A social networking/dating website which only allows beautiful members has booted off thousands of people for piling on the pounds over Christmas.
Anyone care to “weigh in” on this?
BeautifulPeople.com axes 5,000 members for gaining weight
A social networking site for “beautiful people” has axed 5,000 members for piling on the pounds over Christmas.
By Paul Thompson
Published: 4:47PM GMT 04 Jan 2010BeautifulPeople.com, which claims to have a strict ban on “ugly people”, said “vigilant members” called for drastic action after users posted photos of themselves celebrating Christmas and the New Year – revealing they had “let themselves go”. “We responded to complaints by moving the newly chubby members back to the rating stage. This is the same as having them re-apply,” said Greg Hodge, the managing director.
“Their re-applications were reviewed by existing members and only a few hundred were voted back in. Over 5,000 were rejected.” Most of those expelled came from the US and Canada, but nearly 900 were from Britain.The social networking site, which boasts 550,000 members worldwide, allows its members to decide on who should be allowed to join. Admission to the site is only allowed after others already accepted vote on a photograph of the applicant and a brief profile. Members of the opposite sex vote “Yes definitely”, “Hmm yes, OK”, “Hmm no, not really” and “NO Definitely NOT” to decide who is allowed into the site. Mr Hodge said the “festive fatties” had become an annual problem. “Every year we see that some of our members from western cultures eat and drink to excess over the holidays and clearly their looks suffer,” he said. “The USA has been grossly over-indulging since Thanksgiving – it’s no wonder that so many members have been expelled from the network. We hope they will be back after shedding the festive pounds. “In the UK and Canada, Christmas and the New Year are all about over-eating, over-drinking and watching TV on the sofa.”
In an attempt to soften the blow to those given the boot, the website sent details of fitness centres where they could work off their holiday excesses. Robert Hintze, founder of BeautifulPeople.com, said: “As a business, we mourn the loss of any member, but the fact remains that our members demand the high standard of beauty be upheld. “Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded.”
6 Comments
OMG. I think I’m more shocked to hear that a beautiful people website exists than I am to learn that it kicks fatties off.
First things first, having a few extra pounds does not equate to “ugly”. I know some gorgeous people who are heavier than magazine models. Fat does not equal ugly.
OK, that said, if you join a website called beautifulpeople.com, you are tacitly (or maybe even literally depending on their bylaws) agreeing to abide by its terms. If one of those terms is to stay slim, then that is what you need to do. If your appearance changes and you’re not “beautiful” anymore, it is not the website’s fault, now is it? If they decide that you’re not attractive enough to be part of their membership AND put it up to community vote, there is no one to blame except YOU if they don’t think you make the cut.
…so in conclusion, don’t join a superficial hyperjudgemental egotistical website if you don’t want to be judged by it.
REALLY?!?!
“Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded.”
That’s out of control… FUNNY, but out of control!!..smh
Kim I must agree with you! I believe the same thing… If one signs up for the terms then why get mad when you get booted out because you haven’t followed or kept-up with the guidelines.
Here is my question. Is there some sort of daily, weekly, monthly weight in? How did they know so soon that these people had gained a few extra pounds?
I love the fact that one would stand on the shallow side of actually applying for a website which only caters to “beautiful people” and then when you get dismissed you make an issue. That is what you get! I take it there are more than a few members that are just a hamburger away from being fat…… Haha!!!
I was laughing out loud when I read this blog/article! I agree with Kim completely. People who join and participate in such fake, egotistical, narcissistic, conceded, superficial, and shallow communities get what they deserve; it’s completely karmic if you ask me.
If you are that pressed to be associated with beautifulpeople.com, take that slab of ribs out of your mouth and carrry your insecure ass to the gym and start roaming on the treadmill!
I ain’t surprised! To tell you the truth though, I have no problem with it at all. If a person is snobbish and pretentious enough to sign up for such a site, then they, of all people, should understand being kicked off for being fat. You wondered what happened to the people from the movie “Clueless?” Now you know.
As for there being a site devoted to “beautiful people,” they have that right. If we try to stop it then Black Planet should probably be next.
I personally think it’s funny and I commend them for having the balls to say something like that, clearly not caring about the users feelings or toes they might be stepping on. \
It’s their business and if they want to maintain a certain quality and consistency of their users then they’re entitled to do what they want, as they please.
The people that got butt-hurt because of this move, should not be complaining. There the idiots that signed up for that website in the first place and should’ve seen the shallow side come out.
Plus everyone should know not to post pictures of yourself during the winter season…duh!