(Is age catching up on you, or younger boys?)
Age is a very funny thing. The younger generation under the rules of their parents cannot wait to grow old and become independent. We see young teenagers slowly killing themselves with excessive alcohol intake, cigarette smoking and drug addiction. Some drop out of school, become very early mothers and force themselves into very early marriages that end up in God knows where. On the other side of the bridge we see wise old folks trying desperately to back track their lives by eating healthy, using anti-aging creams, and dating someone so much younger than they are.
Does age really matter or does it not? This is a debate that has been going on forever. Before, women who married younger men seemed to be a very unique case to look out for. Today, no one can tell how old is who or how old his or her partner is. For women there is a highly political and feminist reason. Since divorce and failed marriages are very common, many of them are left alone even in their late twenties. And a lot of them have amazingly postponed aging to defy the stereotype that women get married, then get pregnant, then become fat and no longer desirable. And because women have become stronger and wiser, many of them have chosen to become a cougar. Women insist that men their age are busy dating younger women, so they date younger men instead.
Is this really an ideal way to controlling one’s life? A lot of men also find this very exciting --dating a woman who is older, wiser, and somebody who knows what she wants in and out of the bed. What are the benefits? Women who date younger men get to relive the young, single life they once gave up for the sake of marriage and early commitment. Women get to enjoy youthful males who have fun and not just concentrate on work, gambling, and other manly dedications. And some women argue that they are able to feel sexual pleasure once again, from hunks that are active, energetic, and have high levels of testosterone waiting to attack a sex kitten. But is it all a good time for aged women really?
The disadvantages begin to outweigh the pleasures when a cougar asks to be taken care of. Unless she is dating a young successful boy who is seemingly mature, chances are, the woman will end up carrying the relationship and taking care of the man. Another pickle about this scenario is that younger women are wise enough to really put all the load on their men; make them work, spend, and take care of everything. So there could also be a chance that a man dating a cougar is looking for a motherly figure to take care of him and give him what a younger woman can’t give, including money. A study shows that marriages after the age of 25 have higher chances at becoming successful. So does a forty something lass and twenty something chunk make a logical mathematical sentence? Perhaps yes, and perhaps no; many Hollywood cougars have found great youngsters, including Demi Moore. But for the rest? It’s a big question mark.
Is cougar alert a sign of desperation? Or is it a new light for women? It’s something to celebrate because women have refused to stop falling in love and living life even after the golden age. If their age and wisdom will help them survive a rocky and questionable love affair then perhaps age really doesn’t matter at all.
Juliana Alano
