The ‘Ugly Meter’ iPhone App Measures Beauty
Beauty is no longer in the eye of the beholder, but instead, in the eye of an iPhone. The newest app to top the best-seller list, second only to Angry Birds in iTunes, called the Ugly Meter measures a person’s beauty.
Boasting a tagline of “When your friends won’t tell you the truth, the Ugly Meter will”, the app has been in existence since 2010. Only gaining such popularity with an updated version, Ugly Meter Pro, the app has recently been featured on Jay Leno, Howard Stern, and the Today show. It was the top selling app in China for weeks, too. The app takes your picture and then scans it for the level of beauty. It takes into account your face’s contours, proportions, and symmetry and rates it on a scale of 1 to 10.
The higher your score, the uglier you are. If you receive a low score, you’ll be extolled for your beauty and how your hotness even makes the sun jealous. If you receive a higher score, you’re chided for being “ugly” with quips about being so ugly you’d even make a glass eye cry. Parents worry about the app hurting children’s already fragile self-esteem and that it could lead to more instances of cyber bullying.
Created by Jo Overline and Ryan Allen from Arizona, the app feeds our obsession with vanity, according to Overline. Whether we admit it or not, we’re all worried about how we rank physically. Costing $5 for the pro version, the app has earned nearly half a million dollars since being featured on Howard Stern. Creators combat accusations that this app will lead to more cyber-bullying and body image issues in teens by saying it’s meant to be used for fun and in good spirit.
We don’t need this app to prove that we, as a society, are overly worried about physical appearances. With every new fad diet on the market, the millions of products created to improve appearances, and the rate of cosmetic procedures being performed each day, it’s obvious we put a lot of value in our looks.
Not to harp on cosmetic procedures as with the right person, they really can lead to a better body image and higher sense of self worth. If you were considering a cosmetic procedure, or have now started considering one to improve your Ugly Meter rating, start by looking into less invasive procedures. Instead of diving in headfirst with implants, liposuction, or a surgical facelift, look into a thread lift, laser resurfacing, or a few Botox injections to help you lose few years from your face. These will all make a world of difference without the same post-surgery side effects.
The app bases its rankings on predetermined and standardized definitions of what beauty is. Reportedly, when Brad Pitt was entered into the app, he received a score of 8. What does that mean for the rest of us? As long as the app really is used in good spirits and isn’t taken seriously, then it’s really not a big deal. But all the worried parents may just have something to worry about with their insecure teens if Brad Pitt is only two points away from the ugliest a person could be.
Editor’s Note
Thanks to Evan Fischer for this quest post. He is a freelance writer and part-time student at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.
Ugly Meter™Developer: Dapper Gentlemen
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