A 27-year-old medical school student who is auctioning off her virginity online is now showing her face five weeks after making her project public.
The student, using the name “Elizabeth Raine” to protect her identity, has been running an online virginity auction since March 31. Bidding ends May 7.
Previously, Raine hid her face in photos and declined to answer questions that might reveal her true identity. She has decided to reveal her face to help attract bids from otherwise skeptical customers.
“I actually didn’t like the anonymity. People mistake it for shame,” she told The Huffington Post. “Plus, there has been some speculation that I’d be outed and I wanted to do it on my own terms.”
The current top bid listed on her website is $300,000, but she said she’s received bids near $550,000 that she’s in the process of confirming.
Raine may be showing her face, but she still fears getting kicked out of the medical school she attends if officials discover she is the “Med School Virgin.”
“Lawyers have different opinions on whether I’d get kicked out, but one lawyer I trust believes it won’t happen,” she said after providing The Huffington Post with passport photos, a student ID and other materials confirming her identity.
Raine claims to have bachelor’s degrees in both biology and engineering and is currently completing a combined MD/PhD program.
She was born in the southwest but spent much of her youth in Saudi Arabia where her father was employed in the oil industry.
Raine cites financial gain as the No. 1 reason for selling her alleged purity y, but adventure, eroticism, scandal and the chance to challenge norms about virginity also play into her decision.
“I’ve been planning this for a year and I’ve had a personal transformation because of it,” she said. “I’m more educated about prostitution, virginity and slut-shaming.”
Raine said her mother died when she was 10. Still, as tragic as that was, she dismisses dime store psychologists who want to use this incident to explain why she is a virgin.
“I am not emotionally damaged, broken or shut off as a result of it,” Raine said. “To the contrary, while it was truly devastating and the only difficult experience I have ever been through, my character and outlook on life are much better for it. I have become more compassionate, strong, motivated, and free in spirit. I have learned not to take life too seriously, but also not to take it for granted.”
In the past, Raine said, sex and relationships took a back seat to school and other interests.
“I have a busy life. I am picky and guys were never a priority,” she said. “I had other things going on.”
Raine cannot help but attract skeptics, given the problems experienced by previous Internet virgins like Natalie Dylan and Catarina Migliorini, who were associated with similar auctions.
However, she said she has been planning this auction for a year and believes everything is in place.
“I’m very cautious and detail-oriented,” she told HuffPost. “I have confidence that I can execute and control it.”
The winning bidder will have to provide Raine with proof that he has no sexually transmitted diseases and is willing to wear a condom. He also may not be under the influence of booze or drugs during the encounter, nor may he attempt backdoor or treat her violently.
Raine said she’s is open to kissing the winning bidder, and even holds out a small amount of hope that it might lead to something more.
“I wouldn’t rule out love, but it’s very unlikely,” Raine said.
Raine admits she does have a thing for older men and tall guys, but those factors probably won’t come into play for what is basically a business deal.
And she is not interested in losing her virginity to another woman, no matter how financially lucrative the bid might be.
“I’m straight. That would be out of my comfort zone,” she said.
In order to circumvent U.S. laws prohibiting prostitution, Raine said the actual sex experience will take place in Australia, where it is legal.
As much as Raine has been trying to control all aspects of the virgin auction, she realizes the quality of the actual sex is not something she can guarantee.
“There will be a legal contract between us,” she said. “[The winner] may not be happy [with the sex], but he knows what he’s paying for.”
