I love being a sugar baby on Valentine’s Day – THREE rich lonely guys lavish me with cash and designer clothes
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IT'S supposed to be the most romantic day of the year - but for 19-year-old Sharkesha, Valentine's Day is a purely transactional affair.
The lash technician, from London, became a sugar baby in lockdown after her close friend recommended joining the website to make some extra cash on the side.
Explaining how the website sets women up with older men looking for "arm candy", Sharkesha revealed that she receives £2,000 from one of her sugar daddies - and even gets paid for simply talking to them on the phone.
And ahead of this Valentine's Day, she's already been lavished with £1,000 in cash to buy Dior heels and Gucci clothes.
Describing how it worked for her, she said: "Once men have seen your profile, you’ll start getting messages.
"Some will come straight to the point and say, ‘I’m looking for a [sugar baby] that I can give a weekly allowance to and we can meet two or three times a week’ but others are more interested in getting to know me and having a friend. And they will pay me just for chatting on the phone.
According to Sugar Baby University, the majority of Sugar Babies are 24 years old who earn £2,000-a-month - while the average Sugar Daddy is 42 and make around £200,0000-a-year.
What's more, "Sugar dating" – where girls aged in their late teens or early twenties seek older men in their 40s – is on the up.
The latest statistics show there are over two MILLION female Sugar Babies in the UK, and half a million Sugar Daddies.
"A lot of the men are widowed. Of course, some are married, but I avoid them," Sharkesha said: "They will be upfront about their jobs and how much they earn, and say things like, ‘I’ll treat you like a princess, you won’t have to worry about money.’”
What is a sugar daddy and how does the relationship work?
A sugar daddy is a generous older man who spends lavishly on his mistress, girlfriend or boyfriend.
He's often a businessman, who considers himself too busy for conventional dating - and isn't short of a few bob.
A sugar baby, meanwhile, is normally an attractive younger woman who can't afford her luxury lifestyle.
The couple will usually establish a financial agreement early on - as well as their boundaries, such as whether or not they're considering a sexual relationship.
Some sugar babies ask for a monthly allowance, while other get 'expenses' in the form of glam holidays and shopping sprees.
While a growing number of sugar babies are university students, who turn to their 'daddy' to pay their fees.
Before the latest lockdown, Sharkesha had met up with six different men who took her for glamorous dinner dates at London’s top restaurants.
"I’ve been to The Shard and to Hakkasan. They’ll tell me to dress to impress, and most just want a young, glamorous date on their arm.
"Most profiles I see ask for girls between the ages of 18-23. The men I date are from London and aged in their 30s and 40s, but one man was from Cardiff and just in London on business for one evening.
"The oldest Sugar Daddy date I’ve had was a widower aged 55. But he made me feel quite uncomfortable. He was a bit picky and I felt he really wanted to boss me around during the date."
Sugar babies aren’t escorts and I wouldn’t want to feel like I’ve been paid for sex. That's not me.
Keen to keep her personal life private, Sharkesha will meet her dates away from her home and doesn't give them her social media handles.
She added: "I’ll give them my number, but not my Insta or my Snap."
Sharkesha says the dates almost as business deals - and wouldn't rule out sleeping with a Sugar Daddy if she was "feeling the vibe" and "into someone’s looks".
She said: "Sugar babies aren’t escorts and I wouldn’t want to feel like I’ve been paid for sex. That’s not me. There’s been no intimacy on my dates so far.
"We might kiss, but I won’t let them touch me in certain places. If they asked for sex and I said no and they kept on asking, I wouldn’t allow that.
"I did go back to one man’s house but it was just chilled. There’s one guy I connect with on a deeper level, but because of lockdown I haven’t been able to meet him yet. We are just Face-Timing."
In Sharkesha's experience, many of the men on the site simply like to spoil their Sugar Babies, and she now has a continuing arrangement with one of them.
She said: "One of my regulars gives me £1k every two weeks, and then if – in normal times - we go shopping together we’d go on a big spree and he might give me cash after that. He travels a lot and is single, in his mid-forties so it’s nice for him to know I’m here in London.”
I love it when Sugar Daddies buy me stuff and I love feeling like I’m being treated and spoiled. I’m single, so why not?
However, they want to believe they're the leading man in their Sugar Baby's life.
Sharkesha added: "They want to feel that they are the only one, they want to treat you and they don’t want there to be anyone else. But they can suddenly ghost you so I feel more comfortable having two or three.
"A lot do it because they are really lonely and they think girls like money. They’re incredibly rich, and they like spending for the sake of spending!
"I’ve been bought all the designer swagger – Dior shoes, Gucci clothes, Louis Vuitton bags. That’s why I joined.
"I love them buying me stuff and I love feeling like I’m being treated and spoiled. I’m single, so why not?”
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Sharkesha says looking glamorous is a huge part of being a Sugar Baby and so she goes to the gym several times a week to keep in top shape.
Explaining how she spends hours getting ready for a date, she added: "I’ll always get my nails done, get my hair installed and I have my own lash technician who’ll do my lashes. I just want to make sure I present myself well and look nice.";
If she did get a boyfriend, Sharkesha would be honest with them about being a Sugar Baby - but for now, she’s happy as she is.
She hasn’t told her parents, but some of her friends are aware of what she does.
“Even the ones that don’t know wouldn’t have a problem with it,” she says. “Most of them would want a Sugar Daddy too!”
Discussing her plans for Valentine's Day, she said: "I don’t give my address out so they won’t send me things, but they’ll give me cash gifts so I can have a little splurge on myself.
"I’m not into flowers, but I’ll buy some more designer clothes for myself or perhaps some jewellery, or a perfume I like the smell of, with the cash they give me to make the day special. We’ll message each other and chat on the day, so they feel special and I feel treated.”
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