Are online dating sites for Beautiful People so wrong?

While some would argue that the rise of the internet has actually hindered people's social skills, with those spending hours logged on 'networking' unable to come up with anything to say should they meet the person of their dreams in the real world, there can be no doubting that online dating has helped millions of like-minded individuals get together.

Indeed, rather than generic dating sites, the most popular online tools right now are those that cater for niche interests.

Whatever the hobby or interest there's probably an internet entrepreneur trying to give it a romantic angle and make their millions from singletons logging on to find their other half.

So, given that there are sites out there dedicated to matchmaking vegetarians, Goths, naturists, pensioners, atheists and seemingly everybody else under the sun, it seems somewhat surprising that only now has a site dedicated to the best-looking examples of the human race hit the headlines.

Given the 'what you see is what you get' name, Beautifulpeople.com aims to create a 'worldwide community of beauty', offering to separate the wheat from the chaff for its aesthetically-pleasing users.

And while this may seem like the perfect solution for anyone who has ever turned up at a cinema or restaurant to find that their internet date is more of a Russell Grant than a Russell Brand, given that many singletons will be looking for a confidence boost from their dating adventures, trying to sign up for the site may prove particularly harmful.

To make sure no-one below-par slips through the net, prospective Beautiful People are required to post a picture of themselves for existing members to review and give a thumbs up or, in four out of five cases, a thumbs down.

Unsurprisingly, the policy has attracted some criticism, with accusations of snobbery and shallowness coming thick and fast, but the site's managing director Greg Hodge has defended the rules, arguing that it's best to be honest from the start.

"People are fed up wasting time and money meeting unattractive people on the net," he told the Daily Mail as the various national sites came together for the launch of a new global community.

"If you are in a bar or a club and you are going to approach someone, you'll approach someone you are attracted to. There's nothing shallow in that."

Put like that, it's hard to see what's wrong with this latest direction in online dating, particularly since sites for sci-fi lovers or whatever are equally as discriminatory.

And, for those who object to its principles, then surely its best to allow those people obsessed with looks above all else to stick to themselves while everyone else keeps their eyes wide open while exploring the possibilities of the online world.