Are you single, beautiful and earning over $200k a year? No? Then you may have not heard about Luxy, the #1 dating app deemed to be exclusively for the top 1%.
Launched in 2014, Luxy has not only ignited new relationships but also controversy; to use the app you either have to earn at least $200k a year or be voted in by users based on your looks alone. Reviews have described the app as catering for ‘arrogant, rich narcissists’, and it has been deemed to be the ‘shining new milestone in the burgeoning pantheon of offensive apps’. I was instantly intrigued.
When creating your profile you have to choose up to five of your favourite designer brands, such as Gucci, Ferrari and Versace. As I can only fantasise about owning anything that high end and since Zara wasn’t listed, I lied. Then, as a ‘poor person’, I had to endure the 24-hour Vouch period. Starting at 50% by default, users have to score over this amount by the end of the 24 hours to be allowed ‘in’. I chose to use a photo of me inside the Burj Al Arab (because what’s more luxurious than the seven star Dubai hotel?) then I waited and watched as my own self-esteem moved left and right.
24 hours, a few lies and one false depicting image of my lifestyle later I was ‘in’. Luxy allows you to have three rounds of Play, each round gives you 10 profiles and you swipe left or right just as you would on Tinder. Luxy however features some things that caught my attention. Firstly, you can message up to three different people per day that you have not matched with. These messages are given the name ‘BLACK Messages’ in your inbox and the receiving person can choose where to ‘like’ you or not from your message. Secondly, is Luxy Moments. This is the part where rich people upload photos of their lifestyle to show off; Porsches, pools and pouts are plentiful. Not only does Topics show you pretty pictures but it also gives you the chance to message users you have not matched with. The third nice-to-have is the Gift feature, where you can send virtual roses to another player and let them know you’re interested. I have received 15, is that good?
Users also have the option of purchasing Luxy BLACK. If you shell out a small fortune you can get access to all Luxy’s premium features, such as more play rounds and a stricter search filter for better matches and you get a virtual gold crown on your profile to show for it.
So despite all the negative feedback Luxy has accumulated over the last few months, reviews seem to have missed out a major positive – Luxy offers multiple ways to spark conversation which sets it apart from other dating apps like Tinder, it gives you more than one way to contact users. Bonus: they’re all rich and don’t send photos of their penis. Well, I haven’t received any anyway.
So, is there a place for us peasants on it? I would say so. If you feel brave enough to put yourself through the 24 hours Vouch period then give it a try, who knows, you might end up dating that money-loving, self-obsessing, couture-dressing, bench-pressing, holiday-jetting ego you’ve been looking for. And even if you don’t get a date that involves a helicopter ride, it’s nice to have a look at those that do, right?
