Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?

Not according to this online dating site. On BeautifulPeople.com, beauty is in the eye of its already existing 700,000 members. That’s right, if you want to join the popular dating site, you have to submit pictures of yourself, and the members must vote you in, based on how beautiful THEY think you are. If denied (or kicked out), you’re sent an email that basically says “sorry you’re ugly” and given a number to a hotline where you can chat with a…grief counselor?

However ridiculous this may sound, it’s all entirely true. The nature under which this site operates, though, really got me thinking all about the laws of attraction. As we know, the standard of beauty is defined by the society in which we live. (In the U.S., we tend to value those that are financially stable, fit and apparently living a wholesome lifestyle, right? At least, that’s what the media tells us.) But what really attracts one individual to another? Read More »

Pretty sure these two are tens on anyone's scale.

On a scale from one – ten, how hot are you? Are you a solid eight, a mousy three, or perhaps a bombshell ten? A new LiveScience study reveals that the more you adhere to your stereotypical gender role, you more accurately you know your hotness level.

To conduct this study, Mitja Back and her fellow researchers studied 192 females and 190 males at a real speed-dating event. The researchers asked these daters to fill out a questionnaire about their personalities, go through a round of three-minute speed dates, and predict the number of dates that would be interested in seeing them again. This predicted number was then compared to the actual number of “yeses” the daters got from potential mates in order to see how accurately they could predict their own level of attractiveness.

The researchers found that the more stereotypically feminine – that is, the more warm, cooperative, and trusting – the women were, the more aware they were of their looks. Likewise, the men that adhered to the stereotypically masculine patterns of dating, such as the desire to be promiscuous and a need to play the field, correlated with a sense of self-awareness when it came to their appearance.

Although neither sex was particularly great at predicting their attractiveness to others, with most overestimating their appeal, the study did show a solid correlation between gender roles and the participants’ sense of  accuracy. The researchers hypothesized that “the reason for their finding is that daters who conform to gender stereotypes get more practice at the mating game. Promiscuous men are more likely to put themselves out there…[and] warm, trusting women may attract more flirtation than their aloof counterparts,” writes Stephanie Pappas, senior writer at LiveScience.

This experience can lead to a better understanding of one’s own league and, more importantly, where one fits into ever-important one-ten scale.

So what does this mean for our own sense of attractiveness as young, self-confident women?  Are only stereotypically feminine women considered pretty? Are only cocky men hot? What do you think?

Rural America Welcomes You, Not-So-Pretty People!

Ok, so not in so many words, but a recent study out of the University of Georgia claims that “less attractive” people would see much more happiness and success in rural communities than in the big city.

Why?

“In rural areas, relationships are less about choice and more about who is already living in the community.”

Damn, the truth hurts.

The study goes on to say what we all already know: life is a whole lot easier for pretty people. Which explains why people like Audrina Patridge get invited to movie premieres and why the world is so enthralled with the success of Susan Boyle.

So, I guess I’ve been going about the whole dating thing all wrong. Maybe my best approach for finding a BF is switching to Agricultural Studies?

What do you think? Do the beauties of the world have it easier than the…er….genetically challenged?

I’m going to make a bold statement here: pretty people have it pretty easy in life.

Well, at least when it comes to dealings with the opposite sex. I watch guys trip over themselves to get near a hot girl with big boobs, yet I find myself breaking a sweat trying to prove to the same guys that I’m worth a moment of their time.

I don’t mind this – I love showing people how awesomely funny I am – but it does irk me when I see the “perfect” girls coasting through life without lifting a finger. WTF, pretty people? How is that fair? I’m just as worthy, if not more, of the same things you get in life, yet you get them handed to you on a silver platter and I have to pass some sort of test just to get a taste?

I wanted to see what my male counterparts had to say about this subject. Do they know they’re doing this? Do they deal with it too? Let’s see…. Read More »