And then just today I looked into it again, starting with the Dating market value test for women. I had trouble believing it was serious.
That’s because it’s a “blue line” test. At the beginning, it explicitly points out it’s orienting on averages, and defining market value in terms of breadth of appeal. It doesn’t mean lots of people will like a high scorer, it means lots of people won’t rule out the high scorer.
In other words, the person who scores perfectly on this test will probably not be hideously offensive to anyone—which means they don’t get ruled out early in the selection process. But a low score just means they’re more likely to need a “red line” strategy, aiming at strong appeal to a narrower audience, at the cost of turning more people off. (i.e., emphasizing one’s supposed “defects” would attract people who like those qualities, while turning away more of those who don’t)
(Ugh. I can’t believe I’m defending that misogynist a*hole, but I don’t see anything wrong with the test itself, just the conclusions/connotations being drawn from it.)
That’s because it’s a “blue line” test. At the beginning, it explicitly points out it’s orienting on averages, and defining market value in terms of breadth of appeal. It doesn’t mean lots of people will like a high scorer, it means lots of people won’t rule out the high scorer.
In other words, the person who scores perfectly on this test will probably not be hideously offensive to anyone—which means they don’t get ruled out early in the selection process. But a low score just means they’re more likely to need a “red line” strategy, aiming at strong appeal to a narrower audience, at the cost of turning more people off. (i.e., emphasizing one’s supposed “defects” would attract people who like those qualities, while turning away more of those who don’t)
(Ugh. I can’t believe I’m defending that misogynist a*hole, but I don’t see anything wrong with the test itself, just the conclusions/connotations being drawn from it.)