Older Women, Younger Men

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher

I was surfing channels last night when I chanced upon a movie starring Filipino actress Nora Aunor that illustrates the struggles a woman has to go through when she falls in love with a man much younger than herself. Even without the wide age gap, the protagonist and her man were literally worlds apart – she's a judge enjoying some wealth and influence while he's a taxicab driver supporting his widowed mom and a number of siblings.

Given that the movie was produced at least 15 years ago, it's not surprising that there's a lot of negativity surrounding the issue of an older woman getting it on with a much younger man. It's as if the relationship was unnatural, if not evil. The pair in the movie was ridiculed and ostracized; it hurt much more for the woman because she's a person with a high profile.

Today, relationships between an older woman and a younger man are becoming more and more commonplace, judging by the number of female celebrities dating or marrying younger men. We've got Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, Madonna and current boyfriend Brahim Zaibat, among others.

This doesn't mean, though, that society has become entirely accepting of such relationships. It's still such a big deal if a woman starts dating a man younger than herself. People raise eyebrows at her, talk about her behind her back, call her names like "cougar" and "sugar momma," and make jokes about her sex life.

No one says anything about the younger man, though. Sure, he gets his share of criticisms and insults for getting it on with an older woman, but his share is minuscule compared to that received by the woman. It's not unheard of for these young men to be congratulated by their buddies for catching the eye of a cougar.

And no one would bat an eyelash if the situation is reversed and the couple is an older man with a younger woman.

As one such woman who is with a younger man, I have this to say: Age is only a number. What's more important is how the two people involved in the relationship deal with each other. As long as these two people share the same values, have common interests, and are more than willing to communicate openly with each other, they'll be just fine.

What do you think of relationships between older women and younger men?

(Image: tophollywoodtop.blogspot.com)