I think what surprises me about this story is that I am not surprised.  Or perhaps I should say that I am saddened by the fact that I don’t find this shocking, as I once would have.

Student auctions off virginity for offers of more than £2.5 million ($3.7m)

Natalie Dylan, 22, claims her offer of a one-night stand has persuaded 10,000 men to bid for sex with her.

Last September, when her auction came to light, she had received bids up to £162,000 ($243,000) but since then interest in her has rocketed.

The student who has a degree in Women’s Studies insisted she was not demeaning herself.

So apparently she decided against a student loan.

Miss Dylan, from San Diego, California, USA, said she was persuaded to offer herself to the highest bidder after her sister Avia, 23, paid for her own degree after working as a prostitute for three weeks.

…

“I think me and the person I do it with will both profit greatly from the deal.”

Well, assuming the high bidder pays up, one of you will.  I personally don’t see the huge value in taking some girls virginity.  Of all the brag topics in high school, I never understood the relative value of the guys comparing notes on how many cherries they had popped.

Now, taking a look a this from a wider angle, the saddest part is not her.  Sure, she is selling herself to the highest bidder,  and getting a great thesis out of it too, I am sure.  That, as her sister proved, is hardly a new story. 

We as a culture are surrounded by glamorization of sex, and the objectification of women.

Whether it is the Paris Hilton sex tapes, prostitutes made to seem noble ala Pretty Woman, the salacious cameras snapping pictures on Hollywood red carpets hoping for the latest wardrobe malfunction from starlets with barely taped on dresses ala J-Lo, obsessions with beauty through fad diets, ritualistic exercise regimes, plastic surgery or many thousands of other examples, it is clear that our modern culture loves the dirty details, and places no relative value on wholesomeness and purity.

Once upon a time it mattered, but in deciding it mattered too much we swung the pendulum,  the return swing of the pendulum has left us with a society that yawns at the stories that would have outraged the people a generation or two back.

This is progress?  This is the progressive world the liberals adore?  Seriously?

Even she notes the irony:

She added: “It’s shocking that men will pay so much for someone’s virginity, which isn’t even prized so highly anymore.”

She is right.  That which we used to as a culture revere and protect has become something to be traded.

Her story has a hint of justification, regarding her inability to pay for tuition the traditional way:

…Natalie Dylan ended up in a financial bind, because her stepfather allegedly used her college status to fraudulently apply for student loans, and then ran off with the money.

Oh, and it turns out that big sister may have had a bit deeper involvement then just inspiration and fine example.  The brothel her sister works at is holding the auction and is going to be the location of the exchange.

To consummate the deal, Natalie Dylan will meet the winner at the infamous Moonlite Bunny Ranch, a legal brothel, which is holding the auction, in Nevada where her sister works. She is apparently looking for a $1 million dollar bid, which may be highly optimistic given the prices that past auctions have closed at, but the amount of press she is getting, including an appearance with Howard Stearn, won’t hurt.

Digging a little deeper finds some accounts of others who have done the same:

Surprisingly, Natalie Dylan is entering into a not uncommon online marketplace. For instance, in 2007, 18-year-old Carys Copestake tried to sell her virginity for £10,000. In 2004, 18-year-old Rosie Reid, a lesbian student at Bristol University, auctioned hers off for £8,400. Oddly, British women are very over-represented although there are many other cases in other countries, including men who have sold their services online. Asked about her decision and doubters, Dylan replied, “We live in a capitalist society. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to capitalize on my virginity?”

Over at HuffPo, one author, Katie Halper, cited Natalie’s story as an example (granted, an extreme one) of empowerment in an article that examines America’s sexist atavism, and how that sexist attitude caused a rejection of Sarah Palin, and in turn a defeat for women and woman’s sexuality (along with a defeat of John McCain).  As she put it:

While November 4th represented a great day for Barack Obama, it was a terrible day for women.

America may be ready for a Black president, but we’re certainly not ready for a female vice-president–especially a feminist one who refuses to submit to the old boys network that plagues D.C.

So to the feminist, a woman refusing to be bound to the bonds of traditional sexuality can sell her virginity, and be somewhat heroic.

Her ideal buyer?  No surprise really:

Among the tidbits revealed: Barack Obama would be her ideal candidate to enter the auction  …

So many one liners, so little time.  Bill Clinton did not return my calls for comment.

Anyway, while I hate appearing the prude, honestly I think she is fooling herself with the glorification of her actions.

Simply put, if you are paid to have sex, you are by definition a prostitute.  It won’t matter if it is a one time act or a career.  She has publicly announced to her desire to be a whore.

The only difference between her and her hooker sister is the price tag, the publicity and the book deal.

Oh and as for the price tag, apparently that is not the final factor.  High bidder may not win the prize, she is screening the bidders to hand pick the winner:

So far, hundreds of offers have already come in including some from male virgins.  Natalie says she won’t give up her virginity to the highest bidder.  She’s also seeking other qualities from her first lover. “I’m looking for intelligence and an overall nice person,” said Dylan.

In the end, she is doing it legally, and nothing I say or do will change that.  As liberals often proclaim:  it is her body. 

So if she wants to go into history as the highest paid prostitute in America, so be it.

Trackposted to The Pink Flamingo, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Political Byline, Democrat=Socialist, Adam’s Blog, The World According to Carl, and DragonLady’s World, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.