Commercial Sex or Romance? Men’s Sexual Scripts in Compensated Dating

ABSTRACTCompensated dating is a contestable phenomenon. While most academic and public discourses have paid considerable attentions to young girls who provide compensated dating, little is known about men who buy it. Drawing from 33 in-depth interviews with male clients of compensated dating in Hong Kong, this empirical study provides a qualitative analysis of their experiences. The findings show that compensated dating is not only a platform where men can fulfill their desires and fantasies of youthfulness, passionate sex, and emotional intimacy, but also a place where they can forge meaningful relationships. Compensated dating relationships are dynamic, fluid, and negotiable, which could transform from bounded commercial/counterfeit ones to unbounded/authentic ones. This paper concludes that compensated dating can be a cultural site that is as meaningful as in other noncommercial contexts. Disclosure statementThe author declares no relevant competing interest in association with the research, authorship and publication of this article.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported partially by a grant SSHD-2022-268(I) from the College of Professional and Continuing Education, an affiliate of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.Notes on contributorsCassini Sai Kwan ChuCassini Sai Kwan Chu is a lecturer in Social Science at the College of Professional and Continuing Education, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research interests are in the areas of gender, sexualities, and sex work.