I never meant to come off as though I was trying to prove you wrong. What I meant to do was to speak the truth, and the truth is that the majority of the world puts more emphasis on looks than it does personality. However, to each his/her own.
Oh I know. And you are so right when you say 'to each their own.' But I actually
am attempting to prove you...somewhat wrong in your understanding...or at least plant a seed for you to consider at a later time...because it makes me feel sad or concerned for you that you would waste valuable time that could be spent towards pursuing your goal of finding another 'Great One' to establish a long-standing partnership with...worrying and trying to remedy something that honest-to-God doesn't have the weight in these matters that you seem to think it does.
fwiw, I've actually studied mate selection from an anthropological/biological/sociological/cultural standpoint...first as a prospective anthropology student and later in an (employed position) academic collaboration... And I'm telling you that you are wrong because
you are wrong. <--Not that the correct answer...or the truth of it is going to be easier for you to achieve...but when it comes to long-term-mate-selection on the part of females? Perhaps all that money you are going to spend on plastic surgery and gym memberships...would serve you better sitting in the bank...earning you some fat interest.
There was a bunch of research that came out...a decade or two ago...that grossly, grossly, grossly over-emphasized things like...youth, symmetry (especially facial symmetry), waist-to-chest/waist-to-hip ratios, pheromones...in mate selection <--and...wow...weird how certain industries like plastic surgeons, cosmetic corporations, corporations that specialize in health and fitness and Brazilian waxing profited...insanely profited...all while people that can barely make ends meet started to try and figure out how they were going to afford that face-lift they were going to need at 50 and still retire at the new retirement age of 95. Much of that research is in the process of being debunked. One of my favorite studies of all time haha...that I've only read about in journals but will go and see if there's a link to the research on the internet now...is they took large samples of male and female participants that were, like you, interested in finding another person to establish a long-standing romantic partnership with (I've only read of studies done on heterosexual individuals)...and showed them a series of photographs of opposite sexed individuals and asked them to identify which photograph they found most attractive. Included in each set of photographs provided to each participant...was a photograph
of the participant themselves that had been digitally altered into an opposite sexed 'person' and...subsequently in the running to be the participant's choice for 'most sexually/physically attractive.' Guess what image people selected over and over again with great significance? (they theorize that when it comes to long-standing attraction - we are most *memorized* by the familiar rather than the exotic. That we are most likely attracted to people that look like the faces...whether they be gorgeous or ungodly...we gazed at in the first few years of life.)
This is the last I'll say on the issue Great One...and then I'll leave you to your full-length mirrors and thoughts of cosmetic procedures...
When it comes to long-term female mate selection...physical attractiveness doesn't even make the Top Ten (it does - I believe for males but still nowhere near the top...)
Fidelity/Faithfulness generally comes in at number one.
Having what it takes to be a good father is generally close to the top as well...and 'being good father material' comes in high
in spite of whether the female wishes to have children or not which I find interesting...and imagine there being a strong evolutionary/biological link involved.
Emotional Availability is always huge.
And like I referred to above...Wealth.
