Cougars---------open blog

In the ABC Primetime article entitled Are More Older Women with Younger Men? it asks the question What do Samantha on "Sex and the City," and Gabrielle on "Desperate Housewives" have in common? The answer is becoming common among a lot of older women, which is that they date men their junior. This topic has been illustrated heavily with in celebrities, and on TV shows. Most recently it has been confirmed the Mariah Carey and the much younger Nick Cannon just eloped. The term ‘Cougar’ is used to describe older women who date younger men. Sex and relationships columnist Valerie Gibson says the term originated in Vancouver, British Columbia, as a put-down for older women who would go to bars and go home with whoever was left at the end of the night, but now it is a more positive term for women who are healthy, financially stable, and sexy in their 30’s and 40’s who are looking to have a good time. The younger men are said to be attracted to these older women because of their independence, sexual experience and the fact that they aren’t looking for a commitment. I have mixed feelings about this topic, although I feel that if two people are in love they should be together but being that the older women in these relationships aren’t necessarily looking to build a family and settle down but only to have fun and interested in the “right now” I feel that these older women are taking away from the women who really want to began a family, settle down and get married. Also I think these women are hindering men and allowing them to think its ok for women to pursue them and not take manly responsibilities when it comes to courting women. As complicated as relationships already are the issue of age adds another element. This brings up issues of how the two in the relationship parents/family feels and reacts to the situation, if the women has children (which most do) how that will affect them, financial and experience issues. I find it interesting (and somewhat disturbing) that VH1 has decided to create a reality show in which younger guys are in pursuit of the much older Jerry Hall. Hall has four children the oldest are close to the age of the men scheduled to appear on the show. One more opinion I have about these women is that they date younger men because it is easy to be in control and because their previous marriages/relationships with men their age has failed. I guess in the end the main focus is on if the couple is happy and it seems to be that the men participating in relationships with older women are. Maybe my opinion of cougars and young men might shift as a get older but as of right now I don’t really approve.

ABC Article