Used to be, in times long gone, that a sign of graciousness was being able to accept a compliment. Big whup. Nowadays we all know to say merely “thank you”. Anything more is either superfluous or disingenuous.
No, my darlings, today I want to talk to you about the modern difficulty of GIVING a compliment.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. You can’t just say, “You look nice today” anymore. I know, I do it all the time and it just doesn’t go over well.
Conversation is not a food fight wherein compliments are pudding. Would that they were, life would be easier. We could lob some verbal nicety in a random direction and know that at least some spatter would hit.
Instead, a different metaphor applies: the minefield. Tell someone they look happy and they’ll deny it. (Evil eye, anyone? Avert, avert!) Tell someone they look well-rested and you’ll hear about the worst insomnia since finals week during their freshman year. And heaven forefend you compliment an article of clothing. You’ll hear where they got it, how much they paid for it, and the color they wish they’d chosen.
Be that as it may, let me tell you that you look quite fetching today, and I love what you did with your hair.
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