Website says cheese to final photo selection

A student who made international headlines after trying to sell saucy photos of his mum on Trade Me is hoping a third auction attempt is successful.

Michael, 18, posted five pictures of Jennifer, 44, in skimpy clothing to annoy her after an argument about cleaning the garage of their Auckland home.

The pictures were pulled by Trade Me administrators so Michael relisted them as "glam shots of my mum" - minus the pics in lacy underwear and suspenders. Once again the auction was removed so a determined Michael relisted just two photos, which he said were his mum's favourites.

The auction reads: "What do you do when the whole world is embracing you, yet there are a few people out there with the power to crush your dreams?

"This is it. Auction number three. The famous glamour shots of my mum.

"The first time I did it to annoy my mum. The second time I did it with my mum. This time it's all of us doing it together."

News of the auction has gone international, with articles popping up in Australian, China and the UK.

Michael said it started "as a bit of a joke", but had become "quite a fun thing for us".

"She thinks it's hilarious that it's gone international. We never expected it to get so big."

Jennifer has been contacted by newspapers and TV shows around the world but is too shy to front up: "The photos were taken eight years ago in quite flattering lighting and I've changed a bit since then."

Bidding reached $50 yesterday lunchtime and Jennifer said she hoped the auction would finish this time. "It's annoying that Trade Me keeps shutting it down. If I want to trade, they should let me."

Trade Me spokesman Jon MacDonald said the two photos now up for auction met site rules and there were no plans to pull them. "We have to make a judgement call on these things. Pictures of your mum are fine, but pictures of your mum in her undies are not fine."

While she thinks the auction is funny, Jennifer is plotting her revenge against her son.

"If the photos don't sell for much I think I'll have to take some pictures of him and do the same thing - that would be embarrassing to an 18-year-old boy."