> I hear recurring dating themes from women between the ages of 25 and 45: They prefer men who are emotionally available, good communicators, and share similar values.
You'll note that none of the three traits listed as preferred are "mediagenic appearances"
That's not to say they are bad traits, but they certainly aren't the magical bullets that will get you through any door that the women claim them to be. Certainly opens a few eyes when a non-insignificant portion of women saying those words seem awfully lenient to a guy with a higher status and a stronger physique, even if he acts like a jerk.
But there's nothing you can do to change that, so why get hung up on it? There are plenty of other people (I'll drop the dehumanizing metaphor of doors here because it's not needed) who have different criteria that you could meet, and focusing on the things about yourself that make you happier (like being emotionally available, being able to communicate, and having a clear sense of your values) seems like a pretty reasonable way to go about meeting those criteria with a side-benefit of making you happy.
And that's exactly the point of the other commenters. The advice is generally bogus, as their actions don't align with their words. It's such a common phenomenon, the common advice is "stop asking a fish how to catch it, ask a fisherman or practice fishing some more". There are dozens of things guys can change well in their power that would help, and the words of women aren't helping them get there unless they are really obvious.
I'll address that argument, but if it's not what you're trying to say then please correct me. There are many different women, and they all want slightly different things, at different priorities. That said, I think that focusing on mental health, communication skills, and emotional availability pays dividends for everybody independent of whether or not it gets them a relationship.
I'm not sure photos actually convey height that well.