OkCupid just announced a new VIP service where its members can pay for the privilege of blocking out ugly and fat people. No, I’m not joking, this is a real thing, unlike the whole GhostSingles.com phenomenon if you wanna take a look at dating the dead. Happy Halloween y’all!
What a shiny, pretty couple! This could be you…
Seriously folks, why does OkCupid think it’s okay to get members to pay for a filter like this? Here’s how it works. Users of the site can rate other members on how attractive they are with a rating system of one to five stars. If you pay the fee ($5-10 per month), you get to search for all the five star hotties. If you use the free site you’ll be subjected to all the old ugly folk.
Same thing with body type. Pay the fee, you can only see only the “thin” or “full figured” women, depending on your preference.
I’m not the only one who’s slightly horrified by this. I mean, online dating is hard enough—and so many people are too self-conscious to be honest in their pictures and descriptions anyway. This will result in even more people lying about who they are, because they don’t want to be filtered out of a search.
If we relied on the “hot or not” game to find boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, or even hook-ups, we’d all be screwed. Isn’t attraction subjective? And wasn’t it OkCupid who did a study of its own members, finding that “average” types were not considered as attractive as people who had unusual features like a large nose or a flat forehead? People like diversity. This includes large asses and bald heads. Luckily, we’re not all Stepford wives. It makes for a better, more attractive planet IMHO.
I’m wondering what will come of all of this. Apparently they’ve had really good response (a lot of sign-ups) so far. I understand that people are attracted by physical appearances. That’s not news. But keeping certain people out of the playing field for those who can pay a little extra? They are not improving the online dating experience. In fact, they are turning it into the junior high lunch room – nothing but judgment.
Isn’t there already a site specifically for beautiful people? Then I ask OkCupid VIP members, if looks are what you care about, why not just go there?
So far though, people are excited by the idea. Which is both expected and disturbing.
I still agree with Amanda Hess of Slate, who says, “OkCupid is monetizing a service that is unlikely to bring its users closer to better dates, relationships, or sex.” Exactly.
About Kelly Seal
Kelly is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She blogs about dating, relationships, personal growth and what "healthy living" means to her. You can follow her on Google+, Twitter @kellyseal or through her website www.kellyseal.com.
I don’t mind that the choice to pay for this service is there, but I certainly don’t want to use it. I can make my mind up about who I personally find attractive, rather than counting on others to do that for me.
Let’s say, I like ‘fat’ people. Wouldn’t I mark all ‘fat’ people as five stars and thus skew the stats anyway?
Keep it all over, talk to whom you like and avoid whom you don’t, seems easy enough 🙂
Steve x
Thanks for your comment Steve. I agree. We all have different tastes, and I’d rather do the filtering myself than exclude potentially awesome people because they didn’t categorize their bodies a certain way. And yes, there may be some skewing of the stats—but maybe that will work to users’ benefit if not everyone agrees?