Popular dating mobile app expands to include both genders

The Lulu smartphone application opened the conversation for guys to have their say.

Lulu, which exclusively launched at UF last semester, uses Facebook to provide a catalog of their male friends, allowing girls to review them. On Thursday, the app released an additional component that will open the platform to guys.

With LuluDude, guys will be able to claim their profiles and distinguish themselves. The more he does so, the more visible he’ll be to users. A couple hundred guys have downloaded LuluDude since its launch Thursday afternoon, and that number is “changing by the minute,” said Lulu CEO Alexandra Chong.

“We hope that guys start to engage and put their best foot forward to girls,” she said.

Ryan Weiss thinks the app will only cause trouble.

“I think that it will make it so guys can preserve their reputation somewhat, but I think that the premise itself is promoting drama and gossip among the university community,” said the 21-year-old criminology senior.

With Lulu, girls review guys in appearance, humor, manners, ambition, first kiss, sex and commitment. Chong said about 3,000 female UF students have Lulu on their phones. About 4 million guys have been checked out, and at least 60 percent of girls who have logged on come back every day.

“The comments and hashtags given are so sassy that you can’t help but laugh,” said 20-year-old early education sophomore Kasey Greene.