Sugar Daddy Dating Under Fire Again

Sugar daddy dating sites are on the defensive again, after another news story paints the service in a negative light.

In September, an episode of Dr. Phil took on sugar daddy dating, calling it "the Internet version of the world's oldest occupation." Now Inside Edition is following suit, saying that sugar dating arrangements are a last resort for college students who can't afford the rising cost of tuition. Lisa Guerrero and the I-Squad launched an investigation into the sugar lifestyle, determined to find out exactly what goes on behind the scenes.

They began by interviewing a young woman who joined a site called EstablishedMen.com in hopes of finding a man who could help her pay off the thousands of dollars she owed in college loans. Her search payed off - two full years of her college tuition were paid for by a man she met on the site, who also covered expenses like rent. She said she understands why some would be concerned that sugar daddy arrangements amount to nothing more than prostitution, but insists that her own experience has shown that that's not the case.

Another young woman, who went by the name of Kelly, decided to go undercover on several sugar daddy Web sites, in hopes of exposing men who were exploiting vulnerable young college students. A man from SeekingArrangement.com was one of many suitors who responded to Kelly's profile. He met Kelly at a cafe while Inside Edition filmed their encounter, and proceeded to explain exactly what he wanted out of the arrangement. "I'm looking for slightly unusual things to do" he said, in exchange for covering Kelly's tuition, rent, and bills, before asking about her pain threshold. When questioned by Inside Edition about offering money for sex, the man explained that he what he was really looking for was friendship and companionship.

Despite that experience, positive views came later from the first woman interviewed by Inside Edition, who said that "everyone can set their own boundaries and everyone has the ability to decide that this is something they want to do." The CEO of several sugar daddy sites also added that women who choose to become sugar babies make a "conscious decision about what would make them happy in life."

Brandon Wade, Founder & CEO of SeekingArrangement.com, says that "The media is always focused on casting a negative light on the Sugar Daddy and Sugar Baby relationship. The fact is, if the media coverage was balanced, it would feature thousands of positive personal stories that come about from people who meet through our dating website."

So what's going on here? Was the man who met with "Kelly" a simple case of one bad apple spoiling the bunch? Are all sugar daddies looking for "unusual things?" Is there anything wrong with that in the first place, or do consenting adults have the right to enter into whatever kind of relationship they wish?

What do you think?