Physical attractiveness is not simply a function of physical features, but also depends on the relationship that exists between the person gauging attractiveness and the person whose attractiveness is being gauged. “Gauging” is an inappropriate verb insofar as it evokes the image of someone using a considerable portion of their attention to the task, when I’d imagine it more often occurs subtly in the back of the mind.

In any case, the point is that a person can look more or less physically attractive to someone else even if a computer armed with facial recognition software reports that they look exactly the same as they did last week. The reason for specifying physical attractiveness is that there are other dimensions of attractiveness (for example mannerisms) which may be more resilient to changes in relationship. Counterintuitively, there’s no reason to believe that a person will necessarily be perceived as more attractive by someone who thinks better of them than previously, or less attractive if instead the person thinks worse of them than previously. Finally, is there a correlation between a person’s attractiveness and the importance they assign to looks in a sexual interest? I don’t think so, but there are certainly sociologists who could say more definitively.