BeautifulPeople.com Puts Beauty In The Eye Of The Beholder

VANCOUVER 24 HOURS — July 11 — Ugly folk need not apply. Well, they can, but good luck getting past the judges. That's the goal of the dating website Beautifulpeople.com. The controversial concept, which first hit cyberspace in 2004, has had its share of critics. And since its recent Canadian launch, it's facing backlash once again, including a Toronto Sun poll in which 66% of those surveyed found it offensive. So far, more than 5,000 people have signed on. But only one in 10 applicants gets past the heavily guarded gates. "What we realize is that looks and the way we present ourselves matters a lot", said BeautifulPeople founder Robert Hintze. He has a point. Numerous studies have shown that attractive folk get a leg up over the more average-looking set. They get paid up to 25% more and, statistically, taller men garner higher wages than their shorter counterparts.

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