The Education of Shelby Knox

My new column is up over at Advocates For Youth's Amplify site.

Up this week, my thoughts on the girl selling her virginity - in the name of capitalism and women's studies:

She can do that. She – the individual, meaning a straight, white, educated, American – can and will subject herself to probes to prove her virginity, hob nob it up with television pimp Dennis Hof and net enough cash and blog buzz to start a singing career if the “family and marriage counseling” idea doesn’t pan out.

Ironically, she can do it because of the gains on the women’s movement.

But in the process she is without a doubt reiterating that, in an era that is purported to be post-feminist, women’s bodies are simply capital, their worth is between their legs. And by implication, she is establishing that she’s worth far more than most women by virtue of birthplace and will forever be worth less as a woman in general the day after she does the deed.