In January, I wrote about Bristol Palin’s motives in becoming an abstinence spokeswoman. Her message, to me, seemed at odds with her behavior. A former colleague of mine at Jezebel noted that Palin appeared to hate her own message of celibacy until marriage. Back then, I wondered if part of her motive in becoming a spokeswoman for abstinence and teen pregnancy was the potential for earning money.
It seems like my suspicions back then were true: Bristol is hopping on the speaker circuit , according to the Huffington Post, and she will command $15,000 to $30,000 per event, depending on what kind of event it is. HuffPo elaborates: “She’s interested in expanding her message beyond teen pregnancy to include her experiences on the campaign trail and in the media spotlight; her parenting approach; and her outlook on life.”
On the one hand, you can’t blame Bristol for cashing in on her unhappy circumstances-she didn’t ask to be put in the national spotlight. And I would speculate that at this point she wants to earn the money to live independently, and this is the quickest way to do so. However, I wonder what about Bristol Palin’s unique “outlook on life” could possibly be worth the equivalent of a year’s college tuition.
