Exactly. And when they are strangers out in public that we might wish to photograph, the point you make can be a powerful, but very gentle and non-threatening, way to break the ice. For that reason all of my antique cameras are kept in tip-top cosmetic condition. Intentional eye candy for just that purpose.
Of course the cameras don't have to look pretty to make the photograph. But they do have to look pretty to grab the initial attention. And it's that initial attention—that curiosity—that can be used to put people at ease when you are the stranger to them. Sometimes that can make all the difference.
Ken