Janet, we'll call it "Copywriting Cougars."

I'm in!

In all fairness, Rick sent me a very nice PM after he posted in this thread.

Let me reiterate. I've never said he was a bad guy, just that his approach was bad.

We all have times when we just don't "get it" in our lives. I think that Rick now does.

This was just a marketing faux pas. If you've been in this business long enough, you'll make your fair share of them. I know that I have.

I just learned that term yesterday and I didn't love it, but then, they were talking about Jennifer Aniston. (!) So I guess we're in good company.

Glad you're in, Deb, let's start finding those cute young men, and those rich old men, girls!

Come on, girls, where ya been?

Northwest Cougars Hunt—and Are Hunted by—Younger Men, page 1 - News - Seattle Weekly

I think it's a fun term. It sure beats being called an "old maid."

I've got to admit that I'm not into the "sugar daddy" idea. I'll leave you and Suzanne in charge of that conference.

Ken, some of us have become cougars by default. I'm tellin' ya, the older men don't want to date us 40-something women...unless they're much older. I just can't date men who are within five or so years of my mom's age. That's just too weird for me.

Is this really true? I've heard other women say this, but it's not been my experience. I pretty much only deal with guys within a 7 year age range--either older or younger.

By the way, I know Oprah et al are very big on being open about one's age but I just don't discuss my age. I wasn't fixated on age when I was in my 20s or 30s so I don't see any justification for suddenly shifting gears.

To make such a big fuss out of age is aging, imo.

Same thing goes for men. Don't need to hear about their middle aged health issues or emotional crises...

In general, I'm also more comfortable with that exact same age range, Suzanne. It's funny, this thread had me thinking about that, and that is exactly what I came up with, honest. About seven years within my age, up or down - though having a lot in common could expand that range. That's why I get how weird and insulting Rick's message was, although he clearly didn't intend it to be. And to his credit, he seems to have learned his lesson (which includes - don't ask for just one woman's opinion and expect it to reflect that of a majority of women).

If a man my own age doesn't want to date me just because we're the same age, well that's just weird. At least to me it seems weird. There are plenty of other reasons for men not to want to date me but I can't see that as one of them.

Ken, that article was pretty racy for a family newspaper! I was surprised at the photo.

Fun read, thanks for sharing.

Janet

It's been my experience.

In my thirties, I had no problem in the dating scene. Because I've been a single mom for more than a decade, I often use online dating. I met a lot of nice men through online dating (and a couple of freaks), but it was--overall--a good experience because I was careful about how I did it. I dated a doctor, an engineer, and a lot of people who were fed up with the bar scene and just wanted to meet other nice people.

In my forties, well, I've completely stopped the online dating. My last date was a year ago this month. The experience was so high schoolish, and I said, "Enough is enough." Yes, it is that difficult. Imperfect men are looking for perfection in women. That's not realistic at any level.

Now I'm living in a different location, and I'm not your typical southern chick. I'm Buddhist and very liberal and living in a very close-knit, Bible belt town where everyone knows everyone.

I thought online was the way to keep going to find men who shared my own interests. I've found that a lot of the men get pickier with age. Many of them are looking for "perfection." I'm not naive enough to think all men past 40 are that way, but with online dating people are "shopping." Also, being Buddhist is not very popular here, either. Most people I've met have no clue what being Buddhist really means, so they make outrageous false assumptions about me.

I'd rather just take the wait and see approach. I believe that friendship is the best foundation for dating. Once I move into an area that is more diverse, I'm sure that part of my life will change. Until then, my life is all about copywriting and kids. No more date shopping online for me.

Suzanne wrote:

You definitely are not.

I couldn't believe that was real at first when I saw it.