Beautiful People.com-No Ugly’s Need Apply

I’m a little behind the eight-ball on this one. Grazia, a weekly fashion magazine that I adore and comes out every Monday, had me spitting out my Weeties yesterday morning in reaction to an article. The title of the article was “We met on Beautiful People website (and made a perfect son!)”. The photo accompanying the article is of two good looking people, walking either side of a cute little boy blowing a raspberry.


The article is written in the first person by Deanne Pennington, a former flight attendant and dancer, now proud mother of an equally attractive son. Pennington explains how she needed to find a man with “good genes” so she could pass on her “beauty lineage.” Pennington reminisces about how in primary school, her looks were already abundant and two boys had a duel over who would hold her hand. Pennington also claims that although it is a harsh reality, good looks are very important and will get you ahead in life.

It is here she mentions Beautiful People.com, an “elite dating site that bans ugly people” that has now branched out into the fertility business, allowing beautiful people’s sperm and eggs to be donated to the aesthetically pleasing, challenged.

The site’s founder Robert Hintze explains, “Initially we hesitated to widen the offering to non-beautiful people. But everyone-including ugly people-would like to bring good-looking children into the world. We can’t be selfish with our attractive gene-pool.” It’s right about here that Weeties ended up all over the “model family”.

My blood was boiling, but I was confused as to why. Was it taking offence to these people referring to people as ugly? Or was it because what they were saying was true? Who doesn’t want an attractive child? As wrong as it is, does being good looking help you in life? I kept reading as the sick feeling in my stomach got worse.

Beautiful People.com, surprise, surprise is not easy to become a member of. I could view the site as a guest and click on people and view their profiles. There is one tab labelled, Applicants. I clicked on it and was met with four categories: Women Getting In, Women Not Getting In, Men Getting In, Men Not Getting In. Those who are already members vote if someone is deemed beautiful enough to join the site. Those who are not successful are publicly humiliated and fall under the not getting in category. I was surprised at some of the people who weren’t successful and then vice versa with the ones who were. These people have obviously never heard the old saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Pennington and her now husband Charlie were both deemed beautiful enough to join the site and have now have a healthy and of course attractive baby, Jack. But Pennington hadn’t finished me disappointing me: “As a mother, I’m sure I would have loved my child the same if he was ugly, but I admit I would have been disappointed not to have a model-like family I’d dreamed of. You never know, there might be some rogue “ugly” gene inherited from a great-grandfather twice removed, which gives your baby a big nose.” She’s sure she would have loved her baby? She keeps these wise words coming:

“When Jack was born he looked like he’d been in a boxing match: his eyes were puffy, his nose squished. Holding him for the first time, even as his mother I thought “Urgh”.” (Hope she brings this one out at his 21st!)

Pennington signs off the article with looks get you ahead in life. It’s a just a reality. Is it? I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt, but if you were on trial for a murder, would you want the easy-on-the-eye-lawyer-whose-not-as-qualified or the slightly-less-attractive-but-is-going-to-keep-your-bum-out -of-jail lawyer?

In the August edition of Madison Michelle Obama’s wise words seem very appropriate to this article: “With men, don’t be swayed by cute. Cute only lasts for so long. Don’t look at the bankbook or the title. Look at the heart. Look at the soul.”

So what do you think, my fellow soapboxers? Do you think looks will make life easier for you? Would you go to beautiful people.com for an attractive partner or baby? Is it selective breeding or are you merely helping the world by bringing one less ugly person into the world? No judgement here, just your honest opinions!