I know the topic has been discussed a lot but I'll take a bit different approach.

A few years ago I was a fat nerd with glasses (who was 22 before getting his first girlfriend). Well not that fat but went from BMI 26->20 and then added weight to BMI 23 by increasing muscle mass. After that I took a laser eye surgery to get rid of glasses and removed some moles from my face by radiowave surgery (a cheap and quick non-scarring operation). Though only the last operation was to increase attractiveness, the rest were for myself. But that's not I'm here to talk about.

Needless to say, women started to treat me totally differently. Which isn't surprising or even interesting. What is interesting though, is how women perceived me in contrast to men. All the guys I met, even the ones I hadn't seen in years, recognized me immediately. Women didn't. I was surprised. My eyes started to open when one of the girls I had know for years said that she can't remember how I looked like when I was younger. This girl was a bit of a hottie and despised me as a fat nerd. Now, in her thirties, past her prime, she was mad about me.

I finally understood that women don't look at men as they're perceived by their senses but through the emotions the men bring up in them.

I've never been handsome, even as a fit person my face is highlighted by a big nose and my hairline has been receding since highschool. But when I dress up to stand out from the crowd, many of the women try to flirt with me. I've interpreted it in the way that looks don't really matter but the impression you give.

Yes, Strauss et al have been saying pretty much the same thing for years. I'm trying to add some value to all of the theories out there through empirical means. I hope I did, if not, sorry for taking your time.