Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies: an Exploration of Sugar Dating on Canadian Campuses
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Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies: An Exploration of Sugar Dating on Canadian Campuses by Sarah Daly A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Law and Legal Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2017, Sarah Daly ii Abstract This thesis contributes to a small body of research that examines the ‘sugar baby phenomenon’ in a Canadian context. To date, most of what is known about sugar babies’ experiences is through anecdotal accounts filtered through the media. By drawing on the content of one popular sugar baby forum, as well as data gathered from two in-depth qualitative interviews with two active sugar babies, this thesis explores the lived experiences and perceptions of the participants. In particular, this study seeks to determine whether sugar babies articulate shared motivations; how they navigate sugar dating’s blurring of traditional romance and sex work; and how they exercise power and agency within their relationships. Key findings are that sugar dating’s blend of conventional dating and sex work creates a new conceptual space that both enhances the degree of power and agency exercised by sugar babies, and constrains it in ways both traditional and novel. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis has been made possible thanks to the encouragement and guidance of my supervisor and friend, Prof. Ummni Khan. Thank you for your outstanding editorial support, and helping me turn a loose idea that I stumbled over into a piece of work I’m truly proud of. Thank you to my brilliant committee – Prof. Marie-Eve Carrier-Moisan, Prof. Lara Karaian and Prof. Neil Sargent for your time, efforts and feedback. To my interviewees – thank you for your invaluable insights, and sharing your personal experiences with me. I would also like to thank my family, M&M Polowin and my feisty friends for the continuous love and support they’ve given me throughout this process. Finally, it is to Jacob Polowin, my best friend and partner, that I dedicate this work. Your fierce love and dedication to helping me achieve my goals is what made, and continues to make, the (nearly) impossible, possible. iv Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vi List of Illustrations ......................................................................................................................... vi List of Appendices ......................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review and Background of Study ................................................................ 9 A. Literature Review................................................................................................................ 9 Students Working in the Sex Industry ........................................................................................ 9 Motivations ............................................................................................................................... 10 ‘Student Status’ ......................................................................................................................... 12 ‘Sexed-up’ Culture .................................................................................................................... 14 Changing Economic and Social Landscape .............................................................................. 16 B. Sugar Dating ............................................................................................................................. 19 Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies: Historical Context ............................................................... 19 ‘Daddies’ and ‘Babies’ ............................................................................................................. 21 The Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies of Seeking Arrangement............................................... 24 C. Seeking Arrangement: An Overview ....................................................................................... 26 D. Sugar Dating and the Law ........................................................................................................ 31 E. Sugar Baby University ............................................................................................................. 35 What about our Canadian Girls? ............................................................................................... 41 Chapter 3: Theoretical Framework and Methodology .................................................................. 46 A. Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 46 Procedures ................................................................................................................................. 50 Participants:............................................................................................................................... 51 Primary-coding cycle ................................................................................................................ 53 Secondary Analysis ................................................................................................................... 54 B. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................ 55 Marxist Feminist Theory........................................................................................................... 55 Boundaries ................................................................................................................................ 57 Blurred Lines ............................................................................................................................ 58 Chapter 4: Findings ....................................................................................................................... 61 A. How do sugar babies conceptualize the sugar dating relationship? ......................................... 61 Similarities and Differences in ‘Sugar Dating’ to Traditional Relationships ........................... 61 Mutual Benefit .......................................................................................................................... 64 B. Who is a sugar baby? ............................................................................................................... 66 v Physical Appearance ................................................................................................................. 66 Students ..................................................................................................................................... 68 C. Distinction Between Sugar Babies and Sex Workers .............................................................. 70 D. Sugar Dating as Labour............................................................................................................ 72 G. Challenges and Vulnerabilities of Sugar Dating ...................................................................... 73 Economic Power Imbalance ..................................................................................................... 73 Lack of Experience and Established Norms ............................................................................. 74 Chapter 5: Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 79 A. Limits of Textual Analysis ....................................................................................................... 79 B. Agency, Freedom and Power ................................................................................................... 80 C. Constraints on Power, Freedom and Agency ........................................................................... 83 The Specter of Sex Work .......................................................................................................... 83 The Constraints of Traditional Romance .................................................................................. 86 Constrained by Male Heterosexual Fantasy ............................................................................. 88 Vulnerabilities as Constraints ................................................................................................... 93 Sugar Dating as its Own Phenomenon...................................................................................... 94 Chapter 6: Conclusion................................................................................................................... 96 Appendices .................................................................................................................................