Mis[s]reading #1: Looking for a Boyfriend

Chan's bewilderment at those who imagine her site to be a kind of elaborate personal column ad is understandable. While the first segment of the interface, "Yugtcefrep®," might seem to suggest that its author is "looking," a closer reading quickly reveals its self-conscious irony. Yugtcefrep® is, of course, "perfect guy" spelled backward, and the interface describes the segment as Eneri®'s "e-commerce showcase." Her company's slogans: "A better model is always around the corner" and "Keep on dreaming." Three plastic dolls (who sport halos when moused over) represent the user's three-model selection. When the user clicks on a model, she is presented with another screen where we find the nutritional contents of our choice: "Percentage[s] are based on the Eneri Evaluation on woman's hopeless dreams. Your dream values may be higher or lower depending on your age and your needs."

There is something almost perverse about mistaking this completely cynical presentation of romantic partnership as a romantic quest. Yet, it is just the first (and most simplistic) mis[s]reading that the site has encountered. >>>