In the world of photography it is mostly about illusion. Mostly they are women with good features and a proportioned face that photographs well and when tinkered with is very nice as a final product. You can be beautiful with lots of great features and just not photograph well easily. I have seen and met some women who are average, even plain looking IRL but the pictures they take are stunning. But IRL you'd never take a second glance.
And I agree with Copernicus, emotions and attachment affect our impressions of people greatly. A man or woman can be generally attractive to start out with but add attraction and other things and it makes a big difference. I think we all have innate things we like that push buttons and draw us in, like a certain kind of eyes or profile of traits.
But most of the people used in print ads look not much like what the finished picture presents. Illusion. 4951