Most pickup artists and seduction experts claim that “looks don’t matter”. The ugliest guys, they say, can attract and seduce even the most beautiful women.

I’m here to tell you that’s completely and utterly false. If you’re unattractive, then you’re shooting yourself in the foot before you even lay eyes on a woman. You won’t get laid if a woman’s first impression of you makes her whisper “ew” into her friend’s ear.

Think about it: women get approached all the time, and by all sorts of men. If a woman is talking with two different guys one night, both of whom are equally funny and engaging, do you think she’s going to take home the ugly dude?

Of course not… she’ll choose the more attractive guy. Just like you want to only date “perfect 10’s,” women also want to hook up with good-looking guys.

Granted, looks certainly aren’t everything, there’s so much more to picking up a girl than just your looks, but they’re definitely a fundamental requirement for success.

Like men, women are genetically programmed to gravitate towards attractive guys. Women subconsciously associate good looks with health and an ability to protect her. This is not something she actively thinks about, but it’s ingrained in her genetics… and it’s helped humans evolve for thousands of years.

When it comes to choosing a man, women also have to consider their reputation. If she knows that her friends will see her walking out of the bar with an ugly dude, she won’t even consider it.

She definitely won’t allow herself to date a guy who’s not up to the standards of her friends. She doesn’t want to be embarrassed by the way her boyfriend looks every time she introduces him to someone new, because that reflects poorly on her.

Thankfully, there’s also some good news. Generally speaking, the most important thing is to not be unattractive. That means that you can usually have decent success with women as long as you’re at least “average” looking. Brad Pitt will still have an obvious leg up on you, but at least you’ll have a fighting chance…

More good news: There are very, very few men in this world unable to actually improve their looks to the point where they could be considered decent-looking. For 99.9% of all men, this is something that is very easily achieved.

You don’t have to lose 50lbs, change the shape of your face, and get cosmetic surgery just to improve the way you look. Simple things, perfecting your smile, having nice skin, wearing the right clothes, choosing a suitable hairstyle, having impeccable hygiene, make all the difference.