Virginity auction

A virginity auction is an auction, often publicized online, where a person seeks to sell their virginity. The winning bidder will win the right to be the first to have intercourse with the person.

Often the authenticity of such auctions is subject to question, and it is not later verified whether the auction was successfully completed. A number of high-profile auctions such as the 2008 auction of "Natalie Dylan" and 2012 auction of Catarina Migliorini were never completed.[1] In some cases, the seller reports they are seeking money to pay for expenses such as medical bills or school tuition; in others, the seller has pledged that some portion of the earnings will be given to charity, or emphasizes the social questions involved in selling one's virginity.[2]

The earliest reported attempts to auction virginity online date to at least early 2004.[3] As far back as 1998, however, the earliest known Internet attempt to capitalize on virginity was the 1998 hoax Our First Time where two alleged 18-year-olds planned to have sex for the first time online.[4] In another notable hoax, in August 1999, an alleged 17-year-old male American high school senior named Francis D. Cornworth posted an auction for his virginity on eBay. Bids quickly rose from an initial $10 to $10 million before the listing was removed.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Hoffer, Steven (24 August 2010). Are Virginity Auctions Recession-Proof? Archived 2014-04-13 at the Wayback Machine, AOL News
  2. ^ Gordon, Claire (9 February 2010). How Much Is Virginity Worth, Slate (magazine)
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference reid2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ (18 July 1998). Web's Virginity Event A Hoax, Company's Executive Says, Chicago Tribune
  5. ^ Carpenter, Laura. Virginity Lost: An Intimate Portrait of First Sexual Experiences, p. 103 (2005)
  6. ^ Young Man's Virginity. Please look., Image capture of Cornworth 1999 Ebay auction
  7. ^ (30 August 1999). Chastity For Sale, Forbes