I always like to proceed with caution until intentions are made clear and trust is established.”ĬBS stated that “sugar daddies” are usually between the ages of 30 and 60 years old and make about $250,000 a year. “When I first start talking to people on websites I’m kind of apprehensive. I’ve had men yell at me like an angry boyfriend for not communicating with them,” Williams said. “I see them as companions, but I know for a fact they get emotionally invested. Williams said sometimes the “hosts” do become emotionally invested, and as a result, he is very selective and cautious about whom he speaks to online. I don’t care what they’re offering, but I don’t hook up with people,” Williams said.Īccording to a CBS interview with Clark Atlanta University psychology professor Kanika Bell, these relationships cause “sugar daddies” to create a perceived ownership over their sugar baby, thus warranting an emotional risk. “The boundaries I have are definitely no sex. Williams said he does not cross those boundaries at all. Though it is assumed that these transactions are purely sexual, in most cases, they are not. “My sugar daddy wants to take me on vacation to his Florida beach house and he buys me food,” he said.Īccording to Seeking Arrangement, the difference between being a “sugar baby” and a prostitute has nothing to do with the monetary or material transactions they make, but are distinct due to the relationship the two people form.
Georgia State student Johnny Williams*, who is currently involved in a sugar daddy relationship with a man he found on a dating website, said his “sugar daddy” not only buys him basic material possessions, but also luxuries. She said the trend of people involved in “sugar daddy” relationships is shifting from young girls in the juvenile justice system to middle class girls seeking to afford luxury items and pay bills. Marriage and family therapist, Jessica Stebbins posted about the emotional effects of “sugaring”, saying they can often be the same as those of prostitution.
However, the total engagement from Georgia State for 2017 is currently 746 and rising. Georgia State holds the title as the fourth fastest growing “sugar” college for 2016 with 188 new sign-ups, a decline from its former title as number one in 2012, with 292 new sign-ups. While having a “sugar baby” may seem like a quick fix to get tuition paid, that “fix” does not come without a cost, often leaving students psychologically damaged. Seeking Arrangement named Georgia State among the top 20 universities when it comes to participation on “sugar daddy” websites.