OKCupid is letting users filter by "body type" starting at $4.95 a month — a move that has sparked a strong reaction from many users.
Although the dating site rolled out body-type classification in the spring, the feature went largely unnoticed until now.
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OKCupid said the feature is intended to help users narrow in on features they find physically attractive — just like they would in a bar in the real world.
"The feature helps people make dating decisions based on what people look like," an OKCupid spokesperson told Mashable. "It's as simple as that."
The tool allows you to filter through more than 10 body type options, from thin to average to overweight, jacked and "used up."
"We have some features reserved for paying users because things will disproportionately be driven to certain people otherwise," the spokesperson said. "If everyone could sort through attractiveness — which is crowdsourced by users on the site — only very attractive people would get attention."
The body type descriptor is also self declared, so users can choose whichever body type they want or simply leave that area blank.
"We are a little tongue and cheek with the choices — there is 'used up' for people who don't take themselves too seriously. Some people think if others want to filter by looks, they don't want to talk to you anyway," he added.
What do you think of the body type feature? Is it an extension of how you might pursue someone offline — or should sites keep such options away from profiles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, mayakova