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ESCORT AGENCY OFFERS TEEN’S VIRGINITY
A Sydney agency is offering to sell a Chinese-born, Melbourne high school student’s virginity to a client, for the right price. So what’s the going rate for what the agency calls a ‘rare opportunity’? $12,000. The move has been resoundingly criticised with many saying the offer is cashing in on a young girl’s vulnerability and money problems. As Fairfax reported:
“She is a virgin, you can tell,” a spokeswoman told The Sun-Herald.
“She goes to your place or hotel and you can spend two days together. She does not have a boyfriend and she wants to do it for the money,” she said.
Feminist Eva Cox said of the matter:
“Something is wrong in society to encourage this sort of behaviour but this prurient interest about a financial transaction is also a worry.
“I think sex work itself is a perfectly legitimate occupation but I just don’t think this is a good way to start one’s sex life,” she said.
1. The new JK Rowling is here. And she’s 20. That’s what the informed word is out of England as Oxford University student Samantha Shannon landed a multimillion Pound, three-book deal for her debut novel The Bone Season. Like Rowling, she’s also mapped out the narrative for seven books. Wow.
2. The Welsh tourists who stole a penguin from the Gold Coast’s Sea World theme park said it ‘ruined’ their dream Aussie lifestyle after the massive media storm that followed. They were fined $1000 and moved out west to escape the spotlight.
3. Gillard has announced 1.2 million low-income families will gain access to payments for each child they have in school. Families will get $410 for each primary school aged child and $820 for each child in high school. It replaces the education tax rebate, which required families to provide receipts.
4. This powerful Canadian ad for the Paralympics is a beauty … and it was filmed entirely in one take!
5. The ex-husband of Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart has told of their messy divorce and visiting his children (John and Bianca) on a rug in the garage of Rinehart’s multi-million dollar home. He also revealed how she tried to give the kids a strong work ethic by paying them $6 an hour to weed and how she once told John when he was broke at uni to look for tomato sauce in the cupboard and make soup.
- Check the Gina Rinehart cheat sheet.
6. You might remember the Lara Bingle nude photo ‘scandal’ from last week. Last night on Channel 10, lo and behold, was an advertisement for her new reality show Being Lara Bingle which used the photo saga as a plot point. Hmmm.
Comments
82 Comments so far
I’m glad those Welsh fools feel like their lifestyle was ‘ruined’ – we don’t want people like that on the Gold Coast or anywhere in Australia (and yes, it was the dumping of the poor little guy into shark infested canals that pissed me off the most. In future they should think. Thinking is underrated, apparently!)
And the fine should have better reflected the cost of their actions!
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OK – I do feel sorry for the penguin and it’s wrong… BUT I can’t stop laughing at the image of that guy finding the penguin in his walk in wardrobe! And also the fact that the penguin is called Dirk. *Giggles*
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I heard a politician (I think, I missed the very start when he was introduced) on the radio say yesterday that the reason the govt has changed the school payment was because not all families entitled to the tax offset were actually claiming, so they changed it. Seems like they just want to give some money away……. Kind of made my blood boil
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Well it seems that the more you sit back and do nothing, you will get payouts! So if you did the right thing and kept all your dockets, ah-well, those people, who received dockets just the same, but couldn’t be stuffed keeping them, need the money too. I know, that i have kept everything, except when forgotten,because we do need that money back and it makes me angry that some families do the right thing and it does not matter. They give money out far too easy. If they cant keep dockets and claim it, they dont need it. Spend the money on our roads or education!
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Shame those Welsh tourists weren’t ‘released into shark infested waters’…
Seriously – fire extinguishers in the shark tank / swimming with the dolphins and then stealing the penguin… Begs the question where the Sea World security team were during all this doesn’t it?
I would have booted them back home to Wales – a prank is one thing, but if you wake up in the morning to find a little penguin in your cupboard, and realise you are the jerk to blame – in the sober light of day, if you really were remorseful how about ensuring the safety of the animal you had stolen and no doubt traumatised along the way? Instead of compounding the stupidity by dumping it in an inappropriate environment. What losers.
And – what a stunning ad for the paralympics – magic.
And – amazing to see Julia & Co at it again with another meaningless, ill thought out attempt at vote grabbing. Such consistency!!
Can’t even get my head around the Melb brothel & the 18 yo Chinese girl – just so disgustingly wrong on so many levels. I just feel absolute pity for her. Not illegal, but seriously, some things should be. And as for the bloke who pays the money… Well, it’s a pity that isn’t illegal.
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Why the fuss over Gina Rinehart being a tight-arse? She’s frugal with her money, tried to teach her kids the value of a $ and was a PITA to her ex. Sounds like any one of a number of women I know (without the multi-millions).
She may not have made perfect decisions, as indicated by her current court battles, but they were her decisions to make…and live with. I don’t see any abuse in telling a uni student to make soup from sauce when one of my childhood staples was a dish of spaghetti and condensed tomato soup. We didn’t have much money but we made do just fine.
Did anyone miss that the Ex has a book to spruik??
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I agree! Just because your mum is rich doesn’t entitle you to a free ride. I remember living off a bag of tomatoes at uni because I had spent my last few dollars on some cask wine. Not exactly nutritious but it taught me that if you want to have fun, there are some sacrifices. I definitely learnt the value of money.
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Let them eat bread and gruel…..
But seriously.
Lang Hancock left a legacy for his grandchildren. If Gina had done her job teaching her children the value of $, then she should keep her mitts off the kids’ money!
Gina’s just being greedy.
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The schooling payment is a great idea, but I would prefer it was paid in a way that ensured it was only available for schooling costs. Perhaps as a debit card that can only be used at certain places like Lowes for school uniforms, Officeworks for school supplies, Shoes and Socks, Athletes Foot for school shoes and joggers or the childs school to cover excursions and fees or even for the canteen for a nutritious lunch rather than mum delivering KFC (which my friend who teaches at a lower socio economic school tells me is common).
I can guarantee, by depositing the money into the parents back account many of these families who should be using it for their kids education will use it for cigarettes, alcohol and the pokies and school life will not be easier for their children.
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I thought the same, or perhaps as something that is required to be claimed at tax time as has been done in the past with proof of the items purchased.
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If the money was given to school uniform shops (as an example) then it could reduce the cost of uniforms for all the kids in the school. I think that would be much fairer and would prevent it being put through the pokies. Gillard doesn’t want that though, she wants to buy votes and have these parents go off to Harvey Norman and pick up an over priced plasma. That’s how she rolls….
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Yes lu, that would be the intelligent thing to do. But this is the Aussie government. It reminds me of Austin Powers when Dr Evil puts him in the room with the unnecessarily slow moving mechanism and doesn’t watch him die by the sharks. When Scott questions why he didn’t just kill Austin, Dr Evil replies “I’ll just put him in there and assume everything went to plan, what?!”
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I think the Welsh tourists got off lightly! Didn’t they also swim with the dolphins and put the footage on YouTube? They are so lucky one of the animals didn’t hurt them. As for the poor penguin what did they think they were going to do with him?
Gillard and Swan have taken vote buying to a new low. Apparently this scheme will cost $830 million. Why isn’t that $830 million being shared amongst all school kids? Why only a select few? Why not give the money to schools? They could subsidise school uniforms or text books if they really wanted to help. As we are so super wealthy (as only a soldier and a public servant with 3 kids can be) we will not qualify for these payments so maybe I am just being greedy but I’m sick of it. Sick of being expected to pay for all of these schemes and getting nothing in return. Sick of being told by Swan, Gillard and Macklin that we are high income earners and can afford it. Sick of just having to suck it up that we will pay the carbon tax and get no compensation, sick of paying $1000 a fortnight for childcare just so I can work to support others, sick of my cost of living going up and up. Sick of this govt that has taken $17billion from the department I work for since 2007. Mostly I am sick of the lies and sneaky deals and really just sick of this govt telling my family to suck it up and keep paying while others reap the rewards. Sorry for my rant…. I’m just really sick of it…
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Fair enough! I can understand your frustration.
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I’m with you!
What about us couple and singles who don’t have families. We too are paying more and more but because we are not part of a family we aren’t entitled to any kind of rebates, cuts etc.
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Exactly! Lauren they just expect you to keep on paying. I am happy to pay my way and that of my children but I am over this expectation that we should just keep handing it over!
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I agree, we work hard to earn our money, as does our apprentice son – and get no benefits of any kind. I am o.k. with that – we can look after ourselves, and I am happy to have my taxes supporting those in genuine need but there is point where it goes too far.
The majority of my children’s friends are out of school and jobless. But it doesn’t matter they say, because they are all getting various allowances, so why not sit around and have fun doing nothing. Luckily our kids have a good work ethic, despite seeing for themselves that you can get paid for doing nothing. I know life isn’t fair for all and I am lucky in so many ways but being middle class is not nearly as comfortable as I always thought it would be.
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I saw that TV ad for that reality show about Lara Bingle whislt watching Masterchef last night – it looks so pathetic!! who is going to watch a show about her? she is boring and such a wannabe!
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I have a huge problem with Eva Cox being introduced as a feminist – which implies that her statement which follows depicts a feminist view – before stating “I think sex work itself is a perfectly legitimate occupation”.
Radical feminists, first and second wave feminists are adamently opposed to the sex industry. Most liberal feminists are too. Raunch feminism supports it, generally, but many other feminists fee raunch feminism as a misappropriation/misunderstanding of the concept of feminism.
You really, really need to qualify her title. Feminists might be pro-choice and pro-freedom, but that does not equate with being supportive of an industry (or a career in that industry) that is fundamental in promoting and perpetuating inequality, degradation and violence against women. There might be some non-raunch feminists who support prostitution but to phrase it in a way that implies Cox is speaking on behalf of feminists is extremely offensive.
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The SMH called her a ‘leading’ feminist. I chopped that bit as it’s a bit subjective, but if Eva says she is a feminist who am I to argue?
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So does that mean that when Melinda Tankard Reist says she is a feminist you won’t argue with that either?
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Not with the label. Maybe some of the views. Like Eva herself said, feminism is a broad church.
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Tough day at the office, Rick.
Geez……..let’s just have an argument about who is a feminist, instead of discussing the REAL story……..
/sarcasm off/
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She may well be a feminist, but that sentiment isn’t feminist. She’s entitled to her own opinion, but the way it’s phrased (with her being prefaced as a feminist) incorrectly suggests she’s putting forward the feminist perspective on the issue.
It’s like saying “Climate Change activist Ms X says “humans are not influencing a change in climate”.” Ms X might well be a climate change activist, but the sentiment expressed is in no way that of a climate change activist. Prefacing the person with “feminist” or “climate change activist” implies that they’re commenting in their expert role.
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I know what you mean, but that is what Eva Cox does. There is no ultimate feminist council on these matters. One person’s opinion is as valid as another.
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There’s no council, but there is a general consensis on the beliefs of different waves of feminism – and thousands of books and articles written on the subject. Sex work is so at odds with the fundamental feminist movement that it’s controversial to put forward that view as feminist without qualification.
I understand where you’re coming from in terms of repeating what you’ve read (eg she calls herself feminist and is making a statement so it’s feminist statement) but I think it has to be acknowledged that it’s a very controversial and problematic statement she’s making – and that it’s not representative of most interpretations of feminism (apart from raunch feminism).
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Well, I’m in no position to be making that call unfortunately! Could you imagine if I tried to suddenly delineate what feminist perspectives were valid or not in a quick news bite? I can’t afford to wade into those murky waters here!
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Feminism is about women having freedom of choice..is it not? I don’t think Eva Cox is speaking on behalf of anyone but herself. She can identify with being a feminist and have no issue with women choosing to be sex workers. Why does your definition of feminism have to be so narrow? Of course no one is supportive of all the awful things that can happen in the prostitution industry but I don’t see what is anti-feminist about expressing that “sex work itself is a perfectly legitimate occupation”.
All she is saying is that women shouldn’t be disrespected for working in the industry if they so choose to.
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Abbott was torn to shreds for suggesting that his daughters dont give their virginity away on a whim, yet here is Eva Cox seemingly echoing this sentiment. You cant have it both ways. If abbott was wrong, then this lady’s virginity (and she is an adult despite the attempts to underscore the school angle) is of no consequense, her transaction no different than any other adult sex worker.
You cant have it both ways when it suits guys.
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But this was Tony Abbott so any comments made are automatically suspect.
The left generally gets a free pass on comments that would have the right crucified. We can only imagine the uproar here and other sites if Tony Abbott had suggested that the well rehearsed nature of a sexual harrassment accuser cast doubt on the accusations. But Bob Carr did exactly that on the weekend. No doubt Mamamia was all over this like a rash but I somehow missed it.
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Do you ever get tired of looking for that MM coverage conspiracy? It reeks of desperation.
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Is that directed at me or Guest Rick. If it was me (and it seems it was), I did not make one reference to MM. My reference to ‘guys’ was referring to society at large.
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Not you WB, Guest.
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Not having a go at you or MM Rick but Wounded Bull has a point…. What’s good for the goose and all that…
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I actually thought WB’s point was interesting, I wasn’t referring to his post. If I wanted to reply to him I would have replied to his comment
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You typed your reply while I was typing mine so I missed your comments….
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“here is Eva Cox seemingly echoing this sentiment”
No, she’s not. Tony Abbott’s comments were about virginity being ‘a gift’ – placing the importance on the ‘recipient’ of this ‘gift’. I thought Eva Cox’s focus is on the girl herself, not on the ‘recipient’.
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I feel there is a difference between a middle age man in politics discussing young women’s virginity in the public arena and a young woman being advertised on an escort website for $12,000 for her virginity.
The issue with TA was more cringeworthy and shock that he would comment on the choices of young women’s sex lives. I don’t think anyone argued virginity is of no consequence, more that it is a personal decision and not something to be commented on by a 50 something male opposition leader.
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Thats a new one to me, that male politicians aren’t allowed a view on issues affecting young women. I thought politicians are voted in to represent all of us, not just within their own narrow demographic.
And anyway, he was talking about his own daughters. Are 50 something males now banned from offering their daughters advise are they?
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I never said male politicians aren’t allowed views on issues affecting young women! I said that young women do not need him to comment on their sex lives. It is a personal decision and not political at all. Or do you appreciate Tony Abbott’s opinion on your sexual choices? Feel he is representing young women by discussing when they first have sex?
” Are 50 something males now banned from offering their daughters advise are they?”
Obviously not but it is not appropriate publicly. I am sure his daughters did not appreciate him discussing their virginity in front of the nation.
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I don’t think prostitution and having sex with someone on a whim are the same thing.
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Brilliant ad.
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“She is a virgin, you can tell” How? I think it is just talking up a product. I think she is just a young looking experienced worker. Isn’t that what escort agencies offer: a fantasy?
Or are escort agencies trawling the high schools?
The whole story is disturbing, not for the reason that a girl is selling her virginity, but that we are all believing what is being told to us by the people selling the product without questioning it.
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In my family, advice is something we give in private – and don’t repeat to an audience of millions.
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Virginity has been a commodity for centuries. A girl’s parents used to use it to ensure her marriageability, even up until relatively recently. We don’t consider those attitudes to be acceptable these days, and personally I think virginity is overrated, but if she’s smart enough to capitalise on the biases of the unenlightened, then good for her. In fact , based on other recent stories of similar ilk, she would’ve been even smarter to have auctioned it on eBay.
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I agree Enpi, virginity and it’s loss are extremely overrated, especially for a girl. I’m not saying that it isn’t a special thing that should be just given away without consideration but there is a difference in the way people approach female virginity and male virgnity. Men are encouraged to lose it as soon as possible and women are encouraged to wait for the right one etc.
I think this leads to the difference in how we view sex for females and males. If a female’s virginity is put on this pedestal then the way people view females having sex becomes entirely different to how we view males having sex. That’s where we find the term ‘slut’ becomes derogatory for women only.
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*its loss.
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Why should your first sexual experience be a gift. All sexual experiences are a gift to each other, in my opinion. In fact I’m not sure I like the term “gift” at all.
I so agree with your last paragraph a.
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Yes Bel! Virginity is considered a gift or prize which makes it seem like a commodity – something that can be bought or sold. It becomes almost a separate entity to the person it belongs to.
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Must agree, Enpi.
In this day and age, the worth of a person’s virginity is determined by how she views and values it, not by what we think HER body should mean to her.
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I think the Welsh tourists should have copped a bigger fine, since when did a dream holiday consist of stealing animals? selfish pricks.
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Welsh tourists: Our dream holiday has been ruined!
The rest of Australia: Boo fricking hoo.
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LOL.
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Their actions were pretty disrespectful to Australia since they are ‘guests’ here! Should of taken away their VISAs and sent them home
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what they did was stupid and awful, and I agree they should have their visa’s cancelled….but part of me has a quiet giggle at the thought of the conversations back home:
Friend of Welsh Tourist : well what did you do lad, to get sent home like that?
Welsh Tourist : ….umm…..stole a penguin. put him in my closet *sigh*
Friend of Welsh Tourist : they have penguins?!?!?!!?
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Im going to go slightly against the grain on the virginity sale argument.
I genuinely didnt enjoy my first time. i doubt it would have mattered who it was with (it was with a semi-serious boyfriend when i was 15 and he was 17)- it was just plain awkward. I got nothing from it. Nothing at all. He was a nice enough guy etc, but it wasnt exactly a magical occasion in my life story.
If the option for me was to save myself, and then *safely* gain money in exchange for what will still be an awkward experience, Im not going to say I wouldnt have gone down that path. $12k is a decent leg up at that age, as long as she doesnt squander it.
I think as long as she knows that its not going to be sunshine and daisies, and that she knows that there are risks in selling to a complete stranger, its not a huge deal…
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She wouldn’t be getting the whole fee even, the escort agency will take a big chunk, you can be sure of it.
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I agree, but hopefully the agency would make sure that the ahem ‘buyer’ is an appropriate person (to my knowledge they keep a list of good/bad clients) which may not be an option for a girl who is going it alone.
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I didn’t enjoy my first time either, in spite of (or because of) the fact that it was someone I loved and it was the first time for both of us. In fact, I was relieved when it was all over.
I consider myself a feminist, and I don’t understand the hoo-haa about virginity, and I think it’s creepy that people have a fetish about it.
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Yep – completely agree on all you have said. If I could have done the same thing but got some cash at the end from some idiot who thinks its worth something, it may not have felt like such a waste!
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I cannot understand your view at all. Surely a first time experience with someone you trust,like or love and feel comfortable with is much better than with a stranger you’ve just met? Probably much older, no feelings towards, who knows what he looks like or his personality is like? If you don’t place high value on your virginity/sex/body why not become an escort now?
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With all due respect i would argue that the vast majority of young women will ‘lose it’ to someone they barely know. A lot of my friends did – on the basis that it was going to be weird/awkward so they might as well do it with someone they wont see again.
Its true I enjoy sex, and have at times been promiscuous, but being an escort never crossed my mind because of my chosen profession. I have nothing against the people who choose it though, its just not compatible with the life I want to live – which includes a secure job, a loving fiance, and the ability to earn money via my brain, rather than limited perceptions of aesthetic beauty.
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“With all due respect i would argue that the vast majority of young women will ‘lose it’ to someone they barely know.”
I completely disagree with this statement. Of course this is true for some women but absolutely not the vast majority! I do not know any women who see losing their virginity the way your friends do! I actually think it is really sad and disturbing that women want to just ‘get it over with’ and with basically a stranger. Of course it is not a wonderful, perfect moment for many people but I find most women I’ve talked to about it usually regretted it if it wasn’t with someone they loved/cared about and wished they had waited so it was a more positive experience.
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Well, it’s all subjective, isn’t it elle?
It’s interesting that you didn’t mention how the other party, “He”, feels about the situation, though.
Your comment sounds like passive slut-shaming, actually.
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Let’s not forget, all women are someone’s daughter – AND – all men are someone’s son, too.
Where is your outrage about men wanting to buy a “virgin”?
What does it say to you that there’s a market for buying a “virgin”?
What if the “buyer” is a “virgin”?
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I don’t have any outrage. I never said I was against a woman selling her virginity if that is what she wants to do. I am just expressing that I don’t think its the same as an awkward first time experience with a boyfriend. If men want their first time to be with an escort then that is their choice too.
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I don’t know what you’re talking about Nicki. I just think selling your virginity as an escort is a very different experience to having a underwhelming first time with a boyfriend of similar age and who you are attracted to and know.
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The whole concept of the sale of this girl’s “virginity” is just abhorrent. I agree with SK – they are deliberately upping the ante by talking of her as a “high school girl”. High school infers a younger teen (as by 18 here we are really in college) and the whole thing is just so grotty, I’m feeling the need for a shower.
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I care about Lara Bingle’s life about as much as I care about…oh, wait. I don’t care at all.
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There are many disturbing things about a woman feeling the need to sell her virginity. What stands out to me is the description ‘school girl’, clearly aimed to raise her price. men with fantasies of young girls will pay premium dollars to have someone conveniently legal. I wonder if she’ll be wearing plaits and uniform? And why does the agency need to list her race? Another way to up the price? Surely the only purpose in them publicizing this is about them getting as much money from this transaction as possible. It would be great if an 18 year old student could learn that their are other ways to make money and some things, don’t have to be for sale.
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I wrote this post – didn’t mean to be anonymous!
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In defence (am I really defending them??) it’s quite normal to list race in terms of prostitution.
Reality is this is terrible immoral, but 100% not illegal.
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Channel 10 will be receiving a complaint from me today. I was watching MasterChef with my 9 year old daughter at 8 o’clock, when the ads for Lara Bingle’s show came on. Barely pixilated nude photos are not what I expected to be aired during MasterChef and I’m sad and disappointed – as well as furious.
Whoever is responsible for giving Lara Bingle hundreds of thousands of dollars for a show that will be lucky to last two episodes should be sacked. If the ads are anything to go by, they have hit a new low.
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Why are boobs so offensive?
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Why was it so offensive? They are only boobs, half the population has them including your daughter.
Yesterday I was walking on Bondi beach and there was a girl sunbaking topless…would you have been appalled at that too?
Just curious…
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Oh come on! My daughter doesn’t have boobs, she’s nine years old and the fact that they pixilated Bingle’s while she vacuously carried on about being snapped without her knowledge (yeah, right) made the whole things look like porn.
I can’t be bothered arguing with you. If you think that it’s acceptable then good on you. Personally, I’m comfortable with my daughter seeing breasts as normal, not to giggle about having photographed by some pervert who sneaks around your windows.
I hope you enjoy the show.
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Sorry won’t be watching the show. Can’t be bothered arguing either, in fact never wanted an arguement but thanks for reacting the way you did.
All I wanted to know was why you found it so offensive.
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No point writing to Channel 10, you need to write to the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority), good luck with that, I think you have buckley’s chance of getting anywhere, perhaps you should look at the TV code of conduct first, available from FREE TV. But go ahead and write your complaint, you will get a lovely letter of reply but no much more…
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As someone that works in advertising I never really get the public’s amusement at things being filmed in ‘one take’.
Yes it’s all done in one – but we all know it take NUMEROUS takes to get that one perfect one. The time it takes to shoot is the same if not longer than if it wasn’t in one take…
Brilliant ad though.
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I think that’s the point of the amusement though … The amount of prep that goes into that one take is impressive and everything has to run a lot smoother to get it!
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That’s a fair point!
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Yep – one shot, not one take…I’m sure there were many takes…
Great ad though!
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