Controversial Dating Site Ranks

by Sholeh Hajmiragha

Didn’t auction bidding for people end in 1864 with, oh you know, the end of slavery? The dating-auction website WhatsYourPrice.com thinks not. Founded in 2011, the site instead uses a “date value” system to set up dates based on the actual prices men and women are willing to pay for a first date.

I know what you’re thinking: Doesn’t this sound incredibly similar to prostitution or escorting?  Well, don’t worry because in a FAQ released to Gawker, the site makes clear, “This is all about paying for the FIRST DATE! There is absolutely no sex involved, and except perhaps the chance of sex at some point in the future if you are able to successfully charm and seduce. But isn’t that what every first date is about?” And, listed at the very bottom of their webpage it is clearly worded “Escorts are not welcome.” Obviously, this is incredibly foolproof. 

Since its launch, WhatsYourPrice has faced backlash from the media.  However, the site has now gone even further with its new study, which ranks the “Hottest Female Coeds” based upon their priced offers. Out of the website’s 650,000 members, 35% are college students, and the majority of which are women. These women, the study shows, receive 66% higher offers than non-collegiate women on the site, with bids averaging $120 per date. WhatsYourPrice.com attributes this to “both their beauty and youthful perspective towards life.”

WhatsYourPrice.com lists the top ten schools with the “Hottest Female Students,” listing the average bid price, the percent of students that receive the average bid, and the number of dates per week:

  1. University of Central Florida – $195, 59%, 3 dates/week
  2. Arizona State University – $190, 61%, 3 dates/week
  3. University of Tennessee – $185, 84%, 4 dates/week
  4. University of California, Santa Barbara, $185, 82%, 3 dates/week
  5. New York University – $180, 63%, 4.5 dates/week
  6. University of California, Santa Cruz – $175, 66%, 3.5 dates/week
  7. University of Georgia – $175, 51%, 3 dates/week
  8. University of Southern California – $170, 51%, 3 dates/week
  9. University of Alabama – $165, 81%, 5 dates/week
  10. Texas State University – $165, 78%, 4 dates/week

And not to worry, the website also did us a favor by ranking the universities with the least attractive female students as well:

  1. Duke University – $45, 73%, 2 dates/week
  2. West Virginia University – $45, 67%, 3 dates/week
  3. University of South Dakota – $50, 59%, 2.5 dates/week
  4. University of Notre Dame – $50, 57%, 2 dates/week
  5. Florida State University – $55, 51%, 1 date/week
The purpose of this study remains very unclear.  Obviously what women do in their own time is up to them, including joining this online dating site.  However, WhatsYourPrice.com’s new study lumps these women together and objectifies them as “hot” or “not.” If, as the site states, these first dates are about more than sex, then shouldn’t these women be considered for more than their physical beauty? And, aren’t dating sites also based upon user profiles and compatible interests?  Through this study, isn’t WhatsYourPrice.com just showing how these “date bids” are entirely based upon appearance? In addition, why isn’t there a study then about the “Hottest Male Coeds”?

 

Images via: PR Web, Shalom Life, Truly New York

 

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