What is sugaring?
“Sugaring” is an exploitative practice where going on dates or having sex is exchanged for gifts and payments. Often, wealthy, older males (“sugardaddies”) and females (“sugarmommies”) proposition younger, low-income girls, women and men (“sugarbabies”) promising luxury gifts, rent, tuition or cash.
Why it’s not cool to use language like “sugardaddy” and “sugarbaby”
Sugaring language is normalized in pop culture, including movies, music and social media. Glamorizing the sugardaddy and sugarbaby language makes sugaring seem normal and acceptable, when in fact it isn’t and it’s a fast path to sex trafficking and abuse.
What is Project SugarFree?
After inadvertently coming across tens of thousands of online solicitations for sugarbabies, becoming aware of the rapid growth of sugaring on college campuses, and seeing the mass normalization of sugaring language, we saw opportunity to use our data analytics tools and automated AI technology to intersect, educate and help dissuade potential victims and suppress abusers.
Our goal
- Use facts and data to dissuade vulnerable populations from entering into sugaring relationships, which have been proven to be dangerous and an on-ramp to sex trafficking
- Report and remove abusers and potential criminals from the Twitter platform
- Put an end to the normalization and glamorization of prostitution, act as a counterbalance for seeking arrangements efforts