Cougars

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COUGARS

Madonna is 63, her boyfriend is 27, Courtney Cox is 57, her fiancé is 45; Tina Turner is 81, her boyfriend is 65; Katy Price is 42, her boyfriend is 31, Mariah Carey is 51 and her boyfriend is 39, Sharon Stone is 63 and her boyfriend is 25.

Still single? Relax, your boyfriend might not have even been born yet!

Today these older women have been labelled as ‘cougars’ in relation to the mountain lion, as though they are wild animals with no self-control. But this is arguably not true; today women like Tina Turner and Courtney Cox have actually developed long term and loving relationships with their younger partners.

Madonna’s most recent flame has tipped her previously biggest age gap of 30 years with Timor

Steffens, by dating 27-year-old Ahlamalik Williams – 36 years her junior.

While the couple have been recently holidaying in Italy for the ‘Material Girl’s’ 63rd birthday putting on a lot of PDA’s, they were in fact first linked back in 2019 when Williams was her backing dancer and they were spotted cosying up together in a Miami nightclub.

Whether you approve or not approve, Madonna’s 3 kids seemed happy their Mum’s much younger boyfriend joined them on the recent trip.

While Williams has yet to publicly comment on his relationship with Madonna, his predecessor Steffens revealed that the age gap never affected them.

“There is an age gap between me and Madonna but I don’t notice it. My girlfriends have always been older than me and that’s how I like it. I learn a lot!” he claimed.

Although we are certain Mr Steffens is aware that learning isn’t the only plus side of dating an older woman. Chances are she is not new to the dating

scene and will wow you with her knowledge, experience and confidence. Maybe this is why cougar relationships are becoming so de rigeur today.

Courtney Cox, Mariah Carey and Tina Turner have even married their younger men. So unless mountain lions are known to settle down in loving monogamous relationships, I don’t think the name ‘cougar’ sufficiently applies to these women.

Plus, if women from any age have the confidence to get out there and embrace their sexuality then why shouldn’t they? It has been argued that it is even empowering for females to see that age does not stop you from being beautiful and appreciated.

GOING THE DISTANCE

But the question is, does the dramatic age difference end in disaster? Unfortunately, for many couples it all did end in tears. For instance, Madonna has had three failed relationships with men at least 20 years younger than her. These include Jesus Luz, Brahim Zaibit and Timor Steffens.

Demi Moore at the age of 51, Demi married the 35-year-old star Ashton Kutcher in 2005. Ashton even converted to Kabbalah, the form of Judaism that Demi practiced (how romantic). Nonetheless, eight years later it also ended in divorce.

"I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi,” Kutcher posted on Twitter at the time. “Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world, and unfortunately sometimes they fail.”

It can be seen as very telling that Kutcher moved onto someone his own age after the divorce. Back in 2012 he married Mila Kunis - at the age of 31 she was six years younger than Kutcher.

So, what makes some cougar relationships so unsuccessful?

Askmen.com has said it is the baggage of an older women: ex-husbands, children, business pressures and debts. Also the judgement men receive from people such as their bosses and family for dating much older women. This was definitely the case for One Direction´s Harry Styles, who was getting loads of bad press for dating older women such as TV presenter Caroline Flack and U.S. comedian Erin Foster. He was even given the name ‘cougar catcher’ by Hollywood Life.

On the plus side, I’m sure Harry has upped his sales with hopeful housewives since his interest in older women has been revealed. In fact, when interviewed for an online gossip magazine, Harry admitted that he’s seen daughters bury their heads into their hands in humiliation, whilst the mothers try and flirt with him at concerts.

But what about MOUGARS?!

Yes that’s right! Male cougars or Mougars are out there in force too nowadays. In fact, this February Stephen Fry (aged 57) got married to the 27-year-old Elliot Spencer. “We're very much in the honeymoon stage still. I'm dizzy with delirium and ditzy with dippiness,” Mr Fry said. “It's really thrilling; in Chaucerian English I'm bathing in a bath of bliss, it's just great.”

At 51 years old, Jay Z is 12 years older than his beautiful wife Beyoncé. David Hasselhoff is 27 years older than his girlfriend Hayley Roberts - she is almost half his age. But people barely blink an eye at these relationships. It is definitely a one-way street of judgement when it comes to ‘cougaring’.

Even on TV today we see ‘cougars’ presented as wild, uncontrollable predators. Take Cougar Town for example, the series that Courtney Cox stars in. She plays an older mother with a teenage son and is shown to ruthlessly search for younger men as sexual conquests. At one point she even eyes up a young man with the words, “I’d love to lick his body”.

Unfairly women are perceived as doing something wrong in the media when in actual fact they are just enjoying normal, healthy relationships, with men that happen to be a bit younger than them.

THE ORIGINAL COUGAR

However, it seems men’s interest in older women officially began after Finch landed Stiffler’s mum, Jeanine, on top of a pool table in the film American Pie. Finch was congratulated afterwards, as though it was an achievement of some sort. In addition, the phrase MILF (standing for ‘mother I’d like to f***’), also became well known after its frequent use in the hit film. Therefore, it could be argued that the American Pie franchise is what kickedstarted men’s obsession with mothers and older women.

Now there are dating sites specifically aimed towards ‘cougars’.

After researching we can even provide you with a top five. First we have OlderWomenDating.com - yes I’m serious. Followed by AgeMatch.com, KissCougar.com, CougarLife. com and finally Cougared.com. On most of these sites you will find that the men are named ‘cubs’, which I’m sure implies sweet, innocent and vulnerable…?

Overall we think it is very clear that there are two types of cougars today. We have seen those who have actually fallen into a committed loving relationships. So we don’t see why they should be judged in anyway.

Then the others are just after one night flings, and don’t see why they should settle for the old if they can get the new. Fair enough, right?