Some jokingly say they should start stripping or dealing drugs, but there is no doubt that debt makes college students question how to earn money. While there exist thousands of scholarships and on-campus job opportunities, with rising tuition, students have thought up creative ways to pay for school. In 2006, a website called Seeking Arrangement sought its own way to allow college students to capitalize on their looks and perhaps some of their personality.

Seeking Arrangement allows rich men referred to as “sugar daddies” to connect with young women who want financial support, also referred to as “sugar babies.” Last week, the site revealed the top “sugar baby” colleges with University of Texas topping the list.

The increasing popularity of sugar baby arrangements has people questioning our generation’s morals and work ethic. However, these arrangements are not a flaw of our generation. Sugar babies represent the capitalization of a woman’s time and presence on her own account, something which most women give for free. If Kim Kardashian can make money off of her looks, why can’t we all?

In a 2013 survey, the site revealed that the average sugar daddy was around 42 years old, with an average annual salary of about $500,000. Roughly one-third of the men on the site are married and the women who participate usually range from 18–25 years old.

Both parties involved know what the circumstances are, and although the married men on the site are problematic, it is a smart way for young people to make money. Whether the women are aware about the marriages of some of these men, the CEO Brandon Wade revealed that “since 2007, the number of married sugar daddies has dropped from 46 percent to 33 percent, a sign that the sugar lifestyle is becoming more widely accepted amongst single men.”

The site is not exclusive to just young women seeking older men; it also includes arrangements for male sugar babies and “sugar mommas.”

According Seeking Arrangement some sugar babies report, the men typically give them a monthly salary, which can increase over time. Their salaries range from $3,000–5,000 in exchange for spending time with their sugar daddies. Whether or not these women have sex with the men on the site is unknown, but some people speculate that they do. Regardless of what occurs in the bedroom, it is consensual and not part of the arrangement, and therefore completely their decision.

Sugar babies reflect our generation’s innovative techniques to capitalize on anything and everything at our disposal. And young people have become the best at it. People can now get paid to make videos on YouTube or post on Snapchat, so why shouldn’t college students find new ways to pay for an overpriced education?

It is easy for older people to look down and slut shame these women or just call them lazy, yet it undermines their own personal marketing.

Critics should question the higher education costs in the United States rather than shaming women for making money off their looks and appeal. Magazines, advertisements and movies have all profited from women, and women should also have the right to do so themselves.

Last year a Duke University freshman was discovered to be a porn star and received backlash from the shocked community. Yet, unlike most of her peers, she will not have to pay back loans once she graduates.

Millennials should not commit to dropping out in order to become full-time sugar babies, but they also shouldn’t view those who participate in these arrangements in an extremely critical manner. Sugar babies are our generation’s self-made business women and men.

Laritza Salazar is a sophomore newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at lcsalaza@syr.edu.

Published on February 17, 2015 at 1:05 am