The Cougar In You
What is a 'cougar'?
A cougar is an attractive older woman, generally over 40, that exclusively dates younger men. Now there is a bit of an issue with the fact that cougars are generally thought to be just in it for the sex. However, there are those older women that actually date young men, have relationships with them and want to be married to them. And those are also known as cougars, so sometimes there's an issue with the term cougar.
How did the term cougar come about?
The term cougar is thought to have originated in the late 80's in the dressing room of the Vancouver Canucks Hockey team. They called the older single women that came to their games 'cougars' and it took off from there.
What are the characteristics of a modern day cougar?
A modern day cougar is generally attractive, in shape, independent and sexually savvy.
How big of an age difference is required for a woman to be considered a cougar?
Generally it's a ten year age difference for a woman to be considered a cougar.
Does a woman have to be hot in order to be considered a cougar?
Well, generally, cougars are thought of as hot, but of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, as long as the guy finds the woman hot, then it's going to work.
Who paved the way for cougars?
I believe that Demi Moore kicked off what I call the "Cougar Revolution." She made dating younger men, and marrying younger men more socially acceptable and everyone is following suit. Madonna is also married to a man ten years younger, and of course Cher back in the day was dating younger men left and right. So these three women really paved the way for everyone else.
Do people ever find the term cougar offensive?
The term cougar can be looked at in two ways. The first way is as a predator, which is what most people think, that the young man is the innocent victim and the older woman comes along and with one swipe of the paw she grabs him and drags him back to her den and he wakes up a few hours later and goes, "What happened?" But that's generally not how it goes down. On the other hand, you can look at it positively, when you think of a cougar and you think of the characteristics, like all big cats, its sleek, strong, sexy, confident and in control. So it's ok to be a cougar.
Do you think dating younger men is a trend?
I believe that dating younger men is a trend currently but I don't think it's a trend that's going away. It will be around forever now that it's started and it's not going anywhere and within fifteen or twenty years it's really not going to be a big deal anymore.
How many women are dating younger men these days?
In a recent survey by the AARP has found that 34% of women over 40 are dating younger men. In recent years 25% of brides have been older than their grooms. A recent survey by Cosmo found that almost 30% of men would be willing to date older women.
