I think it's fair to say that people do treat you better when you are more attractive. Even I don't care much about my external appearance yet I still would show a bias in certain situations. I want to be at a point where I'm happy with myself because I look the way I want to, not because of other people's perceptions of me through looksmaxing attempts. I would say it also aligns with my values. A potential problem of being more attractive is losing your sense of character as you are mostly praised and complimented by your appearance. You don't have to develop your personality as much, since people offset it with your looks. I really value someone's character and values to the point where I think I'm demisexual - you could be the epitome of my ideal type, but it's hard to find you attractive if you're not authentic and thoughtful. I've always had acne (which I do self-sabotage myself for picking at it), and growing up, I was always self-conscious about my haircuts. It chipped away at my confidence levels, and the comparisons to other people who were better off in these qualities made me feel ugly. At least now I don't really care about my hair seeing as I shave it myself to save money and as a testament for my previous insecurities, but lately my acne has been affecting me. It's become second nature to start touching my face while doing any form of deep work, and it's offsetting the time and effort I spend on skincare. Do I just really not care that much? What else would be an explanation for continuing to do so despite all these years? That actually could be a possibility, but it's just something that I wish I didn't do to somewhat cater towards people who do favor looks. I'm grateful that the people in my life can see me for who I actually am, but who knows what effects it has had on strangers or people not as close. I've also had thoughts of fitting in with the traditional standard, but I feel like it wouldn't fully align with my own personal philosophy. What would be fun about everyone being the exact same person? Yes it helps form companionship, but I would rather not be the average asian male with a korean perm that plays VALORANT and listens to keshi, especially since I'm only missing one of those 😭 Someone full of ideas, ambition, and compassion. No amount of genetics, fashion, or makeup can top that.