When older men date younger women, they are sometimes called ‘dirty old men’ or ’sugar daddies’. Not empowering thoughts. And yet when older women prefer younger men, they are supposedly empowered predators on the hunt. Really??? Who comes up with this crap?

Several women in my office have taken to supposedly ’cougar-like’ antics with a vengeance.  I have a younger male assistant of normal, pleasant appearance – fingers and toes correct and all that. Numerous older females feel the urge to tell me that my assistant is ‘easy on the eye’, ‘eye-candy’ and how lucky I am to be able to look at him all day. At 23 years old, the guy is young enough to be my (and their) son. I have no personal interest in him.  But I am supposed to appreciate their ‘R-rr-rr-ing’ at him and making suggestive comments to / about him, because that’s cool, right?? Oh and of course, he is supposed to be flattered by the attentions of mid-30 to 50 year old women leering at him all day. Hey, if Courtney Cox is a cougar, then it must be cool. I mean when she was a “Friend” we all wanted to be / have Friends like that – right? 

Yeah, I know, I am an old fashioned fuddy-duddy prude. I am killing all the fun. But women, next time you feel like making eye-candy out of the young guy in the office (or elsewhere) consider your feelings if that young guy was a young girl of 23 and older male colleagues were walking around calling her ‘eye-candy’ and wolf-whistling at her. The men are hunting and stalking sexually desirable prey too – aren’t they? Why is that harassment? Why is that not deserving of a cougar-like title? What is a male cougar called anyway??

I agree with Audrey Irvine in her piece, “Don’t you dare call me a cougar!” – where she says, “I refuse to be associated with a term that makes my dating life sound like I’m hunting, stalking and forcing my attentions upon some innocent, inexperienced young male.”

For goodness sake, love and be with whoever you like (legally) – older, younger, black, white, green or whatever – just drop the useless wannabe-celebrity terms and the associated tacky behaviours already.