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When we first talked about doing a story on the BeautifulPeople Web site, we came up with the idea of seeing if we at the features desk measured up to the site’s standards. But several of us looked a little wary.

I wasn’t sure whether that was actually a cynical response to rating people on their physical appearance alone, or if we were just worried that we would be rejected, labeled as “not attractive enough.”

In the end, five people — including the editor who came up with the idea and myself — sent in our pictures and a brief profile entry. The rest declined to participate.

I have to admit that we all had worries about not being accepted, but applying together made it more of a game. It was also a challenge to see if we were brave enough to be rated by strangers and to accept whatever the result may say about the image we project, at least in our photos.

While we may have all said we didn’t care about the result, during the critical 48 hours when the members of the Web site were voting on us, we were thinking and talking about it plenty.

And the result? We all got rejected.

Following are the testimonies of the ugly ducklings at the Life & Times desk of the Jakarta Globe:

Thomas Hogue, editor

The strange thing was that while I kept telling myself that I didn’t care what happened, that I didn’t care what the “beautiful people” thought, I must have taken a dozen photos of myself with a friend’s camera before I got one I was satisfied with.

Then after my profile was submitted I kept checking it to see how I was doing, and felt a sense of triumph when I got complimented on my profile by an 18-year-old girl from Brazil.

In my profile I wrote: “I believe ‘beauty’ is as much about being interesting and living a full life as it about appearance. I have been a dishwasher, bartender, computer programmer, an oil field worker, a teacher, a paint salesman, an ad salesman, the business manager of a poetry magazine, a small businessman, a reporter, freelance writer and an editor. I split my time between Jakarta and Bali.”

The Brazilian girl, though, may have been the only one who gave me some credit for my words instead of just judging my image.

Despite being rejected, I can’t help thinking that the rating of 4.95 out of 10 I received isn’t half bad for someone my age. Is that a bit pathetic? I guess we all want some assurance that we aren’t going to crack mirrors and wonder how other people view us, especially when it’s so bluntly understood that appearance is all that’s important on BeautifulPeople.com.

Katrin Figge, features reporter

When our editors came up with the idea that all of us should apply for BeautifulPeople.com, I thought it was a fun thing to do for the whole features team. I didn’t really give much thought about the outcome and didn’t take the project too seriously.

I actually think there’s nothing more shallow than reducing someone to just their looks. Some people might look “beautiful” but be total jerks at the same time. And someone we initially thought not worth a second glance can become beautiful in our eyes after we see how kind, generous or smart they are.

I was advised to submit a picture in which I was dressed up, rather than a “normal” one, to increase my chances of being accepted. So I uploaded the only photo I have of that kind, where I was wearing makeup — which I almost never do — and filled out the basic questions for my profile.

During the two days I had to wait for the decision, I checked my profile once and saw that I had received one positive vote.

Then I received an e-mail saying that my application had been rejected because the other members didn’t think I was attractive enough. For people with low self-esteem a rejection like that might be rather depressing, but then again I guess many people who apply for this Web site are somewhat narcissistic anyway.

As for me, I didn’t really care. As long as I feel good about myself, I don’t need other people to judge the way I look — at least not people who have never met me and give their judgment based on a single photograph.

Ade Mardiyati, senior features reporter

This was not the first time for me to send pictures and a profile to a worldwide online community where millions of strangers meet. But it certainly was my first time to apply to become part of a social network by being rated by strangers who decide whether I am entitled to membership.

I will not deny that I expected the members would like me, and the Web site would send me an e-mail saying, “Congratulations! You are now part of the world’s beautiful people.”

While I was being rated, I received a notification that a guy liked my picture.

“That’s a good start,” I thought. At the same time, I was hoping that I would receive more such notifications.

However, when I later got the news, I felt like I had just been dumped after a (very) short relationship.

I felt weird, but not sad. I think it is natural to feel that way regardless of what I may have said about it just being a “fun features desk project.”

Well, I may not be attractive enough in the eyes of the BeautifulPeople.com members, but my ex-boyfriends have all said that I am beautiful. And in them I trust.

Sylviana Hamdani, senior lifestyle and features writer

I never quite understood why everyone thought it was such a fun project, but when the story was assigned, I thought, “Why not?”

I filled in my profile and uploaded a picture of me during a New Year’s Eve bash. I chose that picture because I thought it made me look fabulous. But while I know the BeautifulPeople site only approves people who members consider beautiful, it’s very vague. I mean, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, right? And who are they to judge, anyway?

The next day, to my surprise, I received an e-mail from BeautifulPeople.com saying my account had been activated. One of the editors said, “Yay! She got in.”

I didn’t quite understand what there was to be so excited about, but I’ve got to admit that I was flattered. Well, the excitement was short-lived because the next day I received another e-mail from BeautifulPeople.com saying that my account had been suspended. A member had reported inappropriate content in my profile, probably because I was wearing a mask in my picture.

The e-mail also said the administrator would review my profile and notify me if any action was required on my part. They never got back to me. And to be honest, I don’t really care.

Tasa Nugraza Barley, features reporter

I was initially surprised to hear that a Web site such as BeautifulPeople.com actually existed. I wondered what kind of people would create a site like that?

As the site only accepts beautiful people, it took me a long time to decide which photo I to use. I picked one that shows me smiling and giving a thumbs-up. I thought this was a perfect picture for BeautifulPeople.com. I was sure that they would accept me since I thought that I looked “beautiful” enough in the picture.

But when they rejected me, I couldn’t help laughing. “Yes, thank you. I’m officially ugly.”

No hurt feelings, though. Although the Web site doesn’t think I’m hot, sexy and beautiful, at least I know my girlfriend does. But maybe I shouldn’t tell her I got rejected by BeautifulPeople.com.