All in a day's work

???A 22-year-old in Las Vegas, Nev. is auctioning off her virginity to pay for graduate school tuition.

???The woman told Howard Stern under the pseudonym "Natalie Dylan" that she would auction herself to online bidders. A woman in Peru, who held a similar auction that brought in over $1 million, inspired Dylan.

???The "prize" won't necessarily go to the highest bidder, but to the suitor of her choosing.

???"I don't have a moral dilemma with it, we live in a capitalist society," Dylan told Stern on Wednesday. "Why shouldn't I be allowed to capitalize on my virginity? I want someone with chemistry. We'll take bids until I find a suitor I'm happy with."

???Dylan, who already has a bachelor's degree in women's studies from Sacramento State University, should know what the dilemma really is. Women have fought for the right to go to school and to be treated as equals. So it's no stretch to call this auction disgusting and discouraging.

???And yet, the moral question behind this v-card transaction is a complex one.

???Dylan found a get-rich-quick scheme that is perfectly legal and fool proof. She has a commodity that's clearly in high demand and she's willing to cash it in on the open market.

???Dylan views the situation as empowering. Can you blame her?

???If a young, attractive female can keep her virginity through young adulthood and one day sell it for a cool million, what does this say about the amount of power females hold in this society? Better yet - the pure, "moral" female - how much is she worth? The whole situation might be viewed as an incentive for women to keep their virginity until the moment is right for them.

???Still, no one has to agree with Dylan's scheme. Call it disgraceful and selfish. After all, she is selling her body in the public eye while families and feminists watch, stomachs in knots.

???But in Las Vegas, this is her right.

???So while the American pot can't call this kettle black, it can bask in the fact that while this young lady might make a quick buck, she'll forever be known as the poor girl who sold her virginity to a paying customer.

???Hopefully she'll be proud.