Dating. Does the very word make you tingle all over with excitement, or quiver with fear? Whatever your take, if you're young, free and single then the Chicklit dating coach Salma Shah has some words of wisdom for you. We've also got some helpful advice from dating experts www.match.com and some interesting stories on how to find the match that's right for you.| The new cougars come together to cherrypick their cubs |
We’ve all seen the hit new ABC show Cougar Town, starring Courtenay Cox as the older woman who digs a younger man. But how realistic is the show? Should women be happy about the cougar craze? And just what is a real cougar like anyway? Well, a new survey of women who identify themselves as lifestyle cougars reveals that a whole community of women prefer their men to be rather more boyish. “Cougar” isn’t just a word that frat boys use to label their older conquests during the hazy college years. It’s a self-identification that older women use positively to group themselves together. Yes, ladies, you can prefer younger men proudly and loudly; there are others out there like you. The Cougar Report 2009, carried out by dating site Cougared.com, found that the majority of women using their site have considered themselves “cougars” for years and are seasoned hunting pros. The vast majority had dated more than one younger man, and either mainly or exclusively dated younger men by choice. The new cougars are very specific about their tastes, too. Almost half of women included in the survey prefer their “cubs” to be aged between 24 and 29. Mee-ow. A third of the cougars, however, prefer a little more maturity, going for men aged between 30 and 37 years old. A man in his forties barely gets a look in with these ladies, as over 80% of the cougars taking part in the survey are in their 40s or 50s, and men they date are normally 10-20 years younger. All this sounds pretty kinky, and one of the reasons these ladies go for younger men is better sex. Big surprise. But, surprisingly, more energetic sex and better bodies are not the only motivations cougars list behind their lifestyle choice. Cougared.com found that older women liked the lighter conversation, youthfulness, and party-attitude of younger men. Some even chase younger men for post-feminist reasons, hoping to turn the older-man-chasing-teenage-girls stereotype on its head. Almost all of the women who responded to the survey said that men their own age turned them off with emotional baggage, laziness and an overly-serious attitude. It’s not just sex, parties and playfulness, either. 90% of cougars said that they were looking for long-term relationships with their younger lovers; so, young guys looking for a few nights of fun had better be careful. Unsurprisingly, the top place for a cougar and a cub to meet at first is online, with two thirds of cougars saying that they found their lovers on a cougar or mainstream dating website. Aside from this, some cougars still prefer to track their cubs the traditional way, with 42% cruising bars and clubs and 35% scanning the office for playmates (watch out copy boys and office juniors). After attracting their cub’s eye, the modern cougar prefers a date over dinner or drinks in a bar or club. Contrary to the old myth, today’s cougars are not sugarmommies; over half would split the check on a first date, a significant minority like their man to pay, and only a small proportion prefer to treat their young playmates. It looks as thought it’s perfectly acceptable now for women to pick and choose exactly what kind of man they want, especially with niche dating sites. Check out the results for yourself at http://www.cougared.com/ |
| Posted: 25/11/2009 10:39:31 Last Updated: 25/11/2009 10:41:45 |
Chick Lit > Dating Chicks :: The new cougars come together to cherrypick their cubs