Your level of physical attractiveness is the very first thing anyone notices about you, unless they've got to know you well via some medium other than sight, first. So if you are plain or ugly, you are at an immediate disadvantage before you get to wow anyone with your personality or wit or humour or kindess or wisdom or intellect. Life is easier for very attractive people, it's true. Pretty Privilege is definitely a thing, but then so is Clever Privilege, Emotional Intelligence Privilege or Confidence Privilege, I guess.
It's true for women and men, but I think it's easier to get by without being judged for your plainness as a man than as a woman. Although plain women often do an awful lot to make themselves appear more attractive than they actually are by the way they present themselves. (Think botox, fillers, make up, eyebrows, high maintenance hair, tooth veneers, high heels, glamorous clothes etc.) whereas men just tend to look like they look, and any obvious attempt at beautifying themselves is more likely to be ridiculed and questioned, whereas with women it never is. In fact it's more likely to be questioned and ridiculed if plain women don't make an effort to improve on what they've got. Look at the hard time given to people like Therese Coffey. How can she go out like that know she's going to be photographed all the time and not give a shit? Not play that game that's expected of her as a woman?
It's easier to start things when you are very attractive. It's easier to find opportunities. Easier to get people's attention. Easier to get people to say yes to what you want. Much much easier if you work in sales or any job where persuasion is important. You still need charm and confidence, but undoubtedly having people enjoy looking at you is an easy way to get their attention in the first place.
It's easier to get the job once you are in the interview, although that does very much depend on the job and your experience/qualifications. If you are up against someone equally well qualified and equally compelling then being very attractive will tip the balance in your favour.
It's easier to make friends and attract partners on a surface level. I'm not sure it's easier to keep them or to be happier and more fulfilled in your relationships and your friendships in the long term though.
We are all drawn to beautiful things. Beautiful art, beautiful scenery, beautiful flowers and nature. And yes, beautiful faces and bodies. If you look at the animal and insect world, think about which creatures we hold in high regard and which ones we are repelled by, or fear, even if they can't actually do us much harm.
Let's say you don't even rate a 3 out of 10 for most people, then yes certain things in life will be harder. But it's the same for people who are not blessed with much intelligence, or academic ability, or good social skills or natural confidence, a sense of humour, or good physical mobility or coordination, or you have a significant disability of some sort. Any of these things are going to hold us back in some way, large or small. The best we can hope for is that we can overcome our physical, mental or personality shortcomings by working on what we do have in our favour. In the case of being rather plain looking, or downright ugly, that's where having a great character or personality or a great sense of humour kicks in and can be your saviour. Those things shine through and eventually captivate people if you are given enough time to win them over. If you don't genuinely have any of those qualities either, then you do have problems.
If you feel ignored it's probably because you lack confidence, rather than because you are unattractive. I know that's a bit of a chicken and egg situation, because being plain and not conventionally attractive (or just being convinced that you are downright ugly) is obviously going to knock your confidence, so it's a difficult one.
Someone beautiful will easily get people's attention and adulation at first, but if they are thick, or boring, or annoyingly insecure or just nasty as fuck they probably won't retain it for very long. People do see past the beauty and want something more. Obviously a person's job is directly related to them being beautiful then they can still do well their job, but everything else in their life might not be as hunky dory as you think, unless there is more about them than just a pretty face.
I work with the public and most people are very, very average looking. An awful lot of people are fairly unattractive or plain looking but very few are genuinely ugly.