Beautiful People
Is This Your Business?5.0
Author: Kaitlyn Short
Beautiful People describes itself as the largest online community for attractive people and claims that its services have led to over 700 marriages. The website launched in Denmark in 2002, expanded to the UK in 2005, and finally went global in 2009. Unlike most dating websites, it is not trying to become the biggest site. On the contrary, its claim to fame is that it is an "elite online club" where only the most attractive people are allowed in. In order to join, one must first apply and undergo a voting process in which current members decide whether or not an applicant is an attractive person. The voting process for applicants lasts 48 hours, and applicants can track incoming votes to see how members are responding to them.
By allowing people to determine the criteria for physical beauty, it gives a democratic voice to its members. This means that although the dating website is focused on the ideals of physical attractiveness, it allows members to set those ideals. Theoretically, this means that members get what they want in creating their online community. Because of its focus on physical beauty, the Beautiful People dating site has garnered a bit of controversy and media attention over the years.
Keep reading our Beautiful People review to learn about the pros and cons of choosing this online dating site.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Niche Site for Beautiful People
- International Site
- Free Basic Profile
- Feedback for Rejected Applicants
Niche Site for Beautiful People
It is a common conception that online or mobile dating is purely based on looks. Beautifulpeople.com caters to that idea to the nth degree. The only way that a person can become a member on the site is if existing members vote you in if they consider you to be attractive enough over a 48-hour period. Once you've been approved, you have the opportunity to network and rate other members on the website.
The rating scale has a four-point basis: 1. Absolutely Not, 2. No, 3. Hmmm OK, and 4. Beautiful. These ratings are applied to your profile pictures and personal information, and once you're approved, you're able to rate other members using that scale.
The benefit to this rating scale is that it's democratic. The only way users are accepted on beautifulpeople.com is if other attractive singles approve of you, so there is a rewarding feeling of exclusivity once you're approved. That exclusivity is extended in the forum, which is available to paying members. Payment options are not disclosed to visitors unless they are approved members.
International Site
The site, which began in Denmark, is now international and has over 800,000 members. So while you can easily find members that live near you, you can also search out others across the world. According to the website's "About" page, over 700 couples have gotten married after meeting on the site.
Beautifulpeople.com also offers a number of opportunities beyond dating, such as potential employment for modeling or talent agencies and exclusive events across the world. So for those who consider their physical attractiveness to be their most valuable quality, there are opportunities to find not only like-minded people but job opportunities as well.
Free Basic Profile
Luckily, the website doesn't require you to pay a fee right away. You can sign up for free by completing basic information, or you can just sign up through a Facebook profile. Beautifulpeople.com also has a mobile dating app for users to download and use on-the-go. Beautifulpeople.com also requires email confirmation and has a full-page called "Safety Tips," which gives advice on how to date safely. If a member suspects another member of anything unsafe, he or she has the opportunity to email beautiful people.com to report that person.
Feedback for Rejected Applicants
Millions of people have been rejected by BeautifulPeopole.com and left to wonder why they're not attractive enough. A few years ago, the Beautiful People dating site started offering feedback for rejected applicants. Founder Greg Hodge added this feature after he was rejected from his own site. He met with a plastic surgeon who gave him feedback on his physical appearance. He wanted to give other applicants a similar opportunity.
Rejected applicants receive feedback from plastic surgeon Dr. Linda Li on ways to improve their overall appearance. Suggestions may include correcting bad teeth, caring for bad skin, grooming unkempt hair, fixing bad posture, learning about proper makeup use, or receiving a plastic surgery consultation for facial features. Dr. Linda Li feels that these suggestions can help users increase their overall confidence and wellbeing.
Rejected applicants will also be connected to a plastic surgeon network to receive quotes and consultations. Individuals can reapply to the dating site after improving their appearance but they are still not guaranteed admittance. Some people may find this feedback helpful if they are interested in increased physical attractiveness and/or aspire to be in the modeling industry. However, others might find this feedback to be disheartening and shallow since physical appearance is a difficult and costly aspect to change.
The Bad
- No Matching Algorithm
- Must Have a Premium Account
- Poor Verification
- Limited Dating Potential
- Insufficient Customer Insight
No Matching Algorithm
Beautiful People doesn't match people according to profile criteria like other dating websites. There is no algorithm searching for compatible features and then sending out recommendations. The problem with this is that it can be difficult for individual members to determine if there is any real compatibility with another member without first making personal contact and taking some time to get to know them. This could lead to quite a bit of wasted time if someone is looking for a viable relationship.
Must Have a Premium Account
Also, though the website offers free membership, the free accounts are so severely limited as to be almost worthless. Free members can't look at other members' photos, post messages, chat with other members, or write comments. Premium members are given a greatly disproportionate amount of voting power, which partially negates the democratic rating system.
For example, a premium member could potentially give 50 positive votes to an otherwise unattractive friend, tipping the scales in their favor. Also, premium member votes count 300% higher than the votes of free or standard members, which means the end results are tipped heavily in favor of the personal preferences of premium members.
Poor Verification
It should be noted that the Beautiful People's account verification is very basic. The screening process only checks to make sure the email address is authentic. This seems to open the door to scamming, so members have to take precautions when contacting other members, especially when considering an in-person meeting. At the very least, it means that there is no guarantee that the information in a profile is accurate, but to be fair, Beautiful People is open and honest about this problem on their website. There is no way to know for sure if the uploaded profile picture is an accurate representation of what a person looks like, so members will have to do their own research if they plan to meet.
Limited Dating Potential
Though global membership can be interesting, it also makes it difficult to find people who are local. There are reportedly 230,000 people accessing the website each month with membership spread all over the world, so many people will have trouble finding other members in their area.
Finally, a smartphone app for Beautiful People exists, but it lacks essential features, such as the ability to edit profile information. It mostly exists to allow members to view and vote on pictures. ABC News reported early in 2015 that the website has a 30 percent acceptance rate, and that over seven million people have not been accepted as members on beautifulpeople.com.
Insufficient Customer Insight
Best Company has not received enough Beautiful People reviews to make a final recommendation. Singles should consider choosing a different dating platform with positive customer reviews.
The Bottom Line
Unless you're desperately looking for a modeling job, or you'd like to have an international version of Tinder, this site does not have many redeeming qualities. Dating sites can be used for general hookups, but the amount of effort that you have to put in to maintain a good reputation - to the extent of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to improving your physical appearance - is not worth it. The application process is time-consuming, does not give you validation unless you are approved, and once you're in, there's the risk of dealing with hackers or spam accounts. There are a number of dating sites with far less hassle and risk, as well as a more thorough background checks and dating algorithms (of which beautifulpeople.com has none).
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Awori Tina
8 months ago Edited April 16, 2024
