BeautifulPeople.com
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (November 2011) |
Type of site | Online dating service |
|---|---|
| Owner | BeautifulPeople Network |
| Created by | Greg Hodge and Robert Hintze[1] |
| URL | http://www.BeautifulPeople.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Yes |
BeautifulPeople.com is an online dating service focusing on attractive people based on the opinions of the community.[1][2] The company reportedly has more than 5 million members and websites in several countries in more than 12 different languages. It also offers an optional braille translator mode.[1]
The site was originally launched in Denmark in 2001, but later opened its access for users worldwide.[3] Site creator Greg Hodge states that people were tired of using mainstream online dating sites when looking for an attractive partner, since they allow anyone to join and have mediocre or non-existent filters for finding attractive people. Hodge acknowledges that attraction is a strong criterion used when approaching strangers in a bar, and attempts to transfer this aspect of dating onto the website. He notes the film and main character of Zoolander is an inspiration for the site.[3]
While the site contains about 5 million members, only 20 percent of applications to the site makes it to the community.[4][5] Some of these rejections have resulted in death threats to the site owners.[4] Each application is rated on a scale of 4, ranging from "Yes definitely", "Hmm yes, OK", "Hmm no, not really" to "No definitely NOT".[4]
In 2009, the site turned into a pay model similar to eharmony.com. This upset many long term users who had used the site for free for several years and weren't going to the site for dating purposes but to communicate with other friends with similar interests. As of August 12, 2010, there really are no options to use the site unless you pay €15-30 ($20–40 US dollars) a month. Many users have stopped using the site due to the new pricing model and gone to other less costly means of communication with friends.
On January 4, 2010, the site axed at least 25,000 accounts from the United States, which have received complaints from other users that they had gained weight over the holiday season, 2009, and were deemed unattractive.[2] Later it was revealed that it was a publicity campaign that won a "Best Global Campaign" award at the CIPR Awards in 2010.[6]
In June 2011 BeautifulPeople.com was allegedly attacked by a virus which allowed users to join without going through a 48 hour voting system by other users to determine whether they are suitable for the site. 30,000 people were kicked off of the website as a result of this at a cost of $100,000 to the site operator. The site dubbed the virus "Shrek" after the animated film with an underlying storyline of how looks should not matter. In response the website set up a helpline with counselors for the distressed people who had been rejected from the website.[7][8] Some web sites suspect this was a hoax.[6][9]
Competitors
- Hot or Not — early rating site that allows users to rate photos posted by other users
See also
References
- ^ a b c Nesdoly, Tracy (2008-06-24). "Only pretty people need apply to website". Toronto: The Star. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ a b "BeautifulPeople.com axes holiday weight gain members". BBC News. 2010-01-04. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ a b "Lonely hearts website for beautiful people only goes global". London: Telegraph. 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ a b c Andrews, Emily (2009-10-26). "The dating agency where looks are absolutely everything". London: Dailymail. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ "Dating site rejects 'ugly' Poms". Brisbane Times. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ a b Naked Security, BeautifulPeople dupes media with Shrek virus publicity stunt, June 20, 2011.
- ^ Neate, Rupert (2011-06-20). "Dating website for beautiful people dumps 30,000 members". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Yin, Sara (2011-06-20). "Publicity Stunt? Dating Website Dumps 30,000 'Ugly' People". PC Magazine.
- ^ shinyshiny.tv, Did Dating Site BeautifulPeople.com hoax us about an invasion of ugly people?, June 20, 2011.
External links
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