And for me, I need to talk to my online matches on the phone before I agree to meet for a date. There have been a few situations where the guys said things on the phone that gave me clues a date in real life would be a mistake. One guy said he smoked pot to unwind on the weekends (which he left out of his profile!), and another guy complained about how his ex-wife was bilking him for everything he's got. Why would I meet these two in person after what they told me?
Because it saves time. A 30-minute coffee date vs. 2 weeks of emailing and phone calling and fantasizing.
Because it's good practice, if you need the practice.
Because it keeps your expectations more modest.
Yes, I do doubt my physical attractiveness as a result of his comment.
And that's not his problem. I am sure that if he simply said "good luck, and good bye" that you'd be stewing over the same issues. You already have these insecurities and self-confidence problems; they didn't suddenly get worse because of his comment.
I doubt that I am physically attractive to men because so far, I've been rejected by all the men I've dated in the past six months who I met online. And so my self-confidence has taken a nose dive as a result especially seeing all of my friends successfully pair up with someone for long term. I feel left behind.
And there's the core issue.