one plain. Not ugly or Not really beautiful :)

[tiredofwaiting]

I think it means not ugly but not drop dead gorgeous either

[LovelySerene]

Hmmm...I guess that's one way of saying it

[PhilaPenn]

It's all relative

[Anonymous]

everyone will have a different idea.

[gotc147]

Average what?

[LovelySerene]

A persons looks

[htarmort34]

subjective.

[Anonymous]

Not ugly, not sexy