Consequences of “sugar baby” showing off a luxurious life on Tik Tok

The account @nikitagonzalez_ regularly posts clips about a luxurious lifestyle on the Tik Tok page. In one video, she pans the camera through piles of money, designer handbags and Louis Vuitton accessories. Another time, she didn’t hesitate to brag about her 5-star trip to Disneyland.

All of those experiences are “free”. According to her share, the sugar daddy took her out, bought expensive gifts because “he turned me into a lover”. This is one of the many people posting with the trending hashtag #sugarbaby of Tik Tok attracting more than 1 billion views.

While sugar dating is available to all genders, this hashtag is widely used by young women. They date rich men, commonly known as sugar daddy, in exchange for money or a lavish lifestyle.

On TikTok, they share that they can shop as much as they want, enjoy a luxurious life, and enjoy luxurious vacations. Videos with this content are extremely popular and also receive a lot of criticism.

Some true dating experts and couples fear such influences are fueling misconceptions about sugar dating. They worry it could have disastrous consequences for young women learning about the lifestyle through social media.

Life is not real

According to Brook Urick (29 years old), a marketing consultant and a “former sugar baby” in Nevada (USA), videos showing off the luxury of sugar babies set unreasonable expectations, because “only about 1% have such a lifestyle”.

She said: “Not many men out there have such an income that they can afford to spend it. Unless a sugar baby is really attractive, the possibility of such a lavish lifestyle is very slim.” , she said.

Dash Priestley (25 years old), an entrepreneur and formerly sugar baby from Georgia (USA), said that although the sugar baby videos on Tik Tok are suitable for her experience, she wants the children to Young women know that’s not the norm.

“It’s a matter of who you are and how you present yourself. Most girls don’t have that standard of living. The world of Tik Tok is based on influence more than information, it’s very virtual,” Priestley said. .

In the video, the sugar babies often claim that they only maintain a virtual relationship with the sugar daddy – the people who provide them money and gifts without asking for sex. But, according to Priestley, this is not common.

Srushti Upadhyay, a doctoral student at the University of Buffalo, New York, has published academic research on sugar babies. She believes that the line between sugar dating and prostitution is very thin. Sugar babies often try to prove that they are not selling sex.

According to ProCon, prostitution is illegal in the United States, with the exception of 10 counties in Nevada, and most states penalize the seller and purchaser of sex equally. Therefore, openly exchanging love-money will make the sugar baby vulnerable to prosecution.

Urick thinks Tik Tok is over-communicating about the opportunity to be a sexless sugar baby. She thinks that only 10% of sugar baby relationships are not sexual at all

“It’s easy to lie about what’s really going on. That’s the dark side of it. Shame makes you want to stay hidden on Tik Tok,” she said.

The dangers

Even without sex, sugar dating is an extremely difficult lifestyle to navigate. Many TikTokers propagate this lifestyle as a way to make easy money. They brag about cash and gifts given by sugar daddy never seen in person.

Upadhyay says the nature of sugar dating is a complicated process. On top of that, the sugar daddy has his own set of requirements that the sugar baby needs to meet. “It’s something to think about. Sugar baby believes she deserves to be willing to be provided by someone.”

Upadhyay says the nature of sugar dating is a complicated process. Sugar daddy often has specific requirements that sugar flies need to meet.

Urick worries that many girls will misunderstand the videos on Tik Tok. She worries they will run the risk of abuse, coercion, legal trouble and reputational damage by entering the world of sugar dating.

She said: “There are young women who only look at the coins. They can’t foresee themselves becoming victims.”

Jones agrees that this lifestyle is more of a challenge than it looks from the outside.

Despite the worries, Upadhyay still hopes for sugar babies on Tik Tok. Recently, many sugar babies have started to intersperse flashy videos of themselves with warnings about scams or ways to keep girls safe.

That, Saito said, is a sign of positive things ahead. “I’ve found a number of accounts that are helpful when it comes to giving tips and tips on how to stay safe for beginners. I’ve also been approached by brands sending products to try, sugar daddy sites to promote and reporters contacted for interviews. It brought a number of benefits.”