Tuesday, January 19, 2010

I found the solution to English-major postgrad employment:

Man Masquerading as Fashion Model Bilks Wealthy Men

from the la times:
For would-be sugar daddies perusing SeekingMillionaire .com -- "the meeting place for wealthy and beautiful singles" -- there was much to like about profile #160127. "Bree" identified herself as a 23-year-old model from Newport Beach, and the accompanying photos showed an emerald-eyed beauty with a mane of silky brown hair and a wraparound smile that seemed both sexy and sweet.

"Just looking for Mr. Right," her brief self-description read. If the pictures -- one in a backless dress at a party, another in a clingy halter top -- seemed somehow familiar, a quick Internet search offered an explanation: Bree Condon, 23, of Newport Beach was a successful model and aspiring actress who'd done a Guess jeans campaign and posed for Maxim magazine's swimsuit issue.

The profile beckoned on the site for nearly two years, and some who responded soon believed they had embarked on a romantic relationship with Condon. There were no face-to-face dates, but there were intimate phone conversations, nude photos and the enticing possibility of a future with a gorgeous cover girl.

None of it was true, a fact that came to light last month when police officers, prodded by a private investigator hired by the real Condon, knocked on the door of a budget motel room in Austin, Texas. Inside, according to police, they found an iPhone that had been a gift from one suitor, a small dog paid for by another and a 24-year-old man with a very high-pitched voice.

Clearly this is the perfect use of an English major's writing talents, basic familiarity with technology and digital publishing, and knowledge of the theories of the performativity of gender. Of course, there is the whole bit where he got caught and is in jail now, but hey, they got Madoff too, eventually. And getting about 15 grand out of each client? There's a job with some serious scalability.

4 comments:

Dr. Koshary said...

"Clearly this is the perfect use of an English major's writing talents, basic familiarity with technology and digital publishing, and knowledge of the theories of the performativity of gender."

*love*

Apropos of your analysis, do you suppose it's a coincidence that the con artist was caught in a major university town? ^^

The Steel Magnolia said...

Don't tempt me!

Bardiac said...

Interesting, and sort of a victimless crime, except for the dog, who probably didn't get to go with its person but is in a shelter?

Bardiac said...

Sis, I just sent you an email. :)