Can She?
Yes she can? It’s basically like asking, can a guy be called beautiful? Although, beautiful is mostly used to refer to the feminine kind of beauty, it doesn’t mean that a guy cannot be called beautiful.
In the same way, the fact that handsome is commonly used to refer to males, doesn’t mean you can’t call a girl beautiful.
There are some certain features you see in a lady that might make you want to refer to her as “handsome” rather than “beautiful” or “pretty“. The true definition of the word “handsome” (which means to be pleasantly looking) has no attachment with gender.
Matter of factly, if you’ve read some books written in old English, like Shakespeare’s books, women were referred to as “handsome“.
In old English, it is not uncommon to see women being referred to as handsome. Archaically, handsome was used to refer to older women, who probably has passed menopause.
Although, in our advancing world of today, considering the gender constraint placed on the word ” handsome” many ladies will not find it complimentary when you call her handsome, as they feel it might mean they’re less attractive.
What Does It Mean When A Guy Calls You Handsome?
Being called handsome by a guy, has a range of meaning, from being a compliment, to being insultive; if a guy calls you handsome, it could be that;
You Have Inner Beauty
To some guys, calling you handsome is being more appreciative of your inner beauty. It means that you have a good soul, a beautiful soul/heart/character in essence.
To some, it is a height of compliment, because they are not just complimenting your physical appearance, or how you look or what you’re wearing, rather, they are complimenting your inner beauty, your kind heart, which is far more valuable than just physical beauty.
Therefore, being called handsome by a guy could mean you have a kind heart and a beautiful soul. (A kind response of thank you would be nice as a response)
You’re Mature
When some people call you handsome, they could also be implying that you’re very mature. Not in the hoarse voice and heavy built kind of way, but in the emotionally developed kind of way.
When you have a higher level of understanding of emotional or psychological things, a guy will see you as mature. When you’re in charge of your life, rather than being a victim, tossed by the wind of circumstances to anywhere the wind blows.
When some guys call you handsome, it could mean they see you as a mature woman, one that is in charge of her life and has things all planned out.
You Look Masculine
It isn’t unusual for some masculinist ladies to be called handsome. Some ladies are well built like a guy, with sturdy physique, looking healthy and strong.
When you look at some ladies, you don’t see a soft, fragile lady, rather you see one that is akin to a guy, not necessarily in character, but in look.
Some ladies workout like men, they have abs, muscles and even a deep voice like a guy, in fact some ladies could look like a guy. When a guy wants to compliment such ladies, he could call them handsome, due to their physique.
A guy can therefore call a girl handsome to compliment her, due to her body structure.
You’re Beautiful
Some people just doesn’t recognize the gender bias placed on the words “handsome” and “beautiful“.
Although these two words are usually used in the society to refer to the attractiveness of a guy and a lady respectively, the dictionary meaning of those words have no relation or connection with gender, so some people do not limit the use of the word “handsome” to only a guy.
They might find you very attractive and sexually appealing and still call you handsome to show how attracted they are to you.
As said earlier, old English consider beautiful women to be called handsome as normal. So the person could be using old English or speaking archaically. If you’re called handsome, it could mean that he finds you attractive.
You’re Unattractive
On one hand it could mean that he finds you attractive, while on the other it could mean the direct opposite- he finds you unattractive. (What an irony! Right?).
When a guy calls you handsome it could be that he finds you unappealing, and he’s not moved by your appearance the way he should be moved when seeing a lady. It could be that he sees you like another guy, this could be due to your behavior- if you’re a Tomboy, or if you look like a guy.
What To Call A Guy When He Calls You Handsome
There are so many better cute and complimentary names you can call a guy other than handsome, just to make him feel happy and appreciated.
Gorgeous
You can actually call a guy gorgeous. I know the words might also seem genderly inclined to be feminine, but the truth is, most words that are considered to be for only females, by definition are not limited to any gender. Gorgeous means very beautiful or attractive.
To avoid it looking like a flattery, say it to a guy that looks more beautiful. So, if a guy says something like “hi handsome,” you can reply, “hello gorgeous” or if he says “you look handsome,” you can say “you look gorgeous yourself”
Sexy
Don’t look at me like that, a guy can be sexy. So if a guy calls you handsome, there’s no big deal in calling him sexy. Although honestly, sexy is more erotic and makes one think of being on bed, you should therefore, mind who you say it to.
So you can reply to a guy calling you handsome by saying “you look sexy” Being sexy is also not gender specific, so you can freely call a guy sexy.
Charming
You can tell a guy, ” you look so charming” charming could mean very pleasant or appealing, a guy can actually be charming, flattery apart!
Some guys have a feminine softness about them, I think charming is one complimentary word that will fit them perfectly. Some really cute guys deserve to be called charming.
Knight In Shining Armor
However fairy tale that might sound, or however childish it might sound, the truth is the cliché “knight in shining armor” is one that almost every guy likes to be called. If a guy says, “You look handsome”, you can reply with “and you’re my knight in shining armor”.
Most guys, loved being called this because, it tells of strength and saving power, which means they have the strength to save you and the power to rescue you, which is one feature guys love to be associated with(strength and power)
Good-looking
If you totally run out of ideas of anything fancy to say, this is a saving grace. You can simply call him ” good-looking“. It’s basically the same thing as saying handsome.
Good-looking, means having an attractive/pretty/handsome/beautiful appearance. It has the same effect of making the guy feel good and happier as when you call him handsome.
Cute
Have you ever seen a cute guy? Well I have, and it seems the population of cute guys is quite increasing. Using some words, like cute, would depend on how the person looks. Words like good-looking, knight in shining armor or sexy can generally be used on any guy.
But compliments like calling a guy cute, would depend on how the guy actually looks, that is, if to your taste, he does look cute. So when a guy call you handsome, you can reply by saying “you also look cute”
Attractive
You can as well easily say, “you look attractive” when he calls you handsome. The word, “attractive” is one of those few words that can be used on any guy, no matter his looks. Either he’s heavily built or has a feminine softness about him.
Boss man
Although, it is usually more common for a guy to call another guy, bossman, than for a lady, but you still can call him boss man.
Conclusion
Different ladies respond in different ways to being called handsome. While some will take it as a compliment, blush and return the compliment, others might find it offensive to be called handsome.
As you can see, calling a lady handsome passes a different meaning across, from it being a compliment, to it being uncomplimentary and insultive.
If you’re a guy, trying to compliment a lady by calling her handsome, let her know that you mean it as a compliment, so she doesn’t take it the other way round.
Also, if you’re a lady, and you don’t like being called handsome, please speak out. You can politely ask him what exactly he means when he calls you handsome. And if you still don’t accept his explanation, politely tell him that you prefer to not be referred to as handsome.
But generally, a girl can be called handsome, but it passes across different meanings to different people.
