Jen Wilke, a model who has graced the pages of Playboy’s swimsuit calendars and the defunct FHM, wants to take her career to the next level and build her brand. But basics such as those bodycon dresses and plane tickets she’ll need won’t pay for themselves. So Wilke set up a GoFundMe page asking fans for $10,000 to help.
“The offers that I am getting for photo shoots, castings, and key social events are what I have always dreamed of, and I am still worrying about covering basic expenses like clothing, travel and lodging,” the 32-year-old Texan wrote. “I know that I am almost at a point where I could support myself and once I am there, I intend on using my profile and my position for the good of society. I just need to get there first.”
“That’s where you come in, GoFundMe,” she continued. “I am turning to you for help. … These funds will cover my expenses for the Maxim Hot 100 party and also give me a boost into the future, enabling me to say ‘yes’ to many opportunities about which I have thus far been ambivalent. The money that you contribute will set me on a pathway to a brighter future.”
But not everyone sees it that way. “Please God, tell me this isn’t real,” tweeted one person, while another wrote, “when you basically whore urself out and mistake it for ‘branding.’”
The good news? Wilke made it to the Maxim Hot 100 Party on July 30. The bad news: She’s only raised $830. But Wilke doesn’t seem fazed.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIiBnKvBmj-/
“The Maxim Hot 100 party was so much fun, and I ended up making some business connections which is always welcomed along with new friends,” she wrote in a recent GoFundMe update. “You guys are making a difference in my life!”
