From my personal experience, it's all about wording, timing, and the person you're complimenting. I have both expressed my admiration of a persons appearance to whom I was genuinely attracted, and to a person I simply thought to possess that mutable trait we call beauty. Sometimes it goes well, others it results in an awkward and embarrassing, brief interaction. I try to think of it as saying something I truly feel should be said, whether or not it's sen as normal or socially acceptable. I think more people should acknowledge beauty, in all its forms, and ,certainly, we should all try to compliment those we see deserving of a compliment. I feel the word "love" should be treated similarly. I have often told those I care for that I love them, people like friends, brothers, step family, and people I do love, non-romantically, and experienced them being off-put by my statement; Most of them have understood and appreciated the sentiment, even if they were too uncomfortable to reciprocate such a declaration. I don't say these things to garner any affection or anything, I just believe in saying things that deserve to be spoken, disregarding social norms....After all, "normal," and "correct," are not synonymous.
