from the AsianJournal - http://www.asianjournal.com/aj-magazine/midweek-mgzn/1224-the-age-of-cougars.html?start=1
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| Lou Sabas and Philipp Harth |
Older women, younger men: Is it the new trend?
Openly revealed or poorly concealed, May-December romances have emerged as phenomenal fodder for conversations, both for those who fawn over or frown on this type of convention-breaking (or some say, liberating) relationship.
Thanks to superstars Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher or their lesser known Hollywood counterparts, what has once been dismissed as taboo has been given quite the rehabilitated image: That older women dating younger men is not only gaining society’s approval but that it is now an attractive alternative. Before Demi and Ashton, there’s always been the May-December partnership between actress Susan Sarandon and her much younger boyfriend actor Tim Robbins.
The Nanny actress Fran Drescher once dated a gentleman 16 years younger than herself. Actress Kim Catrall, whose sexually-adventurous character Samantha in Sex and the City favored young men, is seeing someone many years her junior in real life.
In Philippine showbiz, the May-December trend is alive and well. Famous examples: TV host Kris Aquino and basketballer husband James Yap have an 11-year age gap; star for all seasons Vilma Santos is married to politician Ralph Recto who is ten years younger than the Batangas governor; concert queen Pops Fernandez is dating younger actor Jomari Yllana and the list goes on.
Within the Socal vicinity, there’s been the much publicized new marriage of Fil-Am newspaper columnist Cora Pastrana and the much younger Raymond Bagatsing.
There’s also the fascinating dating life of LA-based singer and actress Lou Sabas who has no qualms admitting she enjoys the company of younger gentlemen.
Sabas believes her fascination with younger men was borne out of an interrupted young adulthood. She married very young (at age 21) and gave birth to a baby girl the following year.
Sabas says she missed the opportunity to date guys her own age when she was in her 20s.
"My first husband was the only older guy in my life, seven years older than me. I got married the second time, he was two years younger. That marriage which lasted ten years didn’t work out in the end. Now I’ve been divorced for 16 years. Most of my friends are in their 20s and 30s and I get along real well with them. So most of the time, I’m around younger guys and they never treat me like an older woman. I like their sense of humor and they are more fun to be with. They uplift my spirit and it helps me feel young all the time. And I believe that how you feel about yourself is the aura that other people can see when they look at you," says Sabas.
Currently, she is openly dating 28-year-old Philipp Harth.
So what’s age really got to do with it? If you ask actor Tim Robbins, age isn’t even a factor in his relationship with the older Susan Sarandon. The actor told a 1995 Playboy magazine interview that "Each person is who they are. I’ve met young women who are old, I’ve met older women who are young."
But really, if age weren’t a factor, why does it even come up in the case of older women dating younger men?
Many believe it’s partly because of the double standard. After all, older men have been engaging in May-December affairs with much younger women for ages.
Author Valerie Gibson who penned the book Cougar: A Guide for Older Women Dating Younger Men is aware of the double standard.
In the end, the ultimate reason why older people decide to date younger is more or less the same across the board— whether you’re a woman, man, gay or straight.
The main lure, according to Gibson is "the mentality of having a youthful person on your arm who makes you feel good, who makes you feel ageless, makes you feel desired and desirable."
Do you hear the resounding "Amen!"?
What the hell?
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