Posting for my own reference, and because I suspect it Means Something:
It took me years, but now, if someone tells me I'm beautiful or gorgeous, I can usually smile and say "Thank you." My loves have told me often enough, and I believe them and trust their eyes.
When someone told me last week that I was "pretty", my immediate reaction was "I don't have to be pretty, I'm beautiful." A confident denial, but a denial. She was complimenting me, and meant it sincerely. But my definition of pretty seems to be narrower and/or more conventional than my image of beauty: a concept of pretty as what magazines, diet ads, and cosmetic companies sell.
ETA: Clarification: Adrian, this doesn't mean I doubt you or your sincerity. It means I was surprised, and am thinking a bit about why. *hug*