How important are looks?
 

Just a random question. If you wanted to either have sex or have a relationship how much do looks matter?

I figured no matter how good a heart someone has, the initial attraction has to be started by physical attraction. Now with internet dating stuff like that is out the window.

So what do you guys think? On a scale from 1 to 10 what do you think and why?

???

It's not all that important. The way someone carries themselves is much more attractive to me. It is about their personality and vibrancy. I find a bunch of women attractive that would only rate a 4 or 5 in looks normally. Now if you find someone repulsive physically that is a bit different, but I rarely find that.

I have to find one attribute about someone I think is attractive. If I can appreciate her great smile, her beautiful eyes, or her nice round hips I'm down for a date. I have a limit to who I will date/screw but it's much lower than most. You'd have to be pretty hideous for me to reject you outright. So yes looks matter but it's the degree that they matter is what makes a difference.

Looks are not everything, but they're definitely important.

If you're not physically attracted to someone at all then you shouldn't be in an intimate relationship with them because if you marry them that's the person you're going to wake up next to every morning for the rest of your life.

In my most humble opinion.... Looks are only part of the package. Just like a book, you can't judge it from it's cover. But without any attraction, then there would not be a chance for a relationship. It all depends on the person too. You see a woman or man that is damn hot, but you go to talk to them, and they can't carry a conversation in a bucket, they wouldn't be considered for long term prospects. That's the way I look at it any way.

I'm not just attracted by looks when it comes to a relationship. I like to view the whole package. Is he a good conversationist? Is he smart/funny/grounded? Will he treat me good? These are important in the big picture.

As far as looks go, I really want a nice face, it doesn't have to be Gillian Anderson's face. Just something that is nice to look at. Everything else is an added feature from that point.

Brains on the other hand are a must have.

If it's just sex, then looks take on a little more importance... if it's a relationship though, not as much...part of that, I think, is that when you love someone (or just really like them a lot), they become more attractive to you than if you just, say, passed them on the street. Definitely more of a personality thing with a relationship.

looks
 

7 - you have to be somwhat attracted to the persons looks

Looks are important initially. First impressions and all that. However, once you talk with a person for a few minutes, or days or what have you, their looks don't really seem to matter anymore. For example, I knew this guy in college... TOTAL hottie babe, gorgeous eyes, great smile, nice body. But after getting to know what a sleazy person he was, I was totally turned off by him. Although I don't know how it would work in reverse. I don't recall any "ugly" people, maybe some plain/average looking people who grow on me to look good.

An attraction to someone is a combination of everything. Yeah, there is a point where someone could be so physically unattractive that there is no way it could work, but as skysooner said, that is rare. At the same time, I don't care how hot someone is, if their personality sucks, forget it.

Looks can only get you so far. Yes, it gets you in the door but in no way do looks alone allow you to stay.

Those who i don't outright consider drop dead gorgeous can grow on me once i learn more about their personality and interests.

to answer your questions: To have sex? Yes, looks are important. For a relationship? Looks aren't everything, but i still need to be somewhat attracted to them (i.e. they dont' have to be drop dead gorgeous).

Looks and personality are both important. While it can be that if someone is cute and they have a bad personality then the relationship goes bad; it also works the other way. If someone has a great personality, yet they are not attractive to you, romance is not gonna happen

Yep, If I'm just looking to pick up at a bar, I don't care what kind of music she likes, what she does for a living, and so on. There are only two questions : 'Is she hot?' and 'Will she come home with me?'
If I want something serious however, there are a few things I value over looks : Sense of humour, brains, interests, values, the kind of stuff that makes up the actual person. No sense in dating a pretty girl that you can't stand speaking to.

When you walk into a room and see a woman, you don't think "Oh my god! Look at that personality!"
The body is what attracts you, but internal beauty is what keeps you around; sometimes for the rest of your life.

I'm shallow.

It's the number one thing I look for. After that it's up in the air.

I am more likely to give someone I find attractive a chance to introduce themselves to me. However, I don't start judging until after they've opened their mouths. I don't date eye-candy-only people. They need substance and personality, preferrably intelligence.

Examples from my fencing class:
There is a guy in my fencing class who is mildly attractive. I wrote him off my list as soon as he opened his mouth because he's a cockyjerkasshole.

A different guy in my fencing class is not what I would consider attractive, but he seemed nice, so I thought we could be friends. Then he started pseudostalking me online and talks like a two year old on AIM. So I wrote him off my list, also.

This really tall blonde girl with big blue doe-like eyes is attractive, although I dislike the fact that she doesn't shave her legs. I got a chance to mingle with her on a snow camp trip and not only does she has substance and personality, she's very intelligent and capable. (Great fencer to boot!)