>but it was
>mentioned that the characters were cloned from the people at
>the bottom of the societal ladder ("junkies, prostitutes,
>winos, tramps"), and the leads look way more like they were
>cloned from runway models.

I don't think you're actually supposed to take that at face value. It seemed to be more of a reflection of the clone's perception of self-worth, considering they were effectively disposable human beings. Even as far as "science-fiction" goes, it would be more logical that the clones were from specimens without a history of degeneracy.