How I Became a Sugar Baby
Let me begin with a disclaimer: Some people view “sugaring” as sex work, and that’s fine by me. Sex work is valid and should be legalized in order to give the women doing this work much needed protections. Don’t tell women what they can or cannot do with their bodies — thanks!
In the spring of 2017, I read an article online somewhere (I honestly can’t remember) that delved into the lives and minds of young women in college who were “sugar babies” to earn a little extra cash on the side. The article talked about the financial gains that could be made in this grey area of sex and dating; it contained quotes from the women who were doing it. I have to say, I was intrigued. I was finishing my sophomore year at a top 15 university in the U.S., and the men there had so far been mostly disappointing lovers and lacking in emotional maturity.
So, I delved deeper into other articles about sugaring — learning how women protect their safety, their privacy, how they receive money, who they’re willing to go on dates with, etc. After a few days of researching what it might actually be like to sugar (a term I loathe because I think it simplifies the complexities of the trade), I decided to open an account on Seeking Arrangement, the most widely used website designed to connect men and women for this purpose. They had to rebrand recently and pivot away from the “sugar daddy/sugar baby”…
