Data Map: The Kinkiest States In America

Artist R. Luke DuBois created this kinkiness map by analyzing dating sites and charting the frequency of words used in different regions.

Here’s the artist’s official description:

“A More Perfect Union” looks at American self-identity through the medium of online dating services. Culling data from over twenty online dating sites, the work is organized according to the same heuristics as the U.S. Census, sorting dating profiles by Congressional District and subjecting the imagery and text to statistical analysis. Revealing a ‘dating lexicon’ of each state, DuBois built maps using the words provided by 16.7 million people describing themselves and those they desire. Comprised as a romantic atlas of the United States, each regional geography uses keywords from dating profiles in lieu of the city and town names.