Irish men have been voted the ‘undisputed ugliest’ in the world, according to a poll by a dating site that only allows attractive people to join. Just 6% of Irish single men who applied to feature on BeautifulPeople.com were successful, less than any other nationality.
As someone who is two months away from marrying one, I’m going to call this exactly what this is: FAKE NEWS.
As the proud (English) wife-to-be of a Northern Irish man I absolutely dispute this spurious finding. We should be wary of making sweeping generalisations about the physical appearance of any group, but in this case I'm happy to make one about Irish men, to set the record straight: they are a great catch, and users of this dating site are missing out if they think otherwise.
Let’s start with a list: The Hot Priest, Jamie Dornan, Colin Farrell, Aidan Turner, Michael Fassbender to name a few… even George Best was a catch before the drink and shell suits. Besides, I thought women loved Irish men. Where did this come from? Anytime I mention that my partner is Irish, eyebrows are raised and I’m asked whether he has a sexy accent.
We should be wary of making sweeping generalisations about the physical appearance of any group, but in this case I'm happy to make one about Irish men, to set the record straight: they are a great catch
He is from Belfast which, according to Greg Hodge, Managing Director of BeautifulPeople, has historically housed ‘some of Ireland’s least attractive inhabitants.’
When I put this to my fiancé, he shrugs and says philosophically, ‘What we lack in looks we make up for in craic.’
Being Northern Irish means he can identify as British or Irish. ‘On this occasion, I think I’ll be British as they’re not considered quite so ugly,’ he adds. ‘When it comes to Brexit though, I’m Irish so I can stay in Europe.’
I’m not the only person in my family with an Irish partner. My older sister’s husband is from Portadown in Northern Ireland. He adds: ‘We might be lacking on the looks front – the diet and culture can’t help – but the accent more than compensates.’
Commenting on the trend, Hodge says: ‘There are many examples of very handsome Irish men in Hollywood, such as Cillian Murphy, Colin Farrell, Michael Fassbender and Jamie Dornan. However, this is the exception and not the norm. Unfortunately, when you look at the stats, Irish men are the undisputed ugliest in the world. They really are in a league of their own.’
Brutal!
If users of BeautifulPeople.com are looking for love with the cream of the crop, they'd do well to broaden their horizons. Writing off Irish men would be a travesty.
And before we lump all Irish men together, let’s remember one crucial thing about tarnishing an entire nation with the same brush: Timothée Chalamet is American… so is Donald Trump.
READ MORE: Study Reveals What Makes People Swipe Right And Left On Dating Apps
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