Despite the preponderance of male leaders in Civ V, it's really slim pickings when it comes to attractive male leaders. Historically I suppose this makes sense since leaders (both male and female) usually aren't chosen for their beauty, though it's more common for a beautiful female to marry into a position of power (Theodora as an example). Also, most significant rulers were older (and wiser and experienced).
That being said, the only realistic option to me was Alexander, so there wasn't much of a choice. I actually like his stylized image more than his cartoony leader screen. He's good looking, but still isn't as aesthetically pleasing as contemporary male models. (For reference, he does look much better than he did in Civ IV and Civ III, when he appears much older than he ever lived to be!).
Kamehameha and Shaka have good physiques, but their faces aren't very pleasing to look at.
Most of the other male leaders range from average to ugly.
It's a lot better on the female side. My tops are Theodora (I also like her stylized image more), Dido, Elizabeth, and Catherine. Only Maria Theresa and maybe Boudicca are on the unpleasant side. However, it's not uncommon in the gaming industry (along with comics, etc.) for there to be plenty of stunning women, but very few stunning men.
For reference, the Civ portraits have come a LONG way from Civ IV and Civ III.
In Civ IV, most of the leaders appeared noticeably older and uglier:
Washington
Ramesses
Elizabeth
Napoleon
Alexander
Gandhi
Genghis Khan
Suleiman
Darius
Shaka
Montezuma (much older)
In all these cases, their Civ V appearance is much better. William also looks better because his Civ IV version looked to much like a stereotypical villain twirling his mustache.
The few cases where leaders looked better in Civ IV are:
Boudicca (she was hot in Civ IV, not so much in Civ V)
Catherine (younger and more fun in Civ IV)
Isabella (pretty in Civ IV, matronly in Civ V)
Bismarck (younger and thinner in Civ IV)
Augustus (best looking male leader in Civ IV, though Civ IV had even slimmer pickings than Civ V. Definitely looks better than his Civ V version).
Also special mention to Hatshepsut, who was great in Civ IV. Her makeup reminds me of Theodora in Civ V.
Finally you have Civ III, where most of the portraits were either too uncanny valley, or were racial caricatures reminiscent of past eras:
Pachacuti
Theodora
Isabella
Genghis Khan
Montezuma
Elizabeth
Bismarck
Alexander
Gandhi
Hiawatha
Catherine
Shaka
William
They all look far, far worse in Civ III.
Civ II and Civ I are so far back I can't even remember the leaders screens!
