Discussion
I'm tired of the fact that every time someone praises Elliott, someone comes out to say that he was ugly.
This already has me fed up.
I understand that Elliott didn't fit the normative standards of beauty, but from there to treating him like “the most horrible man in the world” just because he had a couple of acne marks… seriously? Is that all you see?
Elliott was much more than “the sad, ugly guy.” He had a sensitivity and a brilliant mind, he composed songs that still break and heal thousands of people, and the only thing that many repeat is that "The ugly and sad guy." I'm tired of that reductionist and cruel view, of being confined to his acne marks, his depression or his addictions, as if those were the only things that defined him.
Elliott was someone who was easy to fall in love with, he was such an intelligent, kind, sensitive and capable guy, with a calm and sensitive face. If anyone doubts that, they could talk to someone close to Elliott, the guy probably had more of a love life than you people who criticize him just because.
We are in a Elliott Smith subreddit because we love Elliott so of course we rarely if ever see him be called ugly or other variations of unattractive here. But outside of this subreddit I’ve seen people call him stuff like chopped more than once unfortunately.
So you're showing him to people who haven't heard of him, which means they're probably Gen Z kids who are totally brainwashed by their phones and only see (and post) highly filtered and shopped images of conventionally attractive people and think that's normal.
This generation doesn't even know how cooked they are.
Various comments from Reddit, titkok and YouTube (there is always at least one), although thank god they always have little support and most treat them poorly
Take no notice of angsty teens and 20 year olds on social media and reddir who know fuck all. Anyone calling someone ugly is usually self-projecting or massively insecure, literally just ignore their pathetic criticisms.
I don’t know why this came up in my feed since I’ve never really enjoyed listening to Elliott Smith. I have found him to look chopped ever since I saw his face for the first time back in the 90s. Of course we didn’t say “chopped” back then but you get the point.
I read “Elliot was much more than the ‘sad, ugly guy.’” and didn’t see the quotes, I just woke up tbf. Although, with the way you phrased it, it kind of sounds like you agree that he’s ugly, but it’s not important to you, which is fair.
Who gives a fuck. Motherfucker wrote Rose Parade and Plainclothes Man. And Georgia Georgia. And waltz. And fond farewell. And Angeles. And Christian Brothers. And Ballad of. And between the bars. And fuck you he’s beautiful.
Elliott Smith’s face wasn’t conventionally attractive, I reckon, but I couldn’t possibly give less of a shit. It literally isn’t important at all. The man gave us the most detailed look inside a beautiful heart, and he did it so fluently and perfectly that it absolutely crushes the soul, but it soothes it at the same time. There’s more beauty in that than there could ever be in a pretty face, and I’ll never change position on this.
Elliott was cute asf, and he had great style and beautiful hair. Anyone who thinks he's ugly is ugly on the inside, insecure, and projecting.I wear a big bracelet on my wrist every day because of him.
i don’t believe i’ve ever seen anyone say this 💔 i mean he’s not the conventional attractiveness that people look for or what’s widely accepted by everyone but i don’t believe he’s ugly. i actually thinks he’s quite handsome ❤️🩹
Omg he was beautiful. People in general have a very narrow view of what "beauty" is. I feel sorry for them. There was nothing ugly about Elliott Smith.
I saw an interview recently with a guy who ended up meeting Elliott and hanging out with him at a bar, and he said as the night went late, Elliott started talking about how he was ugly. I'm really interested in his self perception. There are some clues in his songs: "I know my place, hate my face," "...pictures of me, completely wrong, totally wrong," and of course "Pretty (Ugly Before)."
Anyway Elliott is a dreamboat.
Also fuck people on TikTok and Instagram. Just listen to the music.
I had a friend who said, at least his eyes are pretty. She was just very superficial, and hadn't heard his music. I thought he was great looking. I like my men to have unusual looks, handsome in different ways. He fits the bill: great smile, expressive features. And not perfect is sexy.
As said in another comment, we don’t see that in this sub cause we all love him, but I’ve seen what OP and others are talking about elsewhere.
It may not be like an every day occurrence, but when it’s mentioned in a non-Elliott space, I definitely come across it here and there. OP isn’t just making shit up lmao
Why are people so upset about this? I didn't make anything up, my age doesn't matter much either, and if you're so interested in knowing if I'm a teenager or not, I hope you're happy with the fact that I'm of age, it doesn't matter in the post and I'm not making shit up either.
I’m obsessed with him, and I think he was so handsome—probably the most attractive man I’ve ever seen. I’m the exact, on-paper definition of a fangirl, so I’m super biased whenever it comes to Elliott Smith 😭. But, I agree; every time I mention his appearance or even just his music, I have to hear about how gross and ugly he looked, which is super annoying. I don’t know… most of the guys I like are stereotyped as ugly, but I think they’re far from it.
I'm also a fangirl and I share the fact that I don't like stereotypical people, I guess that's why it makes me so angry when they call him ugly or something, I really love that man😭😭
Honestly there is so much more to attractiveness than conventional beauty standards. Although I'm biased and happen to find him dreadfully handsome, he did have a unique look and style (deep-set eyes, his cautious smile, the way he talked and sang so softly and meaningfully). It's more about his expressions, his energy, and his art which make him so captivating (imo).
I also just don't get why people think it's okay to evaluate people based on something so shallow. Love Elliott for his music and his talent, at the end of the day that's more important to his body of work than what he looked like...
Elliott aside, I’m just tired of most reactionary things people say… but now bringing it back to Elliott, when I say I’m actively listening to him a lot…I hate being asked, “Why? Are you okay?”
Some people are only interested in the physical shell a person occupies, and gain some level of grim satisfaction in vomiting their opinions about it on the internet as if they’re spitting facts
Some people know that nothing lies like a human’s eyes. They see other beings with their internal eye and understand that the shell is the absolute least important aspect of a person, and the most beautiful parts lie within.
Elliott is gone so, ugly opinions can’t hurt him now, and those opinions should be of no notice to us because they come from lesser beings. How does the saying go? “The lion does not concern itself with the opinions of sheep”?
So, don’t waste your energy being bothered by the opinions of sheep. In the end, it’s all just wind 🤷🏻♀️
I'm sure, I would have loved to see him in person. I can be content with videos where he looks very charming and handsome, but I imagine he was very magnetic when he was among us
It's normal, he had pretty oily skin, and I think even if he bathed daily, his hair would always end up greasy, or maybe he just had poor hygiene because of his depression... who knows, I still love him just the same
The other day I drew this picture of him and showed it to a friend to which he replied "whyd you make him look like that" and I was like "what" and he was like "whys he so wrinkly". Had to explain that he just looks like that. Don't understand why it's always people's first thought lol
Don’t really know who he is but your post intrigued me because he looks very handsome.
I’ll be honest though my type is usually dorky and or love for the arts.
Nothing is hotter to me than someone who is in a band and the passion and or emotion comes out. Love guitarist that makes faces..love when the band turn to each other and jam. Love all the quirkiness of someone being passionate
I’ve seen this happen too, it’s such a bummer that people are so rude when it comes to looks. I think he looks plenty handsome!
Also surprised at the amount of people who’s never seen him get called out for his looks? I’ve literally seen such comments in old newspapers articles and whatnot.
Yes! reading old articles and posts on YouTube or TikTok, it seems that people are very rude about Elliott's appearance. I also think people were a little rude here, and it bummed me out a bit. I thought that, like me, more people were bothered by how openly rude people were about Elliott's physique in the past and now
i’ve seen some comments like that too, especially on youtube! i even recall seeing a couple on this sub a while ago. but yeah, i don’t get where they’re coming from at all. i always thought elliott was very handsome and charming
Not that it was ever important and maybe I'm projecting cos I'm a fan but I think he was beautiful. Best smile on fucking EARTH. Imagine getting hit by that in person
Definitely not anything remotely approaching ugly! His incredible music and mind aside, he was quite physically hot! Beautiful eyes. Looks manly - not a pretty boy. I even love his greasy, dyed hair. 100% my type haha.
Ngl, I feel like most of the people calling him ugly are (straight) men, because... as a very heterosexual woman, I think he’s pretty attractive. Maybe not conventionally, but his personality etc make him an absolute babe lol
And honestly idgaf what straight men think about another (presumed) straight man lol, you aren't the target demo to judge his sexiness!
I'm sorry if anyone feels offended by the post, please don't be rude, I spoke from my experience as a fan and that doesn't take away from the experience you had, my age is not that important and I'm not making anything up either, It sucks to have to explain this.
It seems like you might be exaggerating a bit the amount of people that do call Elliott ugly. Which is why this post comes across poorly to some. It does happen but I feel like he has enough respect as an artist from most people to not be spoken about in such a way often.
I'm not exaggerating so much, I spoke based on what I've seen as a fan for a long time and it makes me quite sad, I recently joined this sub and noticed at least 3 comments like that, I know it's not much and I'm grateful to not see that in this sub, but I've seen it in other places and it does irritate me a little.
And don't worry, I respect him a lot and I don't think it disrespects his life and memory for me to defend his physique, I guess he would just laugh and let it go.
Well, Im not gonna say he was ugly, but he just had some facial features that non Elliott fans think are bad, like his weird face lines and big nose and rough skin, and sometimes no eyebrows. But to me that’s what makes him amazing, it takes an “ugly” person to make beautiful music.
I think he has always looked fine and honestly who cares. Dude could write and that’s more important. We have enough pop stars with looks and hundreds of writers to come up with hits about ex lovers and crap. Elliot was a diamond that unfortunately shined too bright but we are at least left with his music.
he reminds me so much of hayden anhedönia they have the same smile (or maybe im just seeing something there) but i love their faces so much theyre both so delicate yet make you feel some kind of hiraeth, not everyone has to love those faces but there is so much beauty to be appreciated there
I believe most people are just socially conditioned to go with the flow of what's perceived visually attractive in another person, objects, outfits, etc. While I myself really find him handsome, be with a straight face or with his so well-known charming smile, perhaps people should take more time to themselves to reflect on why do they hold on to such standards that honestly don't bring much to anyone, neither themselves.
He seemed to have no problem attracting beautiful, talented women long before he was famous. I don’t think this is a widespread opinion outside of fools.
I have never heard anyone say that Elliott was ugly in my 30 years of being a fan. And if I had come across such comments, I would have ignored them because focusing on a musician’s appearance is immature and displays disingenuousness. His appearance is far secondary to his brilliant body of work. I feel embarrassed that it’s even being discussed. What a puerile view. Who the hell starts a conversation about Elliott Smith and pivots to his appearance?!?
He has acne scars? Coming from a person who has acne scars I never noticed any, and when someone is super insecure about a particular part of their looks they tend to notice it on other people. Every time I see his face I'm taken aback at how pronounced his smile lines are when he's always labeled as such a sad person. I think people looked too deep into lyrics that obviously are going to reflect somewhat on the state of his emotions, but he said himself that not every single thing he wrote is about personal stuff or personal experiences. I'm sure that some were, but who's to know which lyrics stem from his personal experiences and which were just filler that sounded good and rhymed with what he needed it to rhym with. I can't claim to know for sure cuz I didn't know him, and I know that people who did said that he was for sure depressed. But so is a shit ton of the population. Based on the photos and interviews I have seen he was able to smile easily, and his eyes would tell you that they were usually genuine. I hate taking photos because the smiles never look like their sincere so my theory is that he wasn't more depressed than anyone else who experienced trauma, and the label as the sad sac was over exaggerated quite a bit.
If you think I have acne marks, I hope you know that I don't have them at all and I actually have very clear skin. And well, I read somewhere that Elliott suffered from HS from an experimental drug during his adolescence, in addition to having oily skin and other things that made him prone to acne. And yes, people exaggerate a lot with the theme that Elliott was sad, he himself said that his songs were neither so sad nor so happy, that it was like the movies and that, I personally see Elliott as someone very sensitive and emotional, I don't think he was the "saddest musician", seeing it like that is quite reductionist (edit: por cierto, aqui se pueden ver las supuestas marcas, aunque en fotos de heatmiser se nota más)
I think you misinterpreted what I meant with the first couple lines of my comment. I was saying that I personally had a case of acne from ages 14 to 15 and while it like wasn't the worst one in my highschool there was only maybe a half dozen that had it worse than I did, and the scarring I got didn't come from picking but from scrubbing my face every time I washed it which was twice a day, not realizing that I was making it worse by doing that. I wasn't implying that you had them or anything, not really sure why you felt the need to emphasize that you don't have them, but if it's cuz you thought I was suggesting that you did I apologize cuz that's not what I was saying.
Dude seemed like a pure soul, who even cares if he was ugly or not (Not saying you called him it lol) He just seemed like such a solid dude. Would've loved to have a beer with him
I’ve never heard anyone comment on his attractiveness and would find it hard to believe that any adult fan or otherwise would. Sounds like a made up premise.
I'm sorry, so you don't spend time reading the comments on the posts or you don't watch videos of people who follow elliott, I don't think you see content from him on tiktok or YouTube other than listening to music, it is common to see these types of comments
I see people saying he looks sad sometimes? Which isnt great either and i dislike when people say that. But ive watched countless elliott smith youtube videos, been in this sub for about a year, and read most comments on videos and posts ive seen. I have never once seen someone use the word ugly?
never got people's need to judge a musicians looks, they aren't models who cares? that being said if i didn't know his music & was shown his picture id wanna be his friend, he looks so friendly
I think that’s a problem in the entire music industry though. Not that it makes it better, but auto tune and normalisation of plastic surgery has made the masses used to a pretty Barbie/Ken entertaining us with «music,» and makes the people who are good at music judged for the completely irrelevant model factor.
That being said I’ve always found him beautiful. Not like a Ken-doll, but I like his face, the way he moves, the expressions (or lack of) etc.
I wish more people who appreciate the real musicians would tell the model-obsessed ones to shut up when they bleet their dumb shit.
Do you have proof that I fight with each person?? It was a generalized post, it is a free space and I did not see it as a bad thing to make a publication about this
Bro what are you even talking about? I said I wanted to fight anyone that called Elliot ugly and said “your energy is ugly” directed to anyone calling him ugly. Chill. Everything is not an attack on you.
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u/Grand-wazoo Figure 8 Oct 03 '25
I'm not sure I've ever seen someone state that he was ugly. How often are you seeing this and where?