Moss is distractingly unattractive...

lol, is that what this show is about?

I agree ... there is something about her that is ... unattractive.
However, she was kind of cute in West Wing, in fact I never even connected that it was the same woman. Also, she is really a good actress.

For some reason I have not ever been able to get into this book. I just think the theme of it is boring or unrealistic, or too subdued perhaps to be relevant. Like they are trying so hard not to be sensational that it is dry and uninteresting.

I think there was a movie too? What is it about this story that is such a bore. I wish someone would tell me something that would make me understand it so I could be past the mental block I have to this. A lot of series I thought would be very bad once I was able to sit down and watch for a while I got into them, but I cannot do that with this series.

Is this series good?

Her looks is unimportant. She's fertile, that's the only thing that matters.

Elizabeth Moss does have sharp features that may not conform to standard ideas of attractiveness but I do think she's attractive when she's shown in her real life with her flowing hair and regular clothing going about her life. Expression is another thing that can distract from appearance. Scowls, frowns, grimaces or total blank expressions are not conducive to be appealing and only add to the plain lack of adornment and the role basically calls for a lot of unhappy expressions..

She's also not truly "dumpy" but being on the short side and wearing the garb meant to hide all aspects of femininity and feminine curves helps to make all the handmaids invisible.

I find it ironic that the handmaids have been reduced basically to a sexual organ with no embellishments to convey that they are sexual beings even as their most important quality is their sex.. They are essentially just "incubators" and not considered real humans at all. Their appeal is irrelevant and every attempt is made to make them all unappealing in a lustful sense.
Yvonne works better as the more entitled wife. Even she, with her more traditional model looks, is much plainer than she looks in any other character she has played. The wives costume is not particularly flattering either as looking sexually appealing is, in general, some sort of crime against their religion.

I think Elizabeth Moss works well in this role because she's emotive and is easier to relate to ..She's an actress that has no problems with how unattractive a role might make her out to be..Her ego isn't tied to how she appears on camera so she is able to do her best work..

she looks like a young Ellen DeGeneres

I like very much that they did not cast a hot girl in this role.
But a normal woman. Not super-attractive.

Men liking her is logical for me because Nick never had sex and then had sex with her. Also Commander had sex with her. If there is basically nearly only one person you have sex with, there is easy emotional attachment.

I think she has more going for her face than just being "attractive" or unattractive - her face has an amazing strength of character to it. And that's something that makes a face beautiful even when it isn't the standard "model girl" face or beauty.

Moss's face is an "everywoman" face that can look very plain, or have the magnetic beauty of someone strong and spunky. I think it's a fine face and this role needed someone who was not just a pretty girl but a woman with all kinds of strong emotions to convey in that face, everything from hatred to fortitude to gleeful defiance. She has such a great face that notions of "attactiveness" don't really come into it.

While I won't call her ugly, it does baffle me that she does seem to be so highly desired, as you say.
I can relate to switching the actresses but they both do a great job at their role so I can't complain too much.
The more I see Moss, I keep thinking of personal people I know who she looks a lot like but someone also pointed out to me that she looks like Stormy Daniels and now that's all I see!! At first I didn't think so.