How much should looks matter?

I needed help being objective sometimes.  Being subjective is not always the answer.  I say that because of the concept of beauty that seems to be thrust upon us.  We all have to work at being pretty my mother says.  That is a rather interesting statement.  We put on makeup, fix our hair, and exercise.  But do we do it to please others or to please ourselves?  How much do we wish to fit the world's standards?  How vain are we?  How important is looks and how much importance should we, or do, we place on a person's looks?  I have my own opinions but from an objective standpoint, I wonder if it is all about the vanity of this world or about something greater.  It is strange to reflect upon that because we seem to live in a world where there are those whose careers and self-esteem is based on image.  There are others who care less about image and see people for their inner beauty.  But I wonder if there is a balance between whether or not looks matter.  In the world we live in, looks do matter in terms of not only getting a job or landing a date, but sometimes we focus on the wrong things when it comes to looks.  Having "good looks" and looking good should never be an issue, but what I am saying is that there is a difference between a neat appearance and keeping up appearances.  Too many people keep up appearances and not take enough time to fix their inner man.  They don't take enough time to take care of themselves from the inside and work hard on themselves instead of being hard on themselves because they don't look a certain way at least to others or at least repent of and work on their character.  Having "good looks" is okay, but inner beauty is where it should and does count.  It does make me wonder if one looks good on the inside then do they look good on the outside?  Yes, it does.  They look a whole lot better than a person with "good looks" who is hideous and lacks inner beauty.