Social networks forever changed the way people relate to each other and also the aspirations and desires of users. The world is no longer the same and not even the way of connecting is. A couple who met through a social network is no longer new, nor are those who turn to a dating app to try to find love.
But, beyond sentimental ties, new technological resources also make another type of relationship proliferate and become increasingly accepted: sugar daddies. Basically it is a type of emotional relationship in which an older person with abundant financial support exchanges his money and gifts for the company and intimacy with his counterpart, generally of considerably younger age. Although the abundance of cases is of men looking for striking women, there are also sugar mommies, where the equation is reversed and they are women with plenty of economic fluidity who exchange that luxurious life for the accompaniment of a young man.
This way of relating has not only become more popular and shame has been lost in making it public, but it has also become a trend on social networks due to the large number of young people who want to live in luxury and comfort. Sugar daddies and mommies, and therefore sugar babies, their counterpart, are here to stay. Far from being something that seeks to hide, sugar relationships are enhanced by the action of social networks and apps and become increasingly common.
Trend
“When the sugar goes on a trip one day and leaves you 50 thousand (pesos) for you to spend,” Antonella Sánchez published on her TikTok, along with a video in which she is seen showing a wad of bills. Sánchez is precisely the leader of this trend. Originally from Salta, she claims that she has an older partner who spoils her in exchange for having a bond with her, and she has no qualms about showing it to her followers. From trips to the most remote places in the world to rides in luxurious cars, her sugar daddy fulfills all of her wishes. Thus the young woman changed her life and does not stop indulging in luxuries. So much so that she even adopted a pseudonym: Wanda de Salta in a clear nod to the fact that she is a kind of spiritual guru for girls who want to find someone to support them without having to make an effort: Wanda Nara. Because, although the media expanded her horizons and she became a businesswoman, the glamor and opulence that she exhibits on her networks is the aspiration of many people.
But although Sánchez’s posts are fun and friendly, the figure of sugar babies, that is, those who live at the expense of someone who supports them, is involved in controversy. The Italian anthropologist Gisella Evangelisti affirms that these links are nothing more than “sugar prostitution.” The specialist cites the case of Silvio Berlusconi, a prime example of a sugar daddy whose practices were closer to those of a pimp than to those of a lover. However, young people who see the rapid social advancement, and the luxuries that can be afforded by lending themselves to this type of relationship, do not seem to care. Searches on TikTok for tips to gain access to this life are multiplying and more and more accounts are dedicated to promoting this practice as something common that can be available to anyone. Sugar relationships are the new norm and there are no itches that get in the way of these bonds emerging.
In our country, a pioneer in being a sugar daddy was Ricardo Fort, who on his trips around the world was usually accompanied by a troupe of young people who followed him and from whom the chocolate businessman demanded total obedience to his wishes. “The cats,” as Fort called his companions, were sugar babies at his service who gave themselves a life of luxury and opulence in exchange for his company.
Currently, the relationship between Marcelo Tinelli and Milett Figueroa has the spices of a sugar bond. Not only because of the 32-year difference between the driver and the Peruvian model, who is even younger than Tinelli’s two grown-up daughters, Micaela and Candelaria, but also because of public episodes in which the relationship resembles this monetary transaction. in exchange for company. The last episode is the expensive ring, valued at more than 2 million pesos, that Milett received from Tinelli.
Growth. The search for a sugar daddy or mommy is completely formalized and is no longer taboo. The “mysugardaddy” site and app was created in Germany and the arrival of this service to Latin America changed the situation. According to data from this site, Argentina is the fourth country with the most users in the region only behind Chile, Colombia and Mexico. According to figures, there are about 160 thousand sugar daddies and babies in Argentina, of which 69 percent are women and 31 percent men. The largest number of users is located in Capital Federal and Córdoba, two large urban centers with a large youth population, which makes it easier for both sugar daddies and sugar babies to find their ideal counterpart (see box). Latin America is the region where the application has grown the most in the last year, occupying second place with more than 1.6 million active users, only behind Europe, where there are more than four million users, while In the United States there are 1.3 million.
Being able to live surrounded by luxury thanks to someone else’s generous wallet became the new obsession for some. More and more young people want to know how to have someone to support them and their new role models are those who have already achieved it. Contrary to what the slogan of a well-known credit card said, today it seems that there are no things that money cannot buy, including romantic relationships.
