Jessica, 33, became a Sugar Baby as an alternative to getting into more student debt. The dynamic still goes mostly one-way: Men are the benefactors, women the recipients. The site now has 3 million users worldwide - and its numbers are growing, with SeekingArrangement reporting a 33% increase in Sugar Daddy membership and a 54% increase in Sugar Baby users since 2015. In 2006, entrepreneur Brandon Wade launched in order to serve as a sort of digital matchmaker. The Sugar Daddy phrase itself can be traced to the 1920s, when it became popularized as a slang term for a man who spoils a younger woman financially. "This concept of ‘treating’ was essentially seen as a pathway to prostitution and death.” "Even in a situation where it seemed like women could be independent, they were very much dependent on a patriarchal economic system," he says. Kyle Livie, a cultural historian and Associate Professor of History at Ohlone College, says that at the end of the 19th century, a phenomenon known as “treating” began to arise, in which shopgirls and other unmarried women with low-paying jobs relied upon men to provide them with money for housing, dinners, in exchange for being an escort. The phenomenon of men with power and money using those aspects to attract women is certainly nothing new. “I think of it as more of a gift from someone you're dating rather than a sexual transaction, even though that is part of it.” “I would like to find someone who's a nice person, who I get along with, and who is willing to help me with where I want to go in life,” says 24-year-old Katelin. And of course, some are hoping for a serious relationship or husband as well. Student debt, rent, mentoring and internships are all reasons Sugar Babies cite as justification. Sugar Babies join SeekingArrangement for a plethora of reasons - not just to fund a move, like in Anna’s case. “And I never wanted to be in that position.” “I felt like that if I got to that point, then I might compromise my integrity of what I was comfortable with to be able to pay rent,” she says. Using SeekingArrangement helped fund her move from Utah to California - but she never wanted to rely on it as her sole source of income. She’s getting her MBA while simultaneously working as an erotic masseuse. Why Sugar Babies Become Sugar BabiesĪnna, who requested that her name be changed, is a 33-year-old platinum blonde with an earthy streak who drove up from San Diego for the Summit. As Urick tries to answer questions one by one, the crowd grows rowdier and more emboldened, interrupting her frequently to tell their stories. “You need to know that - he's not looking to marry someone.” “People aren't on SeekingArrangement because they want to be on ,” she says.
"If you want to be paid for your time, get a job." She advises the crowd, which is composed entirely of women, (save for two male Sugar Babies - one gay, one straight), to show off “only one body part” at a time and to try to attract a boyfriend-type, but not expect a husband. As Urick pulls them at random, they seem to circle around the same central theme: how do you negotiate financial agreements with Sugar Daddies? Urick seems annoyed by the question itself.
She peers through large glasses as she rifles through questions the women have submitted on slips of paper. They’re decked out in high heels and spandex, but if they are peacocking, it’s only for each other no Sugar Daddies are invited to this annual Los Angeles Sugar Baby Summit.īrook Urick, a member of the Sugar Baby site SeekingArrangement’s press team, asks the crowd to settle down. It’s a warm night in downtown Los Angeles, and roughly 75 Sugar Babies are bonding over unlimited sushi on the top floor of a highrise.
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