Here is another factor.
The face is the mirror of the mind; also said as the face is the index of the mind. As one thinks, so he becomes. A heart that loves truth, tries to live honestly and responsibly with actual care for others, looks attractive even if not born with handsome features.
I have friends that may be considered “homely” yet once you get to know them they look appealing. I have known people with “beautiful” or good looking physiques or faces but because they have ugly thoughts and bad hearts, they look very ugly. Like the old Fugs song “WHat is the ugliest part of your body - it’s your MIND!”
I went to a different school every year while growing up (yeah it sucked) but I saw a lot of different people and I realized how appearances change once you get to know someone. The funny looking or homely kid who’s nice looks so different once you get to know them, and the handsome or pretty kid looks quite different once you see the meanness or cruelty or hard heartedness in action.
What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body... I think that was Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Here’s a link to the original:
I have had those same experiences.
Wise words, FRiend.