What is the importance of "appearance" in the novel, The Vacationers?

For the main characters, as well as the people who surround them, being attractive is a symbol for one's ability to be loved. Like an adolescent, the characters that are focused on their looks are focused on being loved, which is somehow supposed to help them navigate their difficulties. Straub spends countless sentences describing what people look like, especially regarding the efforts they go to in order to appear more attractive.