Before I got my PPL way back when, I thought if you were a pilot then small boys would gaze at you in wonder and girls would want to have your babies. Then I found that most people regard light aircraft as marginally less sexy or interesting than trainspotting. It is great, though, when someone really does enjoy going flying with you.
By the by, something that IS less sexy and interesting than trainspotting must be light aircraft plane-spotting. I couldn't believe how many people there were at the last PFA Rally I went to, sitting in the drizzle with their binocs, noting down aircraft registrations. I'd parked next to the runway, and 3 or 4 were sheltering from the rain under the wing when I came to go. I asked if they wouldn't mind moving a bit so I could start the plane. They moved a couple of feet. I hadn't the heart to ask again, so I pulled the plane forward instead.