On the other side of the spectrum -- as an attractive young man who first bought into this philosophy that "looks don't matter" -- I realized only in the relati

On the other side of the spectrum -- as an attractive young man who first bought into this philosophy that "looks don't matter" -- I realized only in the relatively old age of 26 that I could control other people's first reaction upon meeting me by controlling my appearance. Then it came to me that control of one's appearance is a far more sophisticated and deep skill than most people realize -- almost akin to programming. Caring about looks is just as much advertising your complexion as it is advertising the fact that you possess enough intelligence to have mastered the relatively complex skill of controlling one's appearance. There is much more to knowing how to present oneself than the shallow mindset most people ascribe to those who are good at it. For as long as humans existed, people have been equally idolizing and denigrating that which they don't possess. I do not mean to encourage talking to young girls in terms of their appearance -- as a matter of fact I support gender-ambivalent parenting. It's just that the author's attitude strikes me as hateful.