We knew you could rent a puppy, a parent or a team of pushy paparazzi, but now a site to rent a fake Internet girlfriend is gaining lots of attention.
According to the the aptly-named fakeinternetgirlfriend.com, it's an easy process. Sign up for the three-month minimum at $750 ($250 a month), fill out a questionare, and boom! A female staff member will connect with you on Facebook or another social networking site, post messages to your profile, text you, call you while you're in public and even leave a voice mail. If you're willing to pay higher prices, you can even get customized services.
The website promises that the fake girlfriends are actual women, on the theory that "you can't ever fake" being a girl. The service, which says it's female-owned and operated, hires actresses to play the girlfriends. They will adopt whatever type of personality you desire: they can be "distant but loving, social and upbeat, quirky and misunderstood."
Fake partner services have existed for some time in Japan, where people might rent a best man for their wedding because of social pressures, and in China, where a woman might rent a fake boyfriend for the lunar new year.
The site promises to ease the pressure for uneasy men -- and swears absolute discretion in its services. That's probably a blessing for anyone using the site, especially after Notre Dame linebacker Manti Teo recently made headlines when his girlfriend was exposed as a hoax.