The looks taboo is very forceful. You can't go to a party and start saying aloud that X is ugly, unless you're a sociopath. You also can't say to your friends that you find yourself ugly and will never get a girlfriend because of that. At best, everyone will feel very uncomfortable.
Is it partly innate? Are we wired to avoid mentioning the subject of looks in public? I believe so. I think it goes back to our earliest, darkest primitive form. Back when humans were apes, looks and health were the foremost factor in social status. Like chicken or chimpanzees, we tended to exclude or even kill the ugliest and disabled. After humanity evolved, we began to think of ourselves as more civilized, and the mention of looks or ugliness "gives off a cold", because it reminds us of the harshest truths of nature.
Is it partly innate? Are we wired to avoid mentioning the subject of looks in public? I believe so. I think it goes back to our earliest, darkest primitive form. Back when humans were apes, looks and health were the foremost factor in social status. Like chicken or chimpanzees, we tended to exclude or even kill the ugliest and disabled. After humanity evolved, we began to think of ourselves as more civilized, and the mention of looks or ugliness "gives off a cold", because it reminds us of the harshest truths of nature.
