1. Age
In my twenties, I was a sugarbaby, and unfortunately, I got caught in the trap. Life was easy—I quickly got used to having everything I wanted and didn’t save a thing. I rented a luxury apartment in the most expensive complex and spent my free time buying designer items for myself. Then I turned 30, and the clients started to fade away. It was a bitter realization that I couldn’t compete with 21-year-old girls. Of course, that’s no surprise, but who thinks about it when you have it all? I didn’t, and now I live in a rundown little rental, selling my clothes and bags online just to get by.
2. Burnout
The first few years were great—I felt like I owned the world. Then I burned out and became disillusioned with men for life. Since I "retired," I can’t even think about dating, having a relationship, or letting a man touch me.
3. Numbness
No one talks about how you can’t always enthusiastically be with an older, overweight, or even bald man. One sugardaddy had such bad breath that no amount of mint gum helped. I started drinking a little before meetings to ease the experience. Eventually, I reached the point where I drank before every sugardaddy date, and within a few years, I became a practicing alcoholic.
4. The Gift
I caught a sexually transmitted infection that still causes serious health problems, so it was definitely not worth it.
5. Pygmalion
My sugardaddy didn’t like my nose and thought my breasts were too small. He paid for surgeries, and back then I thought I was lucky. Now I hate my new, pinched nose and huge balloon-like breasts. There was nothing wrong with my face or body, but I let myself be convinced to change it, which I deeply regret.
6. Pushed Too Far
A sugardaddy pays well, but he expects a lot in return—sometimes sexual acts that are uncomfortable, humiliating, or even painful. I couldn’t always handle this sober, so I turned to drugs. A little stimulant or downer made it easier to get through the act. But this habit backfired quickly.
After five years, I reached a point where I could only get through an ordinary day with a significant amount of drugs—I couldn’t even get out of bed otherwise. I’m clean now, but I’ve been through three inpatient rehab programs and still crave the substance daily. It’s a constant battle not to relapse, and the saying is true: an addict is always an addict. So the sugarbaby lifestyle was definitely not worth it.
7. The Past
Years after I "retired," I met the man of my dreams. I thought he would be the father of my children, and we were even engaged when one day he suddenly asked if I had been a sugarbaby. It turned out one of his friends was a business partner of one of my former sugardaddies, and that’s how he found out. This didn’t fit his values, so he left me. I was heartbroken and still haven’t been able to pull myself together.
8. Emotions
I only ever had one sugardaddy. An older but charming man I fell deeply in love with. He had a family and kept promising he’d leave once the kids finished high school. I was naive and waited for eight years. Eventually, I gave him an ultimatum, but he refused to leave his wife, and we said goodbye. It wasn’t worth it—I wasted years on him, and he just broke my heart.
9. Maintenance
As I "aged"—meaning I left my twenties—keeping up my appearance became more expensive. Not just nails, extensions, lashes, and beauty treatments, but I also went more often for aesthetic procedures. A little lip enhancement, Botox, fillers, chemical peels, laser treatments, body treatments—you name it. In the end, I was spending tens of thousands of dollars monthly at clinics. My friends finally told me I looked like a wax figure.
Only years later, looking back at my photos, did I start to see that I’d turned myself into a monster under pressure to stay young.
10. Rejection
I told my family I had a well-paying job at a multinational in the capital, but they found out what I really did. My conservative, rural parents couldn’t handle the shame and disowned me. Only one cousin still talks to me, but even she advised me never to return to the village. I miss my family. I had planned to buy a small house in my hometown once I saved enough, but that’s no longer an option.
11. Notorious
There was a man who asked for things I couldn’t accept, so he spread bad rumors about me, and all the (higher-profile) clients stopped coming. That’s when I realized just how small this country really is.
