Vanderbilt Professor Successfully Twitter Shames "RateMyProfessor" Into Dropping Their Teacher Hotness Rating

NY POST - RateMyProfessors’ chili pepper rating isn’t looking so hot anymore.

The site that allows students to rate professors last week removed its chili pepper category, which allowed students to rate teachers’ physical attractiveness by rating them as “hot” or “not.” The decision came after a Vanderbilt University neurology professor, BethAnn McLaughlin, complained via Twitter.

“Dear @ratemyprofessor, Life is hard enough for female professors. Your ‘chili pepper’ rating of our ‘hotness’ is obnoxious and utterly irrelevant to our teaching,” she wrote. “Please remove it because #TimesUP and you need to do better.”

Hmmmmm the thing is, I don’t have a strong argument for this one.  I mean I’d love to.  I like hotness ratings as much as anyone.  Smokesmash Matchup From Hell, remember that?  I mean I like hot women.  Sue me.  Sure the most important thing I want to know about a professor before signing up for her class is, is she brilliant, is she a fair grader, does she have a lot of knowledge to impart, what’s her attendance policy like how many classes can I skip to play video games you know stuff like that.  But I also have a little bit of interest in how attractive they are, I don’t know, I’m a man, I respond well to beautiful women, not my fault that’s Darwin’s fault, plus it’s my education that I’m paying 200 grand for isn’t it?    But I can’t say I’m surprised that a major website got bullied out of dropping a “hotness” ranking.  It’s a new day and age on the internet streets.  Time’s up.  Judging women on their bodies and looks is a no no.  Especially when it comes to the women of academia who have gone through like 20 years of school to get to their position based on their brains and intelligence.  Can’t have horny little punk college kids chili pepper rating them on how hot their ass is or something.

McLaughlin’s tweet came in response to the rating site soliciting suggestions from its followers. Her request went viral with almost 3,000 retweets and more than 15,000 likes, as professors and teachers across the country chimed in about the sexist nature of the feature. RateMyProfessor took down the rating, tweeting, “The chili pepper rating is meant to reflect a dynamic/exciting teaching style. But, your point is well taken and we’ve removed all chili pepper references from the Rate My Professors site.”

But McLaughlin said it felt disheartening and dishonest that the site referred to the chili pepper rating as an indication of professors’ teaching styles, especially based on its past actions: Each year, RateMyProfessors releases lists based on user ratings, including one for the “hottest professors.” And as an April Fools’ Day prank in 2014, it announced a “DateMyProfessor” site.

“It’s a chili pepper,” said McLaughlin, who is in her 40s. “I think we all know what it means.” 

So I get it.  I can’t argue it.  I will continue to appreciate the beautiful female form from afar as respectfully as possible, but I will not, I repeat will not be publicly rating women based on their superficial qualities.  Lord knows if they did it the other way around I’d be fucking chili-pepperless and upset.

Yes I want to learn from you, Ava Adams.  But because of your intricate knowledge of early 18th century British lit, not for anything else.