Women love advising other women when it comes to guys. As a girl, I can vouch for this. And a new app called Lulu is letting women do this even more - but you get to "advise" women that you've never met, regarding guys that they're potentially interested in.
This social networking app allows women to anonymously review men who are their Facebook friends. Choosing their answers from multiple choice quizzes, women can add to the profiles of the guys that they know - whether that guy is an ex, potential boyfriend, friend or relative. In this way, if someone is interested in dating them, they can get a quick rundown of what other girls have to say.
On the one hand, I have to admit that I'm loving the sisterhood aspect of the whole thing. The media is usually about pitting women against each other, whereas this gives women a chance to help each other out. Instead of competing against each other for men, it could encourage them to have the best interests of the others at heart. Not to mention that since often a date means meeting with someone completely unknown, it helps to have a "mutual friend" of sorts.
On the other hand, I'm not sure what to think about the fact of rating men. Feels a little bit objectifying, right? For one, any negative characteristics, whether they are real or perceived, become somewhat "eternalised" on the guy's profile. It isn't forgiving for guys that were having a bad day, or perhaps have changed since. There's also the potential for it to become a gossip session, and create a critical, "tick-a-box" approach to people, who are more layered and complex than this.
What do you think? Personally, I feel that there is something healthy about taking the time to form your own opinion about a new person in your life - especially as not everyone is looking for the same thing in their dates. Should all our opinions be based on hashtags like #DudeCanCook or #FriendZone? Is this kind of an app a help to relationships or a big old hindrance?