"A homely girl wouldn't wear that"

Good looking and intelligent. MA (English), BEd. Extremely good natured. Very compatible, down to earth, modest and homely. Highly respectful to elders. Hobby oil painting.

Do any of these words seem like an odd choice for a matrimonial ad?

One of the things that can get you into trouble in India is when words have different definitions than they way we use them back home. For example, I was out shopping for an outfit to wear to a friend's wedding with my American friend Jenna and an Indian friend's sister. Jenna pointed out a poster of a woman in a sheer saree (you could see her stomach through the fabric, the rest was covered in the layers) and asked if that was too risque of an outfit. My friend's sister replied, "A homely girl wouldn't wear that." Jenna, of course, was thinking, according to the American definition, "Yes, thank goodness!" [homely-(adv.) A word used to describe an ugly, unattractive female*] However, my friend's sister actually meant homely with the Indian definition [homely-Characteristic of the home or of home life*; traditional]

Two totally different understandings of the same statement; and, at the time, it was funny only to me because I knew where each one was coming from. Luckily, it wasn't serious enough to cause a cross-cultural misunderstanding! :)

*both definitions courtesy of urbandictionary.com