Last updated at 5:34 PM on 12th January 2009
American woman, 22, auctions off virginity
for £2.5m...but waiting for a better offer :
Natalie Dylan obviously values her virginity so highly, that not even £2.5m is good enough as she prepares to auction off her chastity for millions of pounds.
The 22-year-old student from California is being chased by a record 10,000 besotted men all keen to spend a massive sum for one night of passion.
When the chastity sale was first reported in September by US radio shock jock Howard Stern, Natalie had received bids up to £162,000 - but since then interest in her has rocketed.
Natalie Dylan, 22, plans to sell her virginity for £2.5m or higher...
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'I am shocked by how far this has gone,' Natalie said.
'I didn't expect so many people to bid for me, or for the amounts to be so high.
'It's shocking that men will pay so much for someone's virginity, which isn't even prized so highly anymore.
'I think it's become some kind of competition between all these men.
'It's like a contest they all want to win,' added Natalie, who is from San Diego in the U.S.
The student already has a degree in Women's Studies and planned the virginity auction to raise enough funds for a masters course in Family and Marriage therapy
'I didn't expect so many people to bid for me,' says Natalie, who plans to raise enough funds for a masters course in Family and Marriage therapy
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'People might think it's strange for a 22-year-old to be a virgin, but I've always been careful about what I do,' she said.
'I've had two serious boyfriends, and of course we were intimate in some ways, but they were nice guys and were patient with me.
'Back then I just wanted to wait until I was sure about someone before going all the way with them.
'Things didn't work out with either of my boyfriends and so the losing my virginity just never happened.'
She was inspired in the bizarre money-making scheme by her sister Avia, 23, who lived comfortably during her own degree course after working as a prostitute for just three weeks.
'I was quite shocked at the time when Avia told me she was prepared to sleep with people for money,' said Natalie.
Following in big sister's footsteps: Natalie was inspired by older sibling Avia (left) who worked as a prostitute for three weeks and earned several thousand dollars
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'I was 19 then and quite naive and I had no idea about people working in the sex industry.
'But Avia was determined to raise some money quickly and she researched it all and told me how it could be done safely through a legal brothel.
'She is very beautiful and confident and so she attracted a lot of clients and made several thousand dollars in just three weeks.'
Natalie began researching prostitution for her own degree course, as well as how virginity was prized in different cultures.
'I looked at other cases of where women had been paid for their virginity and realised that men were willing to pay large sums in return,' she said.
Knowing her sister had been treated well by the legal brothel The Bunny Ranch in Nevada, USA, Natalie decided to look into working there, but for just one evening.
'I'm really proud of her,' said Avia. 'I understand fully why she's doing this, and I don't know why anyone would criticise her for it.
'I worked there because I wanted to earn my own money so I would have some solid financial grounding.'
However Natalie admits she's still concerned about the prospect of spending a night with a stranger.
'I've been getting to know the men who are bidding and I'm having email conversations with them,' she said.
'I've had such a range of messages, from weirdos who say they love me, to those who get really graphically sexual about what they want to do to me.
'I'm also getting lots of polite requests from rich businessmen.
'I get some men who are obviously looking for a girlfriend but I try and make it clear that this is a one-night-only offer.
'I know that a lot of people will condemn me for this because it's so taboo but I really don't have a problem with that,' she added.
Natalie said she is prepared to undergo a medical hymen examination to prove her chastity and has already passed two lie detector tests.
'My study is completely authentic in that I truly am auctioning my virginity,' Natalie said.
'But I am not being sold into this. I'm not being taken advantage of in any way.
'I think me and the person I do it with will both profit greatly from the deal,' she added.
