Not hot: the Rate My Professor chili pepper is done

The website Rate My Professors is getting rid of its “hotness” rating. Which means you won’t see stuff like this any more:

The idea of getting rid of the “chili pepper” has been floating around for a while, but fellow neuroscientist Beth Ann McLaughlin was able to hit a nerve on Twitter this week. Almost 3,000 retweets and many professors chimed in to say, “Get rid of this appearance rating.”

And to their credit, the website owners did.

This is a good thing for people in higher education. The Rate My Professors site is well known to people in higher education, both faculty and students. I’ve encouraged students to use Rate My Professors, because I have a record teaching, and people have a right to hear other students’ experiences. It matters when they tacitly suggest it’s okay to ogle professors.

It’s nice to have a little good news. And to be reminded that sometimes, faceless corporate websites – and the people behind them – do listen to reason, and can change.

External links

Why The Chili Pepper Needs To Go: Rape Culture And Rate My Professors (2016)
RateMyProfessors.com Is Dropping The "Hotness" Rating After Professors Called It Sexist
I Killed the Chili Pepper on Rate My Professor
RateMyProfessors.com Retires the Sexist and Uncomfortable “Chili Pepper” Rating After Academics Speak Out
RateMyProfessors Removes Hotness Rating