Graduation Year

2019

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Sociology

Reader 1

Kara Plaček

Reader 2

Jennifer Ma

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2019 Julia K Griffin

Abstract

This thesis focuses on a specific subset of online relationships—the sugar daddy and sugar baby relationship, more specifically how a self-proclaimed sugar daddy might market themselves to potential sugar babies. The sugar daddy-sugar baby relationship is an arrangement in which a wealthier man will compensate an attractive girl, usually younger, to provide him romantic, sexual, and/or platonic companionship. This compensation tends to vary, but can include money, gifts, or simply the lavish lifestyle of being around a wealthier partner. A small, yet distinct minority among online sugar daddies consists of those who promise life-changing circumstances for their partners. Dubbed “salvation rhetoric,” this type of language targets women in more vulnerable positions, and offers to them a high-end lifestyle, the knowledge to succeed, emotional betterment, or even spiritual enlightenment. This paper seeks to answer the questions of what kinds of salvation discourses are operating within the sphere of online sugar dating, and what kinds of demographic factors may be affecting any differences in discourses.

Download

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

Share

COinS