Once we realize that a hot body isn't enough to fulfill our desires, we move on to the third step: Beautiful souls - After most likely attempting to have every beautiful body, one should realize that if a single love does not satisfy, there is not reason to think that many ones will satisfy. As a result, we need to shift focus. In the words of Plato, "bring his passion for the one into due proportion by deeming it of little or of no importance." Instead, the passion is transferred to a more appropriate object: the soul. This is an interesting step for various reasons. When we get to know a girlfriend, we may not like what we find. No girl is 100% perfect and the chances a guy and a girl match 100% is virtually impossible. On the other hand, we barely get to know idols at all. We only discover tiny bits about their character and interests through TV shows, blogs and such. The plus side is that they promote themselves in such a way that they are highly likable by a wide variety of people. As such, it's very difficult to discover a trait of your favorite idol you do not like at all. In sum, even though the knowledge of a girl's soul may be deeper with a girlfriend, it also means there will be some flaws. Whereas idols offer a more shallow image, which is closer to one's ideal girl. One question that arises is to what extent you want to really know a girl? How well do you need to know a girl in order for her to be able "love" you and vice versa?
Now, if we tone that down a bit, we can conclude that idols offer a higher level of love than girlfriends. An idol's love is unconditional. No matter who you are, where you or what you look like, you will always be able to count on your idol to be there for you. The ultimate question is, what kind of love are you looking for? If you have a girlfriend and you are only interested in her body, sure, go ahead. However, you'll be stuck at step one and only experience love at its most basic form. The question is to what extent that will fulfill your desires. In Plato's view, it won't. Furthermore, the argument that you can't have a physical relationship with an idol is irrelevant in this sense, because idols offer a form of love that has evolved beyond that step. The idea that we may have a natural drive for procreation may be true, but that is not necessarily related to the concept of love as we are discussing here. In conclusion, the higher we move up the ladder, the more we have to focus on an idol's unconditional everlasting "love."