I Tried "Tinder Without the Poor Man"

You've probably heard of Luxy - an elite dating app for rich, powerful and beautiful people, marketed as "for the richest 1%". It is also an unquestionable source of controversy. Male members must earn an annual income of $200,000, verified by tax records, or be immediately removed, and women must be deemed attractive (as judged by current members) to be admitted to this bourgeois club.

Luxy's CEO said the app, which is available for iOS and Android, works similarly to Tinder. "With one big exception: our app allows users to eliminate poor and unattractive people."

With the recently released Vouch feature, members now have the option to improve the user experience by "voting out" applicants they deem to be unsuitable. Hopeful applicants first create a profile, bragging about their salary, favorite luxury brands and identifying characteristics such as "billionaire," "handsome," "busty," "sexy" and "model." Members can vote within 24 hours to join or leave.

Out of doubt and curiosity about Luxy's craftsmanship, I decided to try it myself. But like a high school locker room before a tryout, voting period can be ruthless.

I created a profile with one professional photo and two travel photos, added the tags that I felt really described me (Writing, Photography, Editing, Travel, Entrepreneur, Volunteering, Dance, and Wine), listing me The brands that actually afforded it (Victoria's Secret, POLO, and Tiffany & Co.) wrote a brief description labeling my body type as "about average" (whatever that means) and didn't reveal how much I earned. I'm going to emphasize professionalism and character, and describe the type of person I'm looking for - someone who will travel with me and laugh at my bad jokes.

I got a bar set to 50% - neither quite nor completely - like all applicants, and when members voted on my profile, I was rocking from a low of 40.76 (about 60% of people voting "no") to a high of 79.74 inches. However, as my approval rating dropped into the 40s, I realized I needed to change my strategy to get admitted to Luxy. I chose A different image that might be more suitable for the surface nature of the site.

I uploaded a selfie, a spring break bikini photo, and a photo of me before a night out. I added fitness, dance, busty, sexy, sexy, wine, and beauty tags and listed brands I wanted to be able to afford, including Mercedes, Prada, and Versace. I left my income blank and listed my body type as "slim." The profile lacked substance—no information about my professional or personal interests or what I wanted in a partner—but as expected, my approval rating steadily increased to 90%. Because I had a majority of votes at the end of 24 hours, I was accepted. I was with the crowd and I immediately changed my profile back to my original profile.

Once you're in, Luxy functions a lot like Tinder, allowing users to change their viewing preferences so they can choose to anonymously swipe left or right to show men, women, or both. If there is a match, Luxy will open a chat. Members can swipe three times a day, each round 10 times. I played 19 games with people who weren't as stupid as I expected on the site. On their profiles, my opponents chose photos of themselves in tuxedos at a party, or sipping champagne on the golf course. Rather than choosing self-centered labels, most of them chose "cooking", "concerts" and "cycling" as hobbies, and a large proportion of them did not disclose their salaries.

Instead of giving a creepy intro like "You're a dirty, cute, dangerous girl" like some people on OkCupid do, they actually greeted me with a proper good morning. Most people give me a simple answer: "Hey, how were you?" or "Hi, how are you today?" while others ask about my interest in travel or mention specific posts on my blog. Maybe I'm overly generalizing and assuming that every man who uses Luxy is nothing more than a narcissistic sugar daddy looking for a trophy - maybe I'm judging what I consider to be the most judgmental dating app to date... I think that's a bit disingenuous .

So now I understand. I've found that some people who think it's reasonable to use this app aren't really that bad. Luxy clearly has a sizable market, with around 10,000 downloads according to GeekSnack, and is aimed at the 1% who Oxfam research shows will soon control half of the world's wealth. In other words, we're not getting rid of it.

But what surprised me more than the people I matched with was the fact that Luxy's new Vouch feature needs to be revisited if this is actually going to be a thing. Although I choose to favor men, as a straight woman I can choose to vote out other straight women on the basis of claimed compatibility. "To become a member, you need to be voted in by an existing member of the opposite sex within the next 24 hours," the app writes. - So, is this a glitch?

Regardless, I think there's a lot wrong with this: I essentially have the power to filter out my female competitors, swiping left on pretty women who would otherwise be voted out. If this isn't a loophole mechanism that facilitates female catfighting, I'm not sure what is. And, if this is just a glitch, why do members only have the option to vote for the opposite sex ? If I identify as bisexual or gay, I should have the option to vote for those who align with my sexual orientation. And, more importantly, if this is just a glitch and members do have that option, then Luxy should reconsider its poor wording choice. It’s 2015, and it’s time for us to stop making the extremely narrow assumption that “opposites attract.”

Still, there are ways the Luxy could improve while still staying true to its promise of exclusivity. baby steps…