Cintia is 25 years old, lives in Ituzaingó and is looking for someone to pamper her and help her financially. Renata declares that she is from Pilar and that she recently turned 21. She also that she wants to meet a man with money “to hang out from time to time.” Angie, a twentysomething from Río Negro, stands out for her audacity and precision: “I’ll do anything for an iPhone.”
These are ads published on Hepays.com (“He pays” in Spanish), one of the many Internet portals of “Sugar Babies” and “Sugar Daddies”, which promote “mutual benefit agreements” between a mature or older man with a good economic position (“successful” is the favourite description for them) and girls who want to access a life of luxury or simply obtain some economic return in exchange for offering their company.
These types of websites have already connected millions of users around the world. And they are adding, also, a significant number of detractors, who accuse these companies of promoting prostitution and taking advantage of situations of the vulnerability of young people.
The phenomenon began in the United States, continued throughout Europe and is already operating in 139 countries, including Argentina. “Every successful relationship – explains Brandon Wade, founder of Seekingarrangement.com, one of the leading platform in this new and controversial way of meeting people – is an arrangement between two parties. In business, partners sign business agreements that outline their goals and expectations. Similarly, romantic relationships can only work if two people agree on what they expect and what they can give and receive from each other.”
According to sugardaddyseek, a Sugar Baby “is an attractive person who seeks the finer things in life. They appreciate exotic travel and gifts and know how to please rich people.”
On the other side of the counter is the Sugar Daddy, meaning “a successful man who knows what he wants. He enjoys attractive company by his side and money is never an issue, so he is generous when supporting a sugar baby.”
“No one should be afraid of being a Sugar Baby or a Sugar Daddy, but ‘Sugar world’ is not for everyone. Before deciding to try this type of dating, the person must think about what he wants to get from a relationship and what he is willing to give, “explains Alexis Germany, the public relations officer of Seekingarrangement.com.
Germany says that “expectations vary from one relationship to another” but generally, “people who come to this dating platform do so to find a relationship that specifically suits their needs.”
It also reveals that the average age of Sugar Babies in Argentina is 25 years old and that their monthly income is around 2,500 dollars. However, Daddies often give them gifts or take them on trips, which contributes to increasing the total amount of “investment”. ». In these cases, he clarifies, “there is never a contract involved.” If one party is not meeting the expectations of the relationship, the other person may decide to accept it or move on to a different relationship that meets her needs.
The Sugars swear that these relationships aren’t purely sexual, though it’s a possibility if both parties want it. In that case, the association with prostitution is immediate. From the site they deny it. “It is not a site for sex workers or escorts. Sexual arrangements are not allowed or promoted on Seekingarrangement.com. We do not allow prostitutes to join the site. Whether the relationship between two adults becomes sexual is up to them, but sexual negotiations are not allowed to take place. Members caught doing so will be removed from the site.
Also see how to find sugar daddy in ireland.
Enrich your life
“Take advantage of the financial freedom that a relationship will give you without suffering from the limitations of a full-time job. Experience a new lifestyle, enjoy romance, passion and many adventures. Life is to live it. Discover the world!” promises the home page of Richmeetsbeautiful.com (translation would be “Rich meets beauty”), the self-proclaimed “N°1 dating site for old and young”. Among the benefits it touts, Sugar Daddies “can enrich your life with cultural experiences that are currently out of reach.” Regarding the advantages of being “an attractive young lady”, the portal states that “you can learn from successful people and full of knowledge”.
The modality to subscribe to these pages is similar to that of other dating sites. People have profiles, where they upload photos and provide information about their tastes and preferences. The requirement that makes the difference is to reveal the amount of money that the Sugar Daddy would be willing to offer a young woman (the amounts range from a thousand dollars a month to more than a million). In addition, men must pay a monthly fee to the site to certify their “fortune”, while for Babies, membership is free.
In 2015, a controversy erupted when it was discovered that Seekingarrangement.com offered a Premium subscription to users if they signed up with university emails.
To stand out from the competition and avoid gender criticism, Richmeetsbeautiful.com featured the Sugar Mommas, “powerful and fearless women who have achieved all the goals they have set for themselves in life and, therefore, are the ideal partner for young men looking for their dreams to come true.
Tutorials to enter the Sugar World
Every day millions of young people search the Internet ,to start “the dream relationship”. It may be for this reason that on YouTube there are already many tutorial videos posted by the so-called Sugar Sisters, that is, young people who have already lived the experience of “a mutual benefit arrangement” and who can give advice on the matter.
“Soft lips are decisive for effective makeup,” says a light-eyed brunette, and immediately advises those interested in entering the Sugar World “choose a lipstick with a tint rather than a full color.” Then she, with a more serious expression, advises that the next item will refer to security.
“Being sexy is always a risk and that’s why it doesn’t hurt to have pepper spray in your bag,” teaches a blonde with a statuesque figure, and immediately adds in a confessional tone: “Most of the time the experiences with Sugar Daddies don’t end right”.
In another video on the social network, a girl asks never to forget “that they are trying to attract someone who has a super stressful life and that these types of men do not have time for traditional dates”. In the end she leaves a key piece of advice: «Ask the Sugar Daddies if they are open to an agreement for a subsidy in case they get along and how much they are willing to spend. Don’t expect to be funded on the first date because you’re just getting to know each other.”
“They are inciting young women to sell their bodies”
Last October, the Belgian authorities threatened to take legal action to remove some posters in areas near the country’s universities that promoted the page Richmeetsbeautiful.com, accusing the company -of Norwegian origin- of promoting prostitution and of taking advantage of the financial instability of young people.
The Minister for Equality, Isabelle Simonis, and the Minister for Education, Jean-Claude Marcourt, announced that they would take legal reprisals against the company for “inciting debauchery and prostitution”, and forced the suspension of the advertising campaign (it involved trucks with posters) for “disturbing public order”.
Simonis justified that “in addition to encouraging young girls to sell their bodies, this phenomenon enhances male domination and represents a step back of at least a decade concerning relationships between men and women. We must act decisively, raising awareness but also making use of all possible legal means.
Earlier, French politicians and officials had condemned a new ad campaign for a dating website offering students the chance to meet Sugar Daddies or Sugar Mommas. “Hey, students! Romance, passion and no college loans. Go out with a ‘Sugar Daddy’ or a ‘Sugar Momma,'” said a large advertisement in front of the University of Paris.
The French Higher Education Minister, Frederique Vidal, referred to such posters as an “incitement to student prostitution.” “I will do everything to put an end to it quickly,” she declared. The Paris City Council, for its part, also expressed its discomfort. “We strongly condemn this disgraceful ads. We are working with law enforcement to get them off our streets,” authorities tweeted.
