Reading Proverbs 7 in the Context of Female ‘Blessers’ and Sugar Mamas in South Africa

Abstract

The image of a woman who is portrayed negatively in Proverbs 1-9, that is, Woman Stranger, has been engaged variously by Hebrew Bible scholarship, especially by feminist biblical scholars. Some have argued that Woman Stranger is in fact one woman symbolic of a variety of traits. The trait that seems to feature glaringly in Proverbs 7 is that of a woman who exercises her sexual powers outside the boundaries of conventional heterosexual marriage. A new phenomenon occurs in present-day South Africa. Should the phenomenon be regarded as a sign of the deconstruction of patriarchy and its power to control female sexuality? It entails among others, the seduction of younger men, designated as Ben 10's, by older women (read: female 'blessers' and/or sugar mummies), something akin to what Woman Stranger is portrayed as doing to the young man in Proverbs 7. The main question addressed by this article is: If the preceding South African phenomenon is used as a hermeneutical lens to read the text of Proverbs 7, which light might be shed on such relationships especially in present day South Africa? To the honouree, Professor Hendrik Bosman, which teachings and commandments from the wisdom acquired and imparted through his teaching and parenting may he impart in the context discussed here?

Exploring Evolution and Survival of Large age-gap Romantic Heterosexual Relationships involving Older Women and Younger Men in Chipata, Zambia

“…Aged women romantic partners gave them money, airtime, bought them clothes and shoes, sponsored their education, gave away their own cars to be driven around by their younger partners, and took them to luxurious places. These findings support those of Masenya (2017) in a study conducted in South Africa, where some older richer heterosexual women due to their economic achievements attracted younger men to form enduring intimate relationships.…”

“…Literature on cross-generational romantic relationships between older women and younger men is rapidly gaining popularity in both social science and the media. Madipoane Masenya (2017) rightly observed that there still exists "considerable gap in knowledge surrounding such relationships" (Masenya 2017: 121). Existing literature has very little to share on who initiates older woman/ younger man intimate relationships, and how such partnerships develop and survive despite societal assault.…”

#Blesser: A critical evaluation of conceptual antecedents and the allure of a transactional relationship

“…One paper from the search (Masenya 2017: 121), using a few selected examples of online advertisements and which did not focus on the stereotypical (male) blesser, interprets the female blesser in the light of biblical referencing, stating that 'blesser' represents a "religious term … hijacked terribly by its users within … daily jargon here in South Africa". Relevant conclusions from the paper include female blessers upsetting traditional patriarchal structuring of families while gaining control over and celebrating their own sexualities (Masenya 2017). A second article from the search results (Masilo and Makhubele 2017), a review, considered 'sugar daddy' and 'blesser' to be synonymous, simply stating that the latter term was merely a word for the former.…”

Re-framing women’s agency in #Blessed sex: Intersectional dilemmas for African women’s theologies

“…While 'sugar daddy' relationships have been the focus of research, the more recent turn to the 'blesser' phenomenon as a form of transactional sex is a more recent development with a growing focus within the field of social science (Hoss & Blockland 2018;Moodley & Ebrahim 2019;Tsoaledi, Tshilidzi & Rally 2017;Varjavandi 2017). Within the theological terrain there is also an increased focus, although more nuanced analysis is less forthcoming (Frieslaar & Masango 2021;Haddad 2018;Masenya 2017). Here, the #Blessed community of young women actively seek out transactional sex with older men, 'blessers', in order to attain economic prosperity in the form of lifestyles that would otherwise be unattainable.…”