The studies OkCupid puts out are worth reading, if only for sheer entertainment value. I’m not sure if their subscriber base is really indicative of daters as a whole (meat market?), but I’ll bite. The most recent study found that women who are perceived as “ugly” by some actually get more interest/messages than those who are considered “universally cute”. They know this because OkCupid allows you to rate the women as you search through their profiles. Fun right?

So, let’s say Carla has most guys rating her as a “3″ or a “4″ (out of 5). She’s considered cute…above average, universally liked. However, Jenna has half of the guys rating her as a “1″ and the other half a “5″. Her looks are somehow more controversial…which means Jenna gets way more messages. The reasoning is that guys think they have more of a chance with a girl who other guys find unattractive…less competition.

For this I have to say no way. How many times have 2 girls walked into a bar, and the guys hit on the hottest one? Don’t they like competition? Again, this is stereotyping and an oversimplification. But who knows, maybe OkCupid has a point. I think attraction is individual, which means studying it seems kind of futile. And the whole idea of rating people on a dating website? That just pisses me off. It’s bad enough when your friends look through your matches and point out the obvious flaws

Do we need total strangers to sum everyone up in 5 points or less? And do we need other people rating us?? Anyway, OkCupid’s advice was to play up your flaws, not hide them. Because someone out there is bound to like the ugly parts. I guess this should make us feel better as women… My advice…ignore the ratings and go with your gut. If someone seems interesting, reach out. Until you meet someone in person, you just never know.