My suspicion is this is something we will forever wrestle with because "beauty" is a proxy shorthand measurement for things of real value, but it is confounded by an enormous and oft abused potential to use this fact fraudulently. That which has real value is often appreciated for its beauty, but the street doesn't run both ways. Seeking to make something look good doesn't necessarily give it the more valuable underlying properties.

In GIS school, I learned that a good map will typically be described as beautiful, but a beautiful map isn't necessarily good. A good map is elegantly designed to effectively convey information. When the goal is achieved, high quality design also has inherent aesthetic appeal. But trying to just make a map pretty doesn't make it more useful. In fact, it often makes it less useful.

I think the same principle generalizes. I was born with serious respiratory problems. I always had really lousy fingernails. With getting healthier, my fingernails have grown stronger and prettier. This makes me suspect that manicures and painted nails are about trying to enhance a signal of baseline good health that is inherently valuable and attractive. But painting your nails doesn't actually improve your respiratory health. Fake glued on nails can give an appearance of health that isn't real.