A WOMAN whose sugar daddies paid her through uni has told
how the warped dates led to prostitution.
Jessica Hyer was at times left fearing for her life after
becoming a so-called "sugar baby" to pay off debts as a 19-year-old
student.
She wanted it to be a short-term fix for her financial woes,
but ended up relying on sleeping with older men to get by - meeting up to 50
clients over four years.
Vulnerable Jessica turned to an established "sugar
baby" site - but the "pay-per-date" arrangement soon became sex
work for her.
Her first sexual meet-up was with a man who collected her
from her student halls in a Lamborghini - before palming her £1,000 in £20
notes.
Other experiences involved acting out warped fantasies for
men in their forties and fifties - leaving her needing therapy.
Jessica, now 24, told Manchester Evening News: "The way
sugar daddy dating has been glamorised is problematic.
"There are vulnerable girls and there are underage
girls who lie about their age on those websites."
She added: "People shouldn’t think it’s all rosy and
glamorous because it’s not.”
Jess, of Burnley, Lancs, has supported herself since leaving
home at 16.
After going to college, she managed to gain a place to study
English and Drama at the University of Manchester.
FINANCIAL RUIN
But just a year into her studies, she was in "financial
ruin" after cleaning out her £2,000 overdraft and owing hundreds more to
pals.
Her part-time job as a waitress wasn't earning her enough to
clear her debts and cover her bills.
It was then that an advert appeared on Facebook - where many
young female students are first lured in to sugar dating sites.
She hoped being lavished by lonely older men would help her
situation - and didn't think it would involve sex.
TARGETTED ON FACEBOOK
Explaining how she was snared, Jess said: "They target
students and you actually get a free premium account if you have a student
email.
“When you look at the page there’s an image of a young
attractive man.
“They make you think that these men are mentors and, that
they are going to help you with your career, men who don’t view you in a sexual
way.
“When really, sex is usually the end goal."
Jess said she would often hide the seedy side of her work to
her friends - who believed older men were simply sending her cash and gifts.
But in reality her "sugar daddies" would often
treat her as though she was an object - leaving her feeling isolated and
depressed.
She added: "A sugar daddy once said to me, 'I usually
go for girls who are less pretty like you because they are less confident'.
“To them you’re an investment and a sexual investment.”
And sometimes she would be scared for her life.
Explaining her reaction after being passed £1,000 cash by
the man in the Lamborghini, Jess said: "I was so scared I asked if I could
get out the car and post the money through the door in case he killed me."
SUPPORT FOR SUGAR
BABIES
Jess - who earned roughly £200 a "date" - stopped
being a sugar baby last year after the toll it took on her mental health became
too much.
She now has a partner and is working to set up a support
group for women like her who have been left feeling worthless by the seedy
practice.
Her aim is to become a mental health support worker - and
she's beginning a masters degree in applied theatre in the autumn.
Jess said: "I managed to get out of sugar daddy dating
and I want to be part of that process for other people.
“I want people to know that I’m not judging those with a
positive experience.
“I personally had a terrible experience and at the time I
felt there wasn’t any support available to me
“I want to provide that support for men and women without judgment.”
(The Sun)
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