Lulu is the app a lot of girls have been waiting for; a nail-salon gossip session of all your male Facebook friends conveniently located on your smartphone.
Image via Huffington Post
Lulu has given women the ability to view profiles of any man with a Facebook profile, then anonymously review them using both positive and negative hashtags. According to the app’s FAQ, its purpose is to give women a platform to see if the man they are interested in is “the real deal or a girl’s worst nightmare.” The app guarantees that the ratings and reviews are anonymous, except for a distinction between Relative, Friend, Crush, Hook Up, Ex-Girlfriend, or Together.
Users sign in using their Facebook log in information, then are free to start reviewing. When giving a review, women are asked to designate their relationship to the reviewee, which affects the questions the reviewer answers. The questions are specific to certain aspects of the man’s personality, asking about their humor, ambition, commitment, looks, and sexual prowess, with five witty multiple-choice style answers to choose from. Users are then asked to pick as many hashtags as they want to describe him, choosing from positive options like “#MrDarcy,” “#DudeCanCook,” “#HotFriends,” “#MothersLoveHim,” and “#BabyBlues,” or negative options, like “#Stage4Clinger,” “StillLovesHisEx,” “#QuestionableSearchHistory,” “#ForgotHisWallet,” or “#NotTheSharpestKnife.” Users can then Favorite a man of interest to be notified when a new review is posted.
The home page of the app, known as the Dashboard, is comprised of profiles exhibiting the guy’s name, profile picture, current rating, and one of his popular hashtags. The app also has a “Dear Dude” advice section, as well as a “Trending on Lulu,” “My Favorites,” and “My Reviews” pages.
Users cannot sign into the app if their gender is not designated as female on their Facebook profile, and male profiles must also have their gender in their Facebook information to be visible. Lulu hasn’t created an equivalent for men to rate girls (though men can ask to be removed from the app permanently), raising questions of sexual equality and sexism.
What do you think? Would an app like Lulu be considered online bullying if guys could rate and discuss girls?
- LiveSafe App Aims to Curb Campus Crime - December 5, 2013
- Here’s to a Super Super-Senior Year - December 5, 2013
- Branding Through Twitter Conversations - November 17, 2013
I’m on the fence with this one. While I don’t see this app as a bad idea, I think this takes creeper to another level. Are the days of simply getting to know a boy long over?! There is also a female version of the popular hot or not apps (it’s under like Tindr but for females). Call me old fashioned, but these kinds of apps waste time from actually getting to know people! Thanks for the share!
Great article! I have a couple friends who love playing around on this app and I always think the same question you posed. Personally, I think it would be completely different if guys rated girls. I think it would become way more serious and offense and A LOT of girls would be very upset. Interested in seeing what ends up happening with this app.