Do looks matter?

[the_vulture]

Ya know, for the longest time, I thought they didn't, at least not to me. A couple of years ago, however, I wound up on a blind date for which I almost wish I had been blind. I had met her online, though a service similar to this. The photo she had on her profile was a bit blurry, but I didn't think anything was amiss. Besides, from online chatter, she seemed to have a great personality and shared many of my interests.  

What I didn't know until I met her in person is that she was badly disfigured. This was truly a shame, because she was a wonderful and amazing woman. She was intelligent, well educated, caring, funny, motivated, the list goes on... But I just couldn't get past her appearance. 

I don't consider myself to be a shallow person; I've been attracted to many women who do not match the glamour mag version of "beauty." Frankly, if given the choice between dating a plain woman who can carry an intelligent conversation and a runway model with all the personality of a soggy tuna sandwich, the former gets my company every time. 

Still, deep down, I know that I'm not the high idealist that once thought I was and there is a minimum level of beauty that any potential girlfriend must have if I'm to accept her as such. I rather dread saying that, because I know there are many, many women out there who think of themselves as ugly, when truly really they are not., and I may lose the opportunity to meet these people as a result. But if I cannot be wholly honest in my own blog, where else can I be?