Dating for money the new norm?

If you have a college aged student no one has to tell you the price to attend college has skyrocketed over the last 10 years. But now a new trend is emerging for cash-strapped students. No more donating blood or taking part in experimental pharmaceutical studies. Now students report that dating has become the new unlikely source of income.

With the creation of websites such as WhatsYourPrice.com, students can bid for a date with another user. But the new “dating auction” website has many students asking if this is not what used to be called simply an “escort service.” If it’s not, what is the difference? Offering to go out with someone for money sounds a lot like another profession I can think of too.

But recently the website has seen an uptick in participants. In fact the website has approximately 5,942 students who joined in August. What is the reason so many students are willing to join? They clam it’s for funding their college education, including purchasing high priced books for the next semester. Currently the site has 650,000 total members, nearly 20 percent (127,438) are college students, and women outnumber men 3 to 1.

Dating for Money what do the business owners say?

The owner of the site claims that “first-date auctions are much more efficient than a summer job. Instead of working 25 hours for $200, students earn the same amount in one to two dates,” said CEO and founder Brandon Wade in a press statement. “If you’re broke and single, why not kill two birds with one stone by dating-for-dollars?”

Huh? With that rational wouldn’t it be even more profitable to do other activities too? Why date for $200 when you can strip for $500?

The owners counters that their website offers a more “authentic and easier way to date.” Instead of hassling with going to bars, to church or to the library to meet someone you can take the more unconventional approach of flipping through a few photos and making a bid. They also argue that if someone is willing to pay for a date they may be more serious about finding someone. They could also be more serious about getting something else too…and more upset if the other person doesn’t provide what they paid for.

But users of the website also see another upside. If the date doesn’t work out at least you have earned some extra money to pay for those expensive college bills.

This is clearly a break through idea for dating and earning extra money, but something about it feels wrong. I am speaking to women now. Do you want your future husband to be the man who paid the most for you on a dating website or would you rather tell your children that you met your husband after a nice chat in the library? Something about this sounds a little too close to the world’s oldest profession. What do I think? Keep your money, get a real job, get off the computer and go meet someone in real life.