Do looks matter?
While this may seem like a subjective conversation, I believe there is a deeper meaning to it - there is a deeper meaning to everything.
Everything about the world today has become primarily physical. Men and women are praised for their looks, given more opportunities, and are able to make a living just for being "pretty" or "desirable".
While physical desirability is something that has been a part of human culture for thousands of years, base-line morality has been lost in the new technology era.
I do believe physical attraction play's its own role however, I don't believe people will ever truly win at life based off of their looks alone.
Sure, it's nice to be appreciated for being a physical specimen, but it also gets rather daunting after awhile.
From my personal experience, I have gotten work and paid for looking a certain way through modeling and entertainment. I have been in the spotlight just for having blue eyes, a nice smile, and a good body. While the blue eyes and smile were just something I was born with, I have put countless hours of work into achieving my body.
I have always appreciated being complimented on my body more than my looks because my body is something that I have worked for and continue to work for everyday for the past 11 years.
However, I am at a point in my life now where I could honestly care less if someone is attracted to my body or not because I have never once put a single repetition of any exercise towards anyone else's benefit, other than my own.
I decided to get into the gym when I was 17 to build myself stronger, not to get attention from other people.
This is also why I gave up bodybuilding years ago. Modern day bodybuilding and fitness, in my opinion, has become more of an attention circus than it is an aid for one's physical and mental capabilities - thanks to social media.
People have discovered that if they have a good face and a good body, they can film themselves working out and make a good living for themselves - which is fine, to each their own.
I have always found that when a market becomes over saturated with millions of people doing the same things for the exact same reason, it takes the purity out of something that was once a beautiful treasure.
Social media has turned bodybuilding, physical art, into an attention grab with everyone trying to "make it", instead of trying to make themselves mentally and physically stronger. And then you have the bodybuilders and fitness influencers that follow themselves around the gym with a tripod, filming every breath that they take, just so they can post some motivational quote on their Instagram about becoming "strong" - these people are clowns, not serious advocates.
Serious advocates don't need the attention because their work speaks for itself. People naturally gravitate towards people that have good intentions and put the work in, not just film content for social media and pretend to be something they're not.
This is a lesson that I have learned because there was a time when being a fitness influencer sounded like a good idea - after-all, I love to work out and getting paid to do it sounded like a win-win. However, the knowledge and wisdom that I have gained over the years is worth more than any amount of money or attention that I could receive on social media, just for being a good looking male that is built like a Greek God.
I believe that if one has put in the work and has something genuine to offer, then social media can be a tremendous tool for scaling your brand or business. However, with fitness, almost everyone is selling the same shit with their name on it.
When it comes to choosing a partner, I do not believe that looks are everything, but I do believe physical attraction is a must. This does not mean that a man and a woman need to be fitness models, but having a set of standards for anyone that you allow into your life should be mandatory.
Simply put, whether you're a man or a woman, both should be able to take care of themselves mentally, physically, and spiritually to some degree, before they allow anyone else into their lives to care for them.
Personal development is a choice and I think genuine attraction happens when both parties are doing their part to take care of themselves.
No-one is saying you need to become a fitness model, I am saying that taking good physical care of your health and well-being is genuinely an attractive quality.
Someone who makes an effort to be in good shape instantly becomes more attractive because it takes effort and commitment to do something everyday for the betterment of yourself.
All-in-all, it is not so much that looks make you attractive, it's the quality of wanting to take care of yourself physically that becomes instantly more attractive.
The same rule applies for those who make an effort to care for their mental and spiritual health.
I am at a point in my life now where mental and spiritual attraction, carries more weight than physical attraction. How a woman thinks and her level of self-awareness, makes her more attractive than her looks alone - I think most people would agree with me about this, whether you're a man or a woman.
For me now, I am more appreciative of being recognized for my ability to think and use my brain, than I do my looks or my body.
So, do looks matter?
I believe that genuine physical attraction comes from within. It comes from being comfortable with who you are and what you look like because you know in your mind that you are taking the necessary steps to take good care of yourself.
One must first be able to bring real value to themselves, before they add value to anyone else. If you work everyday at becoming the ultimate version of yourself, then the amount of value that you can add for someone else is limitless.
Who you are and how you think of yourself will be a direct reflection of what other people will think of you and for that, you can't put a price on personal development and self-mastery.