It has always historically been that significant portion of males don't find a mate and there is a small percentage who get many, just because of the status, hierarchy, etc. So men have always needed to outcompete each other. With so little material in dating apps to compete with, these details will matter so much. Having professional photos also implies a lot of desirable qualities about you, like you had money and wisdom to do that in the first place.
It's weird because when I see super polished professional photos on a dating profile, I feel like I'm looking at a stock photo or an advertisement, not a genuine person on my level. I don't even find those pictures inherently pleasing, if anything I have an urge to skip over them immediately in the same way I've been subconsciously trained to skip over ads on a website without adblock.
