[Blarg]

Interesting and kinda brave idea for a thread. You have some interesting emphases. I'll throw in that a lot of this gets better as you get older. You just have to struggle to keep the faith a bit harder than others, if you don't have their advantages.

Women, just like men, often get less shallow after they get a bit of life experience going, especially if they've been lucky enough to have any bumps in the road. That takes away some portion of the emphasis on looks. The simple passage of time, more than learning or growing, also raises the emphasis dramatically on things like money, for some, so men who are financially successful get even greater sway. As women age, even the wilder ones start to think about settling down, and some practically get in a panic about it. Someone with the financial stability, and a bit of emotional stability, starts to shine a lot and be heavily competed for. Hopefully you've developed some depth to your personality and other good qualities too(or else what have you been living for?), so even a pretty unattractive guy can do very well as he ages.

Another thing going for you is if you keep in shape. As men age, like women, they tend to fall apart and a lot of the reason for it is laziness and self-indulgence. If you keep hitting the gym at 20, you will stand out a little; at 30, a lot, and at 40 and up, you will be pretty godly, because your peers by and large are doing nothing of the sort. You stand out by default. If you're a stable guy doing fairly well for himself and in good shape, the 30's through 40's will find you easily able to attract plenty of women, even if there are plenty of prettier guys out there. The thing is you just have to not collapse and give in to being bitter or becoming unathletic or a slob. It gets easier to do that every year, but it speaks better for you every year that you don't. You can hit a lot of pretty sweet spots in life even if you're not all that great looking or all that young anymore.