After watching an episode of Blackish it got me thinking of the age-old stigma of older women dating younger men, and how we all think it is disgusting because she could be his mother. That we do not find it disgusting for an older man to be dating younger women. Older man is called a Manthers which are male cougars, have been introduced by to us in all forms of media. We are used to old men shacking up with younger women and we see nothing wrong with it. Look at Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones who is twenty-five years younger than him. Nobody bats an eye about that because it is the “norm” to have a younger woman date a much older guy. Take a look at Nick Jonas from the band Jonas Brothers. He marries Priyanka Chopra, a woman ten years older than him. Everybody freaks out, but why? I have some ideas,

Idea number one, society wants women to make babies when we’re young. It is what makes a woman a woman to produce off spring.Years ago, women had more kids, because some died of disease or health defects and some babies never got a names until they reached the age of two. Some women died giving due to the lack of health care in those days. Their husband remarried younger women to produce more offspring until they had a son, to take over the land. I think it is because women have a biological clock and can make babies for X amount of time. Women’s eggs are fertile when they are young. Meanwhile most men can make babies up until the day they die. So, if an older man hooks up with a younger woman, she can produce babies for him. It does not work the other way around depending on the age of the woman and if she is fertile. Some men will leave you for another woman, if a woman cannot make them babies. T.V always depicts this issue in its story line.

Idea number two, Societal expectations, older men are supposed to be the bread winner making money while having a stable career. That is beyond his female counterpart.He is supposed to be successful, in media he depict as this womanizer or workaholic, who gets the younger women. People see the younger women in his life as partners not toys.They call him lucky for scoring somebody so beautiful and young. When the roles are switch the older woman has the stable career making money. She is seen “as a bitch not a baller” as Taylor Swift said in her song The Man. Society does not like seeing older woman being successful, which is why is media she is depicting as the cranky boss, who cannot get a boyfriend at her “age”. Also, people see the younger men in her life not as her partners but as being her toys. They wonder if she can date somebody her own age. While the older man can date whoever he wants.

All of this is a magical thing called ageism which is a prejudice against someone age. That mostly attack women because we are supposed to stay this magical butterfly forever, we cannot get old, ever, and we have to act our age compared to our male counter parts.