I don't think you can take "cute" seriously when you're talking about showing girls your pic on the internet. Think about it. If you met a normal, well-adjusted girl online, and she thought you were charming and sweet, and you decided to trade face pics, what could she possibly say to you if she didn't think you were the least bit attractive? She'd never tell you she thought you were ugly, she'd have to say something nice, but not nice enough to make you think she was leading you on. That rules out handsome, sexy, and hot. She'd only use those words if she actually found you attractive. That leaves either "cute" or "good looking" and most girls will choose "cute" every time, because it sounds slightly disrespectful at the same time as being complimentary.
Hot girls will often call a dork "cute" to avoid totally crushing him while rejecting him; as in: "you're cute and all, but you're just not my type". On the other hand, some girls never compliment a guy's looks without using the word "cute". It's the only word in their repertoire. They don't feel comfortable using "hot" or "sexy" because that makes them sound slutty or desperate. They don't use "handsome" because it sounds too formal or old-fashioned.
The bottom line is, you might as well treat the word "cute" as meaningless/ambiguous, because you'll never know for sure if she's using it in a condescending, neutral, or genuine way. (Technically, she could even think you're totally gorgeous and out of her league but be too vain and insecure to let you know.) Of course, it's better than an insult, but it doesn't tell you very much. I'd say your best clue is if she goes into more detail about your specific features. If she says "you're cute" and leaves it at that, that doesn't bode as well as if she says, for example, "you're so cute, I LOVE your hair" or "Cute! Nice eyes!". You can't even fully trust these, but they're a safer bet than "cute" singularly followed by an abrupt change of subject.
Of course, if she texts you again, she obviously meant it.
Is "cute" a real complement?
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I don't think you can take "cute" seriously when you're talking about showing girls your pic on the internet. Think about it. If you met a normal, well-adjusted girl online, and she thought you were charming and sweet, and you decided to trade face pics, what could she possibly say to you if she didn't think you were the least bit attractive? She'd never tell you she thought you were ugly, she'd have to say something nice, but not nice enough to make you think she was leading you on. That rules out handsome, sexy, and hot. She'd only use those words if she actually found you attractive. That leaves either "cute" or "good looking" and most girls will choose "cute" every time, because it sounds slightly disrespectful at the same time as being complimentary.
Hot girls will often call a dork "cute" to avoid totally crushing him while rejecting him; as in: "you're cute and all, but you're just not my type". On the other hand, some girls never compliment a guy's looks without using the word "cute". It's the only word in their repertoire. They don't feel comfortable using "hot" or "sexy" because that makes them sound slutty or desperate. They don't use "handsome" because it sounds too formal or old-fashioned.
The bottom line is, you might as well treat the word "cute" as meaningless/ambiguous, because you'll never know for sure if she's using it in a condescending, neutral, or genuine way. (Technically, she could even think you're totally gorgeous and out of her league but be too vain and insecure to let you know.) Of course, it's better than an insult, but it doesn't tell you very much. I'd say your best clue is if she goes into more detail about your specific features. If she says "you're cute" and leaves it at that, that doesn't bode as well as if she says, for example, "you're so cute, I LOVE your hair" or "Cute! Nice eyes!". You can't even fully trust these, but they're a safer bet than "cute" singularly followed by an abrupt change of subject.
Of course, if she texts you again, she obviously meant it.