Abstract

This thesis examines the phenomenon “Sugardating”, which defines a relationship between a younger sugarbabe who is receiving financial assistance from an older sugardaddy. The dynamic in the partnership is based on the transactional support and can take many different forms. From a social constructivist approach we tend to investigate the following:

“Which kind of portrayal of Sugardating is constructed in the documentary Gina Jacqueline – confessions of a sugardater” and what is sugardating from the perspective of a sugarbabe and a sugardaddy?”

The thesis begins with a view of 118 selected newspaper articles on the topic. This insight provides an understanding in how the phenomenon is already responding negatively to the society, and how much of influence the media has on this opinion. First part of the analyze therefore contains the DR documentary with Gina Jaqueline and how her life as a sugarbabe is portrayed on television.
From here second part of the analyse examines the instructor and the productions considerations behind the documentary. The last part of the research question is based on two qualitative interviews with a sugarbabe and a sugardaddy, to obtain a different perspective of the reality in sugardating. The thesis concludes how the phenomenon sugardating contains more nuances and dynamics than what is mostly showed in the media. Because of the unambiguous articulation of the concept and association with prostitution, some people in sugardating are worried that the outcome in time will lead towards stigmatizing and persistent anonymity. The constructions in the media therefore have an essential influence of the phenomena sugardating.