Being a “10” in women’s eyes as a dude only has so much to do with looks. You might objectively be a 10 in a vacuum, but when you factor in the fact that you post hustle-porn quotes to your Instagram story, you’re a 3. Or maybe you’re only a 5, but you have a strong relationship with your family and can make women laugh — now you’re actually an 8.
It’s not a perfect science, but on TikTok, women are explaining the variables that go into where a guy sits on the 1-10 attractiveness scale, and men could definitely learn a thing or two from it.
On June 3rd, @averyrizzotto posted a video of herself in a car with two of her female friends. “He’s an 8, but he wears Sperrys,” she says to her friends. “Negative 1,” a friend responds. “He’s a 6, but he has good style,” another says. “Eight,” says Rizzotto. “Ten,” says the other friend. With this little back-and-forth of comparing how different traits impact the rating they’d give a man, the trio kicked off a TikTok trend — generally called the “He’s a 10” game — that now has millions of views and hundreds of recreations.
While most of these recreations are totally different from each other, there are a few core takeaways. Above all, routinely posting on social media in a way that seems like you’re trying to attract attention (e.g., selfies) is a turn off for a lot of women. Going to the gym and being in good shape was another huge influence on ratings — in one, some particularly harsh girls said that a guy who would be a 10 but doesn’t go to the gym is a negative 2. In a different group’s video, they said that a 3 who works out could be a 6 or an 8. Meanwhile, tattoos boosted a guy’s score, but wearing brands like the aforementioned Sperry or Vineyard Vines were big point-deductors.
Some guys have started picking up on the trend, too, though mostly in parody form. “She’s a 10, but she hit someone with her car while you were in the passenger’s seat, and just drove off. They died; she just did a hit and run,” a guy tells a friend in one such parody. “Oh my god, that’s terrible! Uhhh… still a 10,” the friend responds.
Jokes aside, this is all still obviously just a hypothetical game between friends. Nobody seems to be taking it that seriously. But even so, it illuminates both what goes into attraction and the volatility of the 1-10 scale. It’s also a good reminder to lay off the preppy boat shoes — and to maybe get a tattoo.
Magdalene Taylor
Magdalene Taylor is a staff writer at MEL. She covers internet culture, sex and the online adult industry. She lives in Brooklyn but is from God's Country, Western Massachusetts.
