Whether you are training or competing so you can tell people "I lift big numbers" or so people tell you "you look awesome/huge", unless it's just for a bit of fun I think you have serious ego issues.
There's nothing wrong with looking good and wanting to be the best you can physically but spending hours in the gym each week and spending most of your day figuring out what supps and macros and cals to eat next, just to impress females so you can feel good about yourself is pretty sad.
Find a girl, fall in love, if she's into you for your muscles it won't last long.
Do you think it's cool to look like you could rip someones head off? Really? Grow up! Or at least realise it's just a phase you're in. Chasing the muff, impressing the lads, whatever, it's all good, but see it for what it is.
Lifting to brag about numbers is probably just as lame. Get a life. Nothing wrong with celebrating your achievements, but if that's the main focus in your life then in the scheme of things its pretty sad.
In my opinion lifting is a discipline that has helped me learn about myself, and if that stops then I'll probably stop lifting and do something else. My point is that you should have inner (instrinsic) reasons as your main driver, if you live only for recognition from others you will have other issues.
As a beginner though its pretty hard not to get stronger AND look better. There seems to be an argument that "training for strength is bad for your health because you have to get fat". There's a hell of a lot of gains to be made by most people before you have to put on weight to get stronger
Kind of sounds like chicks who don't want to lift weights because they'll get too muscly. Trust me, if you are getting too muscly, there will be warning signs haha.
Anyway, lifting has a lot of benefits, main ones being strength and looking good, but base your goals on your own standards, not other peoples.