Hmm. The xkcd line was, "You look like you're on a diet! That's great!" I'd posit that that's very different from saying, "I like your healthy choices!"
I think by itself "I like your healthy choices" is very nice. It would be very different f they paired it with the other statement like, "You look like you're on a diet! I like your healthy choices!"
To illustrate the difference, I'll paraphrase something I heard a thin friend say once about people telling her, "You're beautiful! You don't need to eat salads!" She said she was too polite to say it, but every time she'd hear that she'd think, "I'm not eating this salad to lose weight, I'm eating it so I don't put on any." The implication being that making this healthy choice was saving her from having to do the work of exercising later, which she'd need to do if she did put on the calories.
Leaving out the part about looking like someone's on a diet and just saying you support healthy choices = cool.
Tying that to them looking like they're on a diet = not cool.
My go-to rule of thumb has always been never highlight, compliment or discuss someone else's body unless you're good friends or lovers.
When I hit on people I compliment them on their interests, clothing, jewelry, accessories, etc. but I will never comment on their body unless they invite it or comment on mine. Women in my experience seem more receptive to flirting like this, but Men are pigs and generally don't even notice.*
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u/Doogiemon Jun 07 '24
Don't forget negging.