I have to admit this new trend is lost on me.
Gone are the days when middle-aged mom was content with a sexless demeanor and stayed home to read Reader's Digest, sipping tea, and reminiscing about the days when she actually mattered. Thank heavens for that!
We all need to be fine with who we are, no matter what the age but this whole banner-waving, card carrying Cougar thing is leaving me a tad cold.
It. Is. Everywhere.
I was reading The British Medical Journal last night over dinner (ok, it was US Weekly) and within a couple of pages I read that a new reality show, modeled after The Bachelor (and created by the same people) called....drum roll...The Cougar. The ad for the show saw a take-no-prisoners 40-something wearing a micro mini skirt and 6 inch heels, with a bunch of young studs behind her. I assume the premise is the same as the Bachelor - the guys will compete to stay on the show and the winner will have a 'meaningful yet sexy relationship' with the Cougar.
A few pages on, there is a clip of Courtney Cox and another actress racing on a street. I have no idea who they are running after but they are holding their sky high heels in their hands and wearing mini-dresses. She will be playing a "hot" 40-something mom who is newly single. The names of this new series? Cougar Town.
What qualifies a woman to be a cougar? Is it her age, or the age of the men she dates? Is a 32 year old woman who dates a 20 year old guy a cougar? Or does a woman have to be over 40? And is wearing animals print part of the cougar uniform?
The "Cougar Woman" is seen as a bit predatory. She stalks and hunts down her prey (that'd be the young lad she eyes up) and snaps him up and devours him. She is all powerful and unafraid to stake her claim.
Or...she's sadly trying to relive her young, single days and is competing with her teenage daughters for who is the "hottest" chick on the block.
Either way, I'm not so into this cougar lark. It's been a couple of years and now that it's going to be all over TV, I guess it has a couple more years left before it fades away...a bit like the Macarena and 'bling'.
Tell Us
Do you like the Cougar phenomenon? What makes a woman a cougar?