Greg Hodge, Director

„Beautiful People is based on a fundamental principal of human nature,“ Hodge said, explaining that people only want to date someone they’re attracted to.

The idea for the site, which now includes more than 750,000 members worldwide, was conceived in 2002. But before launching, Hodge and the rest of the site’s directors had to come up with a way to define the subjective concept of beauty.

Prospective members must submit a picture and basic profile to the site. Current members then vote on profiles of the opposite sex to determine who is attractive enough to be granted membership.

More than six million people have applied for membership but only one in eight who apply are accepted, according to Hodge.

The site operates on a subscription-based revenue model. Members pay about $25 per month to belong to the website, or, as Hodge puts it, to gain access to the world’s best little black book.

„There have been thousands of beautiful babies born,“ Hodge said. „That’s the most rewarding side of the business for us.“

While there has been a push against the site, Hodge said his website isn’t doing anything new, claiming it’s no different than approaching an attractive person at a bar.

„I was on some other dating websites and just getting a little bit frustrated by the kind of people I was finding on them,“ she said, adding that the daters were „just kind of in a different group.“

Then, in a fit of rage, she said she Googled „dating for pretty people“ and found BeautifulPeople, which, she says, has been really great.

While the site requires members to vote on the attractiveness of all future members, the application process didn’t faze her, Taylor said.

„It’s a lot less nerve-racking than you would think,“ she said, explaining that she kind of liked being able to see how current members had voted.

She hasn’t yet started a relationship with anyone she’s met on the site, but she has met friends and fellow models with whom she exchanges industry advice, Taylor said.

„Whether or not people like to admit it, there has to be an initial attraction to someone,“ she said. „The initial attraction is what gets you to a point where you’re not going to let go of someone.“

The premise that everyone on the site is attractive also evens the playing field. Taylor said she has dated people who were less attractive than she is, and while she didn’t initially have a problem with it, issues started to arise when her partners‘ insecurities spawned jealousy.

Meet two BeautifulPeople members who are about to tie the knot.

„We both kind of found it in the same way,“ Jonathan said of the dating site aimed only at attractive people.

Both Jonathan and Dora had heard of the website and were simply hoping to meet new people and seek validation that they were attractive enough to be approved as members.

That interest overcame any anxiety about the site’s membership policy, which requires current members to approve of any new additions to the site. Both said they were curious about whether they would be approved for the site and wanted the ability to peruse fellow members.

The pair started communicating in when Jonathan was 28 and Dora was 29. In , the couple kicked it web up a notch and Jonathan decided to travel to London to visit Dora, who was living across the pond at the time. After the pair met in London, they immediately hopped on a plane and traveled to Spain.