By SAVANNAH TILLMAN
Student Reporter
Finding out an individual’s level of attractiveness is just a click away.
How Hot is a website that can tell your level of “attractiveness” and guess how old you are by a simple photo. The researchers behind the site claim that this detection system can predict 76 percent accurately of how attractive someone is based on a worldwide database. The site uses images that have been gathered from the internet to put together a common look of attractiveness and base your results on the data collected.
The website is very simple and easy to use. Visit How Hot at https://howhot.io/. You can use the images provided to test the theories or upload any of your own. By adding your own photos, you can see how “attractive” you are based on the research.
When you upload pictures of celebrities, the database is familiar with those images and rates them accordingly. When a photo of Channing Tatum was uploaded, he received HOT ratings and showed to be 29 years of age. Jennifer Aniston received HOT ratings and showed to be 35 years of age. When a photo of myself was uploaded, I received OK ratings and showed to be 21 years of age.
The researchers have also created a dating site that is part of the How Hot experience. BLINQ is similar to Tinder in the fact it allows you to swap yes or no to potential dating candidates. The differences in this site however, are that there are more stipulations to joining the community. With other dating sites you can either join for free or pay but with BLINQ you have a three day period where the researchers behind the site and other BLINQ members judge whether or not you can join. When swiping right or left on someone, BLINQ refers it to Hi or Bye. If in the three day period you get too many Byes, you cannot join. Rasmus Rothe, Radu Timofte, and Luc Van Gool, the researchers behind How Hot, believe that first impressions of someone are the images we hold onto.
After receiving ratings, Brenda Hearn, Records/Admissions Assistant at Northwestern, commented, “I believe this website is aiding in the already growing problem our society faces. It is allowing people to bully one another.”
With bullying being a very serious issue in the world, it’s important to remember not to take these apps seriously. It is alright to be OK and to love yourself regardless. So whether your hot or not, give How Hot a shot and let’s see what you got.