Think You Look Mahvelous?

A new Web site may have the answer to the single most important question on every true Angeleno’s mind: “Am I really as good-looking as I think?”

In darker times, you could be old, gray and wrinkly before you had a large enough sample to satisfactorily answer this burning question. But now, thanks to the Internet, you can find out what others think of your sex appeal. At https://www.attractiveness.com, visitors can post their photographs and get reactions from thousands of loggers on.

“To be honest, I’ve always wanted to know how attractive I was,” said Don Merrill, a Cincinnati native who developed the site. “Asking somebody in this culture makes you seem weak or insecure. So instead we spend millions of dollars on stuff we think will make us look better.”

The site focuses not only looks, but also on the sociability a photo conveys. However, anyone looking to make fun of someone else will be disappointed. Unsolicited comments are not accepted. Visitors must answer either a closed-end question or with a simple yes or no.

“The site is not designed to criticize,” said Merrill.

Private results are then retrieved by the participant, who can customize results by age, race or gender. For instance, a divorced man of 45 re-entering the dating scene could see how women of his age react to his looks.

“Only some of how we see ourselves is based on our own opinion,” Merrill said. “The rest is based on the opinion of others.”

An Angeleno couldn’t have put it better.

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For more information, call (800) 608-0546.