Why are AirPods so ugly?

I’ve always thought AirPods were ugly, even from gen 1. For me it’s the combo of the stem and the fact that they only come in white.
I’ve been disillusioned from the branding of apple for a while, I don’t want to people to know that I have an earbud in my ear. And I don’t want to show off that they are apple. Additionally the inclusion of the stem has plagued “knock off” and other brands of earbuds.
Also they’re far too expensive, I refuse to believe the actual fidelity of the newest gen of earbuds is worth it for the price.
I will say I love the “find my” feature as well as the compatibility with my phone, I really like the idea that they can be used as a cheap alternative for hearing aids!
Believe me I would pay the apple tax for AirPods if they didn’t only come in white and didn’t have the stem.
I understand the stem is not only a design choice but also an engineering choice, but can’t we move past the stem… like as a society?