How fucking dumb and delusional do you have to be to claim strength lifting is egotistical, but not acknowledge that trying to be ascetically pleasing isn't equally, if not more, egotistical. Almost everyone lifts for egotistical reasons. Unless you are an athlete, a hard laborer, or you are doing rehabilitation, you are lifting for ego. One person's ego is no different than another person's.
I enjoyed lifting for numbers. They meant everything to me. 45lb plates look sexy. Mentally, the difference between 395 and 405 might as well be night and day. I admit out right that it is irrational and illogical, but I am an irrational person. However, I am not delusional to the point that I would claim that other people's training is invalidated by their motivations while claiming that my motivations are more valid. That is one of the douchiest things I have heard in a while.
I agree a 100% that the big three heavy compound movements are not required to have a nice looking body. My best friend looks better than I ever will and he fucks around with baby weight. He likes size, and the feeling of intense pumps. I like moving insane amounts of weight. Never has a girl given a flying fuck that I squat 450 and he squats 225. I would never tell him that his reasons for lifting are wrong, and he would never do that to me.
Compound movements are optimal for growth, but not required. They can also be dangerous. There are valid reasons for not doing them. But, to claim that those who do chose to do them are egotistical is a very ignorant way of looking at it when you are lifting to be pretty. I also believe that jealousy plays a huge part of it. Moving big things demonstrates power. Subconsciously, power is a desired trait, like being tall, or having money, or good looks, or being popular. It is left over psychological bullshit from an age when being physically strong made a person good mating material.
I believe that the "oh no, I'm a little bitch" self defense mechanism gets triggered and the bullshit finger pointing starts when a person with low self esteem sees another person lift more weight than them. Instead of thinking "hey look at that dude, he lifts a lot of weight, good for him", they think, "Oh look at that jerk, he thinks he is the shit because he lifts a lot of weight, he is so egotistical, I am going over here to work on my biceps because I'm going to get laid". It is where most of the steroid hate comes from. It is where the planet fitness mentality comes from. It almost all stems from mentally weak little bitches who feel inferior for no reason.