They matter. Those Diet Coke ads in the 90s and 00s, which were advertising a low-calorie drink aimed at women, always sold the fantasy of a 'hunky' guy with the product. I remember seeing one in the exact same line of ads where a woman is on a train and expects the guy opposite reading a newspaper to look like one of these hunks- the guy puts down the paper and instead looks a bit dorky, and the woman's eyes dart around in disdain or embarassment.
It is one of the reasons I stayed away from TV, understanding that it is all fake- but in reality many girls would react the same, because we live in a media-savvy world. I was often outcasted in my youth for being or acting different, or outside the norm. Any other reason why my outlook on life is so bad right now?
I also wanted to add that, yes, it is easy to get angry and bitter and frustrated with this, but it isn't helpful. We have to accept that this is what life is.