An 18-year-old girl in Australia has started a website to try and raise money for college, and to help her parents pay off their mortgage. But she's not selling hand-made jewelry, or offering to babysit for the neighbors... She's auctioning off her virginity.
The teen from Sydney, using the fake name Siena Payton, set up the website after her birthday in October. Since then, she said she's already received two bids; one for $1,000, and one for $10,000.
“That’s not my goal amount,” she said. “I’m hoping for $100,000.”
Payton said she got the idea in October after reading online news stories about other "virginity auctions," where the women were able to make millions of dollars.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and I thought I would give it a go,” she said. “I thought it’s best to do it now, later on I might meet someone and I don’t want to have to wait for my first time because I’m still waiting to sell my virginity.”
She said that she hopes the money will help send her to study IT at the University of Technology Sydney.
“I just need some quick financial help and I think it’ll give me a good boost to help pay for college fees, I know you have to buy a lot of textbooks,” she said. “Also a car, and I can help my parents pay off their mortgage and pay bills.”
Her website does list a few rules though, stating that the "documents of my virginity will be provided by local health authorities," and that the highest bidder "also has the further possibility to check me up again with a doctor he trusts."
Payton told reporters that she came up with the idea because she didn't want to ask her parents for financial help.
“I think they would think it’s kind of stupid, I don’t think they would get angry, they would just ask me why I would do something like that,” she said. “I guess I’d lie (about where the money came from). I would just say I got a job.”
But Payton also confessed that she is fully aware of how this 'auction' could turn out to be very dangerous for her. She said she just wants other young women in the same situation to know how important it is to seek support from a social worker
“It definitely can be dangerous. Obviously, I care if it’s dangerous, I’m very well aware of that. But it’s my body, I don’t care about it too much — not my safety, as in bidding off my virginity, for me it’s not a big deal. Some people, they do it for free. Most people.”
Read the full story on the New York Post.