Sugar dating has a fascinating history. It can be traced back to as far back as the late 19 th century, where wealthy men would often provide financial support to their mistresses.
While the concept of “sugar dating” as we know it today emerged in the 20th century, sugar dating has likely been occurring as long as mankind has existed. Below, we’ll outline the juicy history of sugar dating as far as we can piece it together.
Sugar dating’s origins at the turn of the 20 th century
In the 19 th century, sugar dating was commonly known as “treating”. Women who worked low-paying jobs would often rely on men to provide them with financial assistance, usually in exchange for being their escort.
However, there are numerous versions of how the modern term of sugar dating came to be as the turn of the century began.
In 1908, Adolph Spreckels – heir to the Spreckels’s sugar fortune – married a woman 24 years younger than himself. She called her husband Adolph her “Sugar Daddy.”
The association with candy continued as time went on – and the Roaring Twenties saw a huge spike in sugar dating arrangements.
The first actual record of a sugar date occurred in 1926. By then, the term sugar daddy became a colloquial term referring to a man offering money or presents to younger women in exchange for companionship.
In 1925, A chocolate salesman, Robert Welch, invented a candy bar on a stick. He named it the “Papa sucker”. Mr Welch probably would not have got away with that name today, and it was renamed the “Sugar Daddy” in 1932.
During the 1920s, young women known as “flappers” began to reject traditional gender roles and social norms, seeking independence and a more glamorous lifestyle. Many of these women turned to wealthy older men, often referred to as “sugar daddies,” for financial support.
So acceptable has sugar dating always been that the stars of the 1920s screen Laurel and Hardy featured in the film “Sugar Daddies” in 1927.
Sugar dating and the 1960’s
The concept of sugar dating gained further popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, as more women sought financial independence and a way to fund their education or start their own businesses.
During this time, sugar dating became more socially acceptable, and some women even formed long-term relationships with their sugar daddies.
Sugar dating: the modern stigma
Unfortunately, the newly created “woke fad” of the 21 st Century has sought to vilify this popular form of dating, creating an unjust stigma.
Sugar dating has been around for centuries, and yet popular culture has demonised it – considering it nothing more than another word for prostitution.
Despite this, in the 21st century, the rise of the internet and social media has made it easier for sugar babies and sugar daddies/mamas to connect and arrange arrangements online. Indeed, there are many reasons why somebody would become a sugar babe or a sugar daddy today.
Today, sugar dating is a thriving industry, with numerous websites and apps dedicated to facilitating these types of relationships. This includes websites such as Adult Arrangements.
Sugar dating in one form or another has been around as long as we have walked the planet.
Despite the stigma, sugar dating is most certainly here to stay.
