I am no stranger to online dating.
I have used OkCupid and Tinder, and I’ve always found it exciting. It’s amazing that you can meet new people you never would have met under any other circumstances, and possibly make a deep connection with them. I have had my fair share of fun with both services, and even had a serious relationship.
But recently, I came across a site that offers a little more than just plain, simple romantic endeavours.
Seeking Arrangement claims to provide financial security, on top of a relationship, to half of its site users. It is a dating website that connects sugar daddies/mommies to prospective sugar babies. They advertise “mutually beneficial arrangements” for both ends.
Upon first hearing about the site, curiosity got the best of me, and I signed up in a matter of 30 minutes.
I expected Seeking Arrangement to be similar to OkCupid, where you can write fun tidbits about your life. Instead, the site was very cut-and-dry about personal information.
Everything about you can be selected from a drop-down menu, like ethnicity, body type, hair and eye colour, and you can only provide a small description of the arrangement you are actually looking to find.
As I perused the site, I viewed the men in Toronto seeking female sugar babies. Each profile has a description in all-caps: “DOCTOR SEEKING FUN” and “GLOBETROTTER NEEDS COMPANION” are just two examples. Once in a while, there is a strange one that simply says something like, “UNCLE” or “YOUR LONG LOST TEDDY BEAR.”
Sugar daddies also post their annual income and net worth. I scrolled through some profiles with users who claimed to have a net worth of upwards of $50 million. If these profiles are in fact legitimate, there’s potential there to make some serious financial gains from users who are willing to pay for companionship.
The vast majority of the profiles I viewed seemed genuine and honest. Many people are too busy with work to find a conventional relationship, and find the idea of “spoiling” or “taking care” of their partner rewarding.
Others are looking for travel companions, while some are just looking for some “fun” (that means sex with no strings attached in the online dating world).
York is the number one ranked school in Canada for new Seeking Arrangement accounts in 2013.
“Students want to graduate debt-free. It’s as simple as that,” says Leroy Velasquez, manager of public relations at Seeking Arrangement. “The average student on Seeking Arrangement earns $3,000 a month from their benefactors.”
Another benefit of these arrangements is the possibility of networking within your industry. When you’re meeting wealthy people, there are bound to be opportunities for mentorship.
“[Networking] is what has enticed college students from across the world to join our site,” Velasquez says.
And it’s working. There are over one million students registered on Seeking Arrangement.
So why are students turning to being a sugar baby instead of roughing it like the rest of us? Maybe we’ve gotten lazy with the ever-increasing tuition fees and the lagging minimum wage.
When asked for comment on York students using Seeking Arrangement, Joanne Rider of York media reminds us that we have other options. “Current support includes OSAP, scholarships and bursaries, and on-campus student employment.”
But tuition is climbing at a ridiculous rate, and it’s no wonder students are trying to earn money in more creative ways.
To me, it sounds like the perfect arrangement, getting paid to be a companion or be in a sexual relationship. Thanks to York, I’ve figured out my true aspiration in life. I want to be a sugar baby.
Marileina Pearson
Photo Editor
