For many in their early 20s, the time of study is a time of experimentation, exploration and insight. Goals, desires and needs are redefined – also with regard to love. Student Michelle from Munich has found her very own way to do this: Sugar Dating. In the interview, she reveals how she came to it, what advantages she has from relationships with older men, and what her steady boyfriend has to say about it.

While her fellow students lounge on the couch after class, student Michelle from Munich gets to know new places and people, visits the most expensive restaurants in the city and treats herself to designer bags that others only know from Instagram. Within the last 12 months she has already lived in Spain, Belgium and Switzerland. She completes her engineering studies completely remotely and only travels home for exams. Her secret? Michelle has opted for sugar dating, which means she prefers to date established, well-off and mostly older men. Similar to other dating providers, she swipes through the profiles of members on the online portal Seeking.com and can then contact those men she finds attractive – both in terms of appearance and income. Because on Seeking.com, couples are found who define firm agreements for their relationship right from the start, both emotionally and financially. Thus, Michelle is also specifically looking for men who can offer her the luxurious lifestyle that she cannot yet afford during her studies. She is also attracted to men who know exactly what they want and have already climbed far up the career ladder. Because that’s exactly where she wants to be after she finishes her studies.

Michelle, how did you get into sugar dating and how exactly can we imagine this way of getting to know each other?
Michelle: Friends turned me on to Seeking.com early last year when I was looking for something different from the same old faces on Tinder. Then in April, I made the decision to sign up just for fun, as a casual change from the lockdown boredom. Immediately, I noticed that the men on Seeking.com were much more open in communicating what they were looking for in a potential partner, and in contrast, were willing to offer. In other words, much more commitment than I’m used to from other dating apps, even though this isn’t primarily about finding that one big love.

But?

Michelle: I’m also not ready right now to commit to one person and settle down, in any sense of the word. Instead, I’d like to see as much of the world as possible, get to know other people intensively and spend the maximum amount of exciting time with them. This is also something that I make clear right away during one of the first conversations when I get to know someone: fun always comes first for me. All the more it surprised me myself that I’m now in steady hands and have even been living together with my boyfriend for a few weeks.

So you’ve settled down a bit after all? How did you two meet?

Michelle: Yes, we actually met through the app as well. What was supposed to be just a casual romance at first quickly turned into love, though. Fortunately for both of us. So in the meantime, we’re in a relationship and he’s no longer my “sugar daddy,” he’s just Paul.

So is the time of sugar dating over again for you?

Michelle: Not at all – we’ve developed an alternative relationship model for ourselves where, similar to an open relationship, we continue to socialize through Seeking.com, go on dates, and also get intimate with others when we feel like it. We love the time together, but also know about the space each of us needs. For example, once a month I go to Berlin to visit my current sugar daddy and just really indulge myself. He invites me to dinner, lends me his Porsche, gives me generous gifts. And yes, he also pays the bill when we go shopping at KaDeWe.

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to try Sugar Dating?

Michelle: Sugar dating is about clear and direct communication. Everyone should figure out for themselves what he or she can contribute to a Sugar relationship, what they hope to get out of a Sugar Daddy, and why they find this model attractive. For me, for example, it gives me certain freedoms and enriches my sex and love life. At the same time, it allows me to live a certain luxury and benefit from exciting contacts in the business world, which later open some doors to my professional life. I give my partner time and attention in return, as well as a different perspective on certain things.