Greg and Steph might love each other, but they just can’t get along.

The two, characters from Neil LaBute’s “Reasons to be Pretty,” helped make a statement last weekend about how physical appearance plays a huge role in today’s society.

During the play at McLeod Theater, a heated debate ensued after Greg, the main character, told his girlfriend Steph she had a regular-lookingn face. She didn’t take the comment lightly and came close to ending the relationship.

As tension builds between the two, he is confronted with just how much his remark hurt her. The result puts the couple at odds with each other as the show progresses and leaves Greg to learn a very important lesson about romantic relationships: It is best to make woman feel loved by telling her she’s beautiful.

LaBute’s play is a commentary on society’s obsession with physical appearance and how the problem can tear relationships apart. Most of his works focus on portraying the battle of the sexes and topics people might be afraid to discuss.

Patrick McGregor, a graduate student in directing from Westerville, Ohio, and stage manager, said the show’s theme is relevant today because it relates to what college students go through. He said Greg’s mistake is common among relationships.

It’s easy for men to say something about a woman’s appearance and be misunderstood, he said.

Greg ends up being the character throughout the play whose actions are misinterpreted as he tries to make up for his hurtful words.

McGregor said the show aims to make audiences reflect on the choices they can make.

“We want people to take a step back, sort of look at his or her life and the people involved in it and see how they can change his or her interactions with others,” he said.

Essentially, McGregor said, the play confronts what defines a good person in a society obsessed with physical appearance, McGregor said.

Max Ryan, a senior from Gurnee studying theater, plays Greg and said he relates to his character because Greg is really a good guy trying to make up for his mistake.

At the end of the day, he said, he wanted audiences to see Greg as an innocent person caught in a difficult situation with his girlfriend that many men can be caught in.

Stephannie Sill, a Carbondale resident and audience member, said the play is very true to human nature. Focusing on an individual’s looks and not his or her own heart is a big problem in our society, she said.

“We can all get way too concerned with a lot of things … our looks and ourselves and what we think we need,” she said.

Overall, the play does a good job showing issues with society’s definition of romantic relationships by highlighting how sensitive the topic can be for women, Sill said.

While much of the play’s conflict is fueled by Greg’s small comment, the play is meant to show the good consequences that can follow by taking the time to tell a woman she is beautiful, Ryan said.

“The smallest thing, positive or negative, can have huge implications,” he said.