Need money for your college education? Try selling off your virginity!
Filed under: Sex Sells, College, Entrepreneurship, Extracurriculars, Career, Wealth, Relationships, School
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Last week, Natalie Dylan (not her real name) announced that she was auctioning off her virginity to raise money for her college education. The 22-year old Women's Studies major has already received her BA from Sacramento State, but is now looking to finance her Master's degree. After debunking reports that he was going to be the Master of Ceremonies at the auction, Howard Stern stated that he had invited Ms. Dylan to appear on his show. Regardless, Stern's involvement has only been the latest twist in what has become a flashpoint for conservative social commentators.
The auction will be held on Tuesday, September 16, at Nevada's Bunny Ranch, a legally licensed brothel, and participants are encouraged to bid online. Ms. Dylan has stated that she will not surrender her virtue to any random wealthy man who contracts with her; rather, she will continue to accept bids until she finds a suitor with whom she shares "chemistry." The sad truth, however, is that her Cinderella fantasies will probably dissolve in the face of an amoral Russian oil magnate with very deep pockets.
Natalie Dylan's public auctioning of her first time shows an amazingly astute awareness of the society in which she lives. To begin with, despite the high price that society puts on one's virginity, the sad fact is that losing it isn't really all that fun. Most of the loss of virginity narratives that I've heard revolve around fear, physical discomfort, and disappointment. At the end of the day, at least Ms. Dylan will leave with a hefty check to salve her depression and relieve her aches.
More important, Ms. Dylan seems to have a pretty strong understanding of the "self-selling" mentality that underlies American culture. In an era that commodifies writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians as "content providers," it seems logical to assume that there are few things that can't be measured, packaged, priced, and purchased. As political strategists argue that votes are bought and sold through targeted advertisements and even the most gifted college graduate must constantly "sell himself" on the open market, Natalie Dylan has turned herself into the iconic young American.
From a case study perspective, this is particularly interesting: born with a commodity that has a flexible value, Natalie Dylan has generated interest by withholding it from the market. Moreover, she has clearly worked hard on the packaging of this natural resource, as photographs of the young lady attest that she is fit, healthy, and attractive. After changing her name to reflect a pair of Charlie's Angels characters, she secured celebrity endorsements from Howard Stern and the Bunny Ranch, and is now prepared to release her IPO. Presumably, even when she is finished commodifying her virginity, she will find a way to continue to market her basic resources, either through the Joey Buttafuoco/pornographic route or via the Monica Lewinsky/cultural scandal path. Over the next few years, she will probably succeed in transforming her virginity into a bucket of cash, a first-rate resume builder, and a head-start on her career, regardless of what it ends up being.
I wonder how many college graduates, their job prospects dimming, are slapping their heads at this very moment!
Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He's just jealous; at 22, he couldn't GIVE it away!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-15-2008 @ 7:39PM
costa said...
selling at auction your verginity?a nice name for prostitute.
Reply
9-15-2008 @ 8:06PM
scareys4 said...
So, from the tenor of this article, I would say the author approves of prostitution. Sad to say that the "iconic young American" is a whore.
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9-15-2008 @ 10:12PM
Maggie61 said...
Let me get this straight. She is a whore for selling her virginity. What does that make the guy? A pimp? Although I do not agree with what she is doing (do to me picturing my daughter who is 20 and still a virgin) my opinion is not going to pay her college bill.
Maybe anyone who thinks she is a whore should set up an account in her behalf, and ask others to contribute.
Will that save her soul?
9-16-2008 @ 12:22AM
Bruce Watson said...
Scareys4-
On some levels, I approve of Natalie Dylan's actions. She is a fully-grown adult who has chosen a controversial course of action with which to fund her future. She is not asking for a handout, and she is not complaining about her victimization. Would I want my daughter to do it? No. Would I do it? I don't know if I can easily answer that.
More to the point, my approval or disapproval are completely irrelevant. Given the way that America treats and trains its youth, Ms. Dylan's actions are completely logical. As I mentioned, our society holds self-promotion as the highest good, and doesn't seem to recognize an individual's value apart from his or her ability to consume or be consumed. If we take this reductive, inhuman attitude towards ourselves and each other, is it any surprise that some of us might begin to seek ways to market portions of our anatomies?
Yes, ultimately I think that the whore has become the iconic ideal for American youth. We are expected to regularly reduce ourselves to the level of commodities and then sell those commodities aggressively. If you want to see the ultimate conclusion of this ideal, you need look no further than Natalie Dylan.
9-15-2008 @ 9:13PM
Laun said...
Nobody needs to go to a street corner to obtain money for college these days. There are scholarships, grants, loans, and gov. grants. I know it took me 12 years to pay off my student loans--not everyone comes from a wealth family.
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9-16-2008 @ 12:33AM
Jay said...
Hey baby get that money!!!!! I love the hustle in you!
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9-15-2008 @ 9:50PM
drvrkev2 said...
What is so odd about this? You just have to look at craigslist under erotic and you will see college students financing their college education everyday by the hour.
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9-16-2008 @ 1:36AM
oliveme said...
Bruce
I enjoyed your blog and appreciated your opinion. And as to your assessment of the marketability of a 22 y/o male, I admit that when I was 22 or younger, I thought an older man was the beginning and the end. Now, I am beginning to appreciate the whole cougar thing and find that what those youngsters lack n couth, they make up for in charm, kind of like those spindly legged colts you can see gamboling over the blue grass of Kentucky.
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9-16-2008 @ 1:58AM
Bob said...
I want to start the bid with $25 worth of lottery tickets.. they may be the winner of multi-millions. She's a gambler, maybe she will take it... I'll be waiting to hear from her!
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9-16-2008 @ 7:39PM
Barnacle Bob said...
Yeah, I'd do her, but the idea of a 22 year old Virgin is not exactly a turn on. Its like, "what the hell have you been doing since puberty chick... Living in a Biodome or something?
Plus which other than having a tight "box," a virgin chick who doesn't know how to screw is just annoying. Seriously, I think I'll hit the Mormon compounds in Texas first. Same deal, but less dough.
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9-16-2008 @ 6:30AM
Stacey said...
It's disappointing to hear of such an exchange. Holding onto your virginity is such a moral choice; whereas selling yourself for cash absolutely immoral. You clearly have options. There are resources available, one of which is to take the degree you have and find employment. At least it's something of which you can be proud. Just a thought.
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10-24-2008 @ 10:08AM
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10-27-2008 @ 3:02PM
Joycie said...
Good for her. I gave it up to some jerk in high school for free, and still have 25,000 in student loans. Smart girl!
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