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Basic Trope: A character learns a lesson that outward appearances don't matter and the inside counts.

  • Straight: Bob is unattractive and is rejected by a number of very attractive women because of it. Alice is the one who doesn't reject Bob and likes him for his kind personality, which makes Bob realize that looks don't matter.
  • Exaggerated: Bob is so hideous that every woman would run away in horror whenever he asks them out, except for Alice, who finds Bob to be a wonderful person, making Bob realize that the inside counts.
  • Downplayed: Bob isn't unattractive by any means, but isn't nowhere near as handsome as the other men. Despite this, Alice accepts him for who he is.
  • Justified: If you had to choose between a good-looking Jerkass and a not-so-handsome Nice Guy, who would you choose?
  • Inverted: Outward appearances matter.
  • Subverted: Bob might be a good guy... but Calvin, a Hunk, is still infinitely more popular with ladies, despite being a bit of a Dumb Jock or even Jerk Jock.
  • Double Subverted: But there's always at least one girl with a type for nice guys and/or geeks, regardless of their appearance.
  • Parodied: Bob tries to really turn himself inside out upon learning this.
  • Zig Zagged: ???
  • Averted:
    • There is no lesson about whether or not looks matter.
    • Alice chooses to go with Bob regardless of looks or personality.
  • Enforced: Writer on Board advocating for Being Yourself, possibly with fear of 'lookism' accusations thrown in for good measure.
  • Lampshaded:
    Bob: "Did I just learn a lesson about looks?"
  • Invoked: Bob decides to be very nice in order to make up for his ugly appearance.
  • Exploited: ???
  • Defied: Bob decides to improve his appearance rather than rely on his personality.
  • Discussed:
    Clara: Why would Alice choose to go out with that loser?
    Jane: Maybe because there's more to Bob than looks.
    Clara: That's ridiculous! Looks is everything!
    Jane: Well it's not the case here, now is it?
  • Conversed: "Oh joy. We've just learned a repetitive moral about how looks don't matter."
  • Implied: Alice and Bob are a case of Ugly Guy, Hot Wife, and Alice seems genuinely happy with him rather than a Gold Digger.
  • Deconstructed: Bob feels entitled to Alice because he is a "good guy" and refuses to respect her lack of attraction to him.
  • Reconstructed: This only lasts a short while, because Bob really is a nice guy and can't remain angry over this for too long. Bob gets over it and finds a woman who likes him in spite of his appearance.

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