9. Complimenting - A Positive Politeness Strategy

Most intriguing about this article was the idea that "compliments addressed to women have the same function as praise given to children," (107) because this insinuates that a woman's self-esteem is based on the approval of all others. This couldn't be more farther from the truth in my life. What I have found in female to female complimentary situations is more of a feeling of mistrust. If a woman I have just me offers me a compliment on a trivial item such as clothing, then my first inclination is to believe that she is trying to manipulate my feelings toward her. To me, it seems like a form of flattery meant to put the speaker in a one-up position, not an honest portrayal of how the speaker feels about my attire. Although the article has much supportive data, this does not hold true in my experience.