Parinda Wanitwat ’14 is exploringthe phenomenon of sugar babies through the eyes of five student-age women in New York City inadocumentary called “Daddies Date Babies.”A sugar baby is a young adult who exchanges sexual relations in return for financialsupport from an older sugar daddy or sugar mama.
“The women want as much money as possible for as much stability as possible. The menwant to pay as little as possible for as muchnovelty as possible,” one interviewee says inthe film's trailer.
According to its webpage, “Daddies Date Babies” examines the transactional elementsof relationships, such as the trade of companionship and intimacy for money. Thedocumentary also aims to challenge stereotypes about sugar babies and sugar daddies,raise awareness about the risks involved in sugar dating and provoke public discussionabout a stigmatized topic.
In her senior year, Wanitwat learned of sugar dating while searching for ways to supportherself financially. Although she ultimately decided that sugar dating would not be asafe option for her, she explained that she found the phenomenon both interesting andheartbreaking. She drew on her experience in VIS 263: Documentary Filmmaking,which she took junior fall and called life-changing, to start developing “Daddies DateBabies.”
As graduation approached, Wanitwat heard about a 12-week incubator program calledOrbital New York, which helped her work on the documentary throughout the summer.The boot camp was founded by Gary Chou ’96. Chou declined to comment.
Wanitwat has so far funded the project out of her personal savings, as well as scholarshipmoney from the incubator. While she said she has enough footage to make a film, shewould like to shoot more to fulfill her vision.
HerKickstarter campaignasks for $30,000 for a production period of three months. Ninety-two people have backed the project as of press time.Stephany Xu ’12, who appears as one of the film's sugar babies, said she was working inNew York the summer after her sophomore year when a friend suggested that she try asugar dating website for fun.
“I was like, ‘Oh, you know, New York is really expensive, and there are a lot of things Iwish I could be doing that I can't, so maybe I'll try it out,’ ” she said.
Xu, who said she exclusively dates affluent men and expects them to pay her expenses,said she did not see a difference between so-called sugar relationships and moreconventional relationships.
“Almost all the relationships that I've found off of [Seekingarrangement.com] or otherwise have beenrewarding, interesting, long-lasting, and everything that I would look for in any otherkind of relationship, whether it be a friendship or my familial ties or anything else,” shesaid.
Xu said that while the University's hook-up culture did not influence her decision to datesugar daddies, it did result in her seeking older men.
“Especially when you're young and in college and everyone around you is like, this drunkfrat boy, then you get to New York and you're like, ‘Wow, these men are intelligent andfocused and care about you, and actually listen.’ There is something really enticing aboutthat,” she explained.
The documentary also includes Tess Wood ’11, along with three sugar babies whograduated from other schools. Wood did not respond to a request for comment.
Thenon-University alumnae remain anonymous and appear with blurred faces in the film.Wanitwat said she found the women by reaching out to her existing social circles.While Wanitwat acts as both the cinematographer and producer of the project, she saidshe has been receiving help from professional filmmakers through her incubator program,as well as freelance technical assistance from students at New York University and theRhode Island School of Design.
Wanitwat said she is thankful for the positive feedback she has received from theUniversity community.
“A lot of people have very kindly reached out to me saying, ‘Hey, we're with you. I thinkyou are doing the right thing,’ " she said. “But there must be someone, somewhere, outthere that thinks that this project really sucks and that it's going to bring shame to thewhole institution.”
She said she thinks she has good intentions and is trying her best to make ethicaldecisions as a producer. Because of the potential for the project to be sensationalized,Wanitwat has deliberately included only certain kinds of footage in her film.
“Whatever I have decided to release so far, I would say it’s pretty tame compared to therest of what I have. And that is intentional. I don’t want this project to be perceived asbeing like a tabloid,” she explained.
Wanitwat said she hopes the documentary makes viewers reconsider their beliefs. “I want you to question how you approach all kinds of relationships in your life,” shesaid.
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