Love & Sex

Older men love younger women. This isn't a shocking statement and likely won't surprise anyone (and if it does, one might ask where you have been). The lecherous older man in his 50s drooling over the 24-year-old blonde is about as shocking as a dog peeing on a hydrant. It happens every day.

But why it happens is somewhat surprising. According to Jezebel, the reason men like younger women isn't that they're more attractive or even more fertile, though both of those come into play. It's because they're seeking validation for their own attractiveness and fear of aging, and they're getting it through younger women.

It's as if he is saying: "If she likes me, I am not REALLY 45." And sadly, I kind of get it. As a woman who is close(ish) to the dreaded 35 -- the age at which women are no longer AS attractive to men, according to Jezebel -- I know what it means.

I certainly relish things men say to me that I used to dismiss. When a man passes me in the street and turns his head or whistles or says something, now I feel a charge. I used to feel disgusted.

As I age, I look for a lot more validation for my looks than I did when I was younger and took them more for granted. It isn't a fun position to be in, really. I understand the desire to look for younger people because it keeps you young. We women can complain about it all we want, but it's no more strange than a younger woman who is looking for stability seeking an older man who is a good provider. It's also no more strange than a woman who won't date unemployed men or men who live at home.

We all have our "things." Sure, I am glad to be off the dating market at my current age. I wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of competing with women in their 20s for men. But a man who wants a woman so much younger is likely not a man I would want anyway.

There is something to be said for the experience and wisdom that come with age. A man who isn't looking for that in a partner may not be looking for the kind of equal relationship that I would want. I know that even if my husband were on the market today, he would never date a woman under 30. That is just not his thing.

So, sure. Men are welcome to their opinions and they can like sweet young things. But we older women don't have to like them either.

Do you think it's weird to be in to younger women?

Image via Pete N Repeat/Flickr