Ugly Aliens One's interpretation of beauty is influenced by what one is familiar with, and is also directed by the life form's built-in self defense instincts.
Humans instinctively avoid food that is rotten, and are attracted to food that smells fresh.
Men see beauty in women who have full hips, slender waists, and ample bosoms - all traits that indicate the ability and readiness to bear young. Both sexes find a diseased partner unattractive - a safe guard against spreading infections or perpetuating genetic diseases. In some primitive parts of the world tattoos or pictorial scarification is considered strikingly attractive, but in other cultures where clothing of all kinds is abundant, such use of the skin as an outer garment would be shunned. Thus, when contactees report visits from life forms that startle or even horrify them, this is not an indication of malevolent intent. A life form that looked like a slime covered horned toad or an amphibious octopus is not a life form humans would instinctively cuddle up to .