English Teacher from Arzamas — a teacher of English by the erotic method from the district center of Arzamas in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, an internet Meme.
The essence of the phenomenon
A pretty, full-figured blonde, appearing on a beach or in a bedroom in an open swimsuit, explains the meaning of various words and idiomatic expressions in the Arzamas version of English.
The site runs a free interactive service that lets visitors request a word.
The site's counter currently shows more than 400 million visits.
Significance of the method
By 2020, 3 billion people worldwide will speak English. This is according to the latest report from the British Council. Currently in Russia only 15% of citizens can speak a foreign language fluently.
In the ranking of simple methods for learning English, third place goes to learning in your sleep. Harvard University researchers have found that in an unconscious state the brain absorbs information better and integrates it into a person's set of skills.
Second place in the ranking goes to watching films in English with Russian subtitles.
First place goes to lessons on video-hosting sites on the Internet. This method of learning made a star of the English teacher from Arzamas, Marina Orlova. She tells English-speaking audiences about the origin of words. Marina makes grammatical mistakes and speaks with an accent, but 350 thousand students are never late for her lessons. In them, the attractive blonde "arrives" in a low-cut top, a bikini, or as a seductive teacher. Marina's motto is "Education can be sexy." 20 million users who have watched her instructive videos agree with her.
Success story
"Komsomolskaya Pravda," 29.12.2009, Natalia Derbenyova
A Cinderella from Arzamas conquers Hollywood
The website of the sexy English teacher Marina Orlova made the top three most popular in America
The husband of a friend of mine started actively studying English a couple of months ago. Every evening he'd come home, open his laptop, and watch educational videos downloaded from the Internet.
- There's an American philologist here talking about English words, don't bother me, - he'd say, without looking away from the screen.
My friend was happy - her beloved had a hobby - until one day she glanced at the screen. And there was a blonde with plump lips, a languid look in her blue eyes, a full bust, and the deepest décolletage! She was saying something enthusiastically in English. My friend tensed up, struggled to activate whatever foreign-language knowledge she'd picked up at school - and it turned out the young woman with the décolletage really was talking about the origin of English words.
Marina Orlova's amateur teaching videos appeared on YouTube two years ago. Just six months later Marina began gathering "the fruits of enlightenment": in 2008 she was named Sexy Geek of the year, invited to work for the popular Fox News channel, and offered several advertising contracts. And it all began in the Nizhny Novgorod backwoods:
- I was born and raised in Arzamas, - Marina says. - I finished a school with an in-depth English program, then the Arzamas Pedagogical Institute. By day I studied Russian literature, and in the evenings I worked on English grammar.
In 2002 Marina graduated from the institute with two degrees at once, as a "teacher of Russian language and literature" and in "English philology." But the attractive blonde with two higher-education degrees turned out to be unwanted at home.
- I struggled for a year without a job, - Marina recalls. - I didn't want to become a shop clerk, and I wasn't drawn to teaching at a school either. I dreamed of something more interesting and creative.
Her imagination painted a future where she worked as a translator, was constantly in the thick of events, talked with interesting people, and led tours of historic sites. A year later Marina realized that none of that was going to happen in Arzamas.
- I saw an ad for recruitment into the international Au Pair program and applied, - the young woman says. - I was sent to a small town near San Francisco to work as a nanny for a family with two children. The younger child had autism. He had trouble connecting with the world around him and couldn't go to school because of it. But he let me into his little world. We became very close.
A year later, when her contract expired, 24-year-old Marina extended her residency and set out to conquer Hollywood. Though what exactly she'd do there, she didn't really know. She wanted to become a model, even went to two castings, but was turned down for being too short (1.65 m - Ed.).
- I was constantly searching, - the young woman admits, - until an American friend told me one day: "Do what you enjoy most, what you feel confident doing. Film videos and post them on YouTube." "I don't know how to do anything - I'm not a singer, not a dancer, I'm just a plain teacher," I answered. "So teach people English!" he said. "Why not?" I thought.
The enterprising Russian woman shot and edited the first videos herself. The image came about on its own. Marina decided her teacher should be not only smart but sexy. Only by combining intelligence with looks could she stand out from the mass of pretty starlets populating Hollywood.
- It seems to me that American women with looks like mine wouldn't sit and painstakingly edit educational videos, - Marina reasons. - They'd become models, marry a rich man who'd provide for them. They're very frivolous and used to life handing them everything on a platter thanks to their looks. They don't even try to get an education. So for beautiful American women, looks alone are usually enough to set up their lives.
Marina began regularly posting her videos online. At first only a handful watched them. But she didn't lose hope. And every day the number of views grew. Finally, after six months, her YouTube audience passed 20 million. And now Marina Orlova has more than 270 million fans around the world. The platform's management made her a partner and began paying out 56 percent of the advertising revenue placed on her page. Her site is now among the top three most popular in America, having overtaken even the NBA's website!
"You are magnificent!",
"You're an example to follow: you came to a foreign country and found yourself!"
"I really like that this magnificent woman is also smart. I don't care about her bust. She proves that attractive people aren't necessarily stupid."
But far from all Americans welcomed the émigré from Russia warmly. Many, in those same comments, fumed: "So the whole country couldn't find a smart, sexy American woman?!"
Marina now has more than 270 million fans around the world.
- One rising star, who's currently appearing in popular shows, told me: "Marina, I'm stunned. You're teaching us Americans English! Are we really that dumb?!" - Marina admits. - I had to reassure her: "Don't worry, you're not dumb, you just don't know much about philology."
Struck by the intellectual blonde's success, the famous American host Bill O'Reilly invited her onto his news show. Now Marina appears on the highest-rated channel in the US once every two months and, just as on YouTube, talks about the meaning of English words. Most often her appearances are tied to some event significant to Americans: Christmas, Valentine's Day, or an election.
Now 29-year-old Marina rents an apartment in Beverly Hills. She admits her work takes up practically all of her time. Sometimes she sits at her computer for 12 to 14 hours, so there's almost no time left for a personal life. Despite being surrounded by a mass of fans, she isn't married.
- I dream of my own house on the Hollywood hills with a big dog, - Marina admits. - But for that I still have to work some more - next year I'm planning to launch my own game show.
Natalia Derbenyova