She built a clever AI mirror for men who told her she wasn’t pretty

7 November 2025

Mary Southworth, @hr.honey on social media claps back at trolls calling her “unattractive.” @hr.honey_ / X

When one social media creator recently spoke out on her feed about “pretty privilege,” the wave of criticism she faced from men dismissing her claim to those bluntly telling her she was unattractive set off a whole new chapter in her online narrative. Instead of absorbing the comments or ignoring the trolls, she flipped the script and turned the digital space into one where she was not only seen but validated. According to the original report, after she posted about “pretty privilege,” a number of men responded saying she was “not actually pretty” or “at best a five.”

What happened next is part reality check, part performance art. Using a custom-built AI tool that she designed to evaluate the attractiveness of her critics (and herself), she applied the same standards that her haters were using. The tool returned a range of scores: one man got a 5.3 out of 10, another was evaluated at 3.8 out of 10, while she herself scored 8.5 out of 10 when she submitted her own photo. She accompanied the scores with “tips” for the men to improve their attractiveness cheek fillers here, beard transplants there turning their insults into a kind of public service announcement for self-improvement. The reaction online was fast and fierce.

Followers praised the move as “iconic” and a “sweetest, kindest clapback.” Others questioned the ethics of using AI to judge appearance at all, arguing it perpetuates narrow beauty standards. But for the influencer the motive was clear: if people are going to publicly judge her appearance, they should be ready for the mirror to turn back on them. “If someone feels comfortable tearing down a stranger’s looks online, they should also be prepared for feedback,” she said.

What makes this moment significant is how it intersects several contemporary internet-phenomena: influencer culture, public “call-out” moments, the algorithmic quantification of beauty, and the conversation around privilege tied to appearance. The idea of “pretty privilege” that conventionally attractive people receive unearned advantages in jobs, relationships, social media reach and more has been debated in social-media circles for some time. This incident gives us a case study in how one person chose not only to comment on that debate but to physically exemplify it: she claimed the privilege, was challenged on it, then responded by leveraging an AI to hold her critics accountable.

There are several layers to what this says about online culture. First, it highlights how public image and criticism are now speedily intertwined: one post, one comment, one reaction can generate a chain of responses and a viral moment. Second, it underlines the shifting role of the influencer: no longer simply creating content for likes and sponsorships, but actively shaping discourse, using tech tools and performative rebuttals to make a point. And third, it raises ethical questions: when beauty is quantified algorithmically, does a feminist-style “take down the haters” moment also perpetuate the same narrow standard she critiques? Some commenters argued exactly this.

In terms of the women’s empowerment landscape online it’s a vivid instance of agency: she reclaimed control of how her appearance was discussed, then flipped it so the criticism itself became the subject of critique. Of course, the move was also styled for viral success AI tool, public figures, trolling comments, surprise scores so it speaks to the merger between activism and spectacle. For her critics the experience must have felt like both exposure and embarrassment, and for her audience it became entertainment, validation and conversation.

The broader question is whether such moments can lead to meaningful change. Do they deter online harassment of appearance? Do they shift how social media users engage with trolls? Or do they simply become another viral moment in a feed full of them? While this influencer used tech to turn the mirror around, the underlying dynamic remains: people criticising others’ appearance in public spaces. That may not vanish anytime soon, but the example sets a precedent: you can respond, you can control how your story is told, you can call the snapshots of your worth into question.

In a sense, the gesture serves as both shield and sword. She shielded herself from public down-talk by pre-emptively owning the narrative and she wielded the sword by judging those who dared judge her. Whether you see it as empowerment or escalation the result is unmistakable: the conversation shifted. And for now that shift is centered on the fact that if you throw stones, you might find your own reflection breaking glass.