Yeah unfortunately you are right, looks are everything when it comes to attraction. Red Pill is complete bullshit imo. Just take the good advice from TRP like lifting, eating healthy, being social etc. and you don't have to do anything else other than improving your looks. If you are unhappy with your looks, try to do something about it (like plastic surgery). You would be shocked to see how much they can improve your looks. Simply getting a chin implant or jaw surgery etc. can make you a thousand times more attractive.

Trust me, don't give up on women if you can have plastic surgery. If you can't afford it now, wait until you can afford it. And yeah, I've seen many real life examples like yours as well. For example, im slightly above average and I can't bang very attractive model-looking girls. I've only fucked average girls like myself. And even doing that took me A LOT of effort, and I have a friend who grew up in the poorest family, he wears the same clothes and shoes every single day and he has been getting laid since he was 13 or something. Therefore, looks are everything. BUT you can do something about it, you can change your looks.