Personality matters more than looks, but attraction still matters.

I am a 28yo man, 250lbs, 5'4, and a neck-beard (think of the stereotype of a Reddit mod). I have been in a relationship for nearly 11 years. My own gf rated my looks a 6/10 (I asked for her honest opinion), with room for improvement by simply dressing up, grooming, and taking care of myself/maintenance. She did, however, rate my own personality a 10/10, though of course this is biased.

I said the above to give context, but more importantly to make a clear point: Personality matters more than looks, but attraction still matters.

What do I mean by this? Simply put, as long as you are attracted to your partner, or potential partner, it does not matter what their objective rating may or may not be. After-all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you think your partner is attractive, even if they are objectively average (a 5/10), then all that is required is to find out if their personality is compatible with yours. Very few people are objectively ugly, that is simply how statistics work. Most people fall into the 4-6 range, and that is okay. It should not be a death sentence to be average, because even average people are attractive. If you're out there looking for objective 9s and 10s, prepare to be looking for a long time, as it is far easier to find a subjective 10, than an objective 10.

Personality matters, and should matter, more than looks. Looks will fade over time. Muscles will weaken, smooth skin wrinkles, parts being to sag, hair begins to gray... I would much rather have a 5/10 in looks gf who has a 10/10 personality, than a 10/10 in looks and a 5/10 in personality. It of course goes without saying that everyone's scale is tailored to them. Your 5/10 might be my 7/10 or vise versa, in looks or personality. Where one man finds a chubby woman ugly, another finds her curvy. Where one woman finds 6 packs hot, another may find them intimidating or to tough to cuddle on/with.

I was lucky enough to be looked past my looks, for my partner to see the real me. The trouble with modern dating is that the importance on physical or non-personality attributes (like wealth and status) is overinflated. Someone sees a 5/10 person, while still attractive, but dismisses them in the hopes of "dating up." Most people are decent people, meaning most people have decent/good personalities, and from there you are just looking for compatibility.
There is not enough correlation to being extremely attractive (objectively) and having a wonderful personality. You're far more likely to find an average person with a great personality, than a super attractive person with one. I am not nearly educated enough to claim that being super attractive equates to being arrogant, nor to claim that super unattractive people are devious or evil. Though, I have heard far more stories about extremely attractive people having bad personalities, since they relied, mostly or solely, on their good looks.
(Let us not even begin to talk about Pretty Privilege)

As long as you find them even somewhat attractive, give them the chance to express their personality, and then rate if that's someone you want to spend more time with. Stop looking for Mr or Ms Perfect, because those people, at least in terms of looks, are far more rare than someone who can match with, or vibe with, your personality. It is not settling, its being realistic. The bar is not in hell, you just have unreasonable standards; people get into relationships all the time.