We're in 2017 and most people are used to the idea of meeting a significant other online. Online dating sites like E Harmony and Match.com are used by millions of people every year, usually by older adults. However, there's a new site that has been attracting a younger crowd in the past couple years: Seeking Arrangement. This site isn't like your average dating domain, it's sole purpose is to help wealthy older men connect with young, attractive women.
The women, known as 'sugar babies', and the men, known as 'sugar daddies', are looking for a relationship that they deem "mutually beneficial". The benefit for the men is that they get to have a beautiful young woman to spend time with. The benefit for the women is monetary; they get paid a certain amount for each date with their sugar daddy. The payoff from going on these dates is way more than some legitimate professions, women get paid thousands of dollars for each date.
As a college student, I have noticed that the popularity of sugar daddy apps has grown in recent years. Young women are more interested in earning thousands of dollars a week for spending time with a man rather than working a minimum wage job. For many people, the money made from being a sugar baby contributes to important expenses like college tuition and monthly rent.
The debate about whether being a sugar baby is similar to prostitution has been going on for a while. On one side, people argue that many men on the site are asking for a sexual relationship, and since they are paying the women to meet up, it is technically paying for sex. On the other hand, people argue that the sugar daddy and sugar baby have an actual relationship, not just sex. The relationship is mutually beneficial, both emotionally and monetarily.
As college tuition and other expenses continue to rise, 'sugar baby' may become a commonly known term.
