18 May, 2006
Tadpole
May-December romance. Robbing the cradle. And now tadpoling. A friend sent me an article from Dish Magazine where I encountered the term for the first time.
Thirty years ago, the movie 40 Carats--where a fortysomething woman gets involved with a much younger man--raised a minor stir. Nowadays, if you date younger men, you are not alone.
It's everywhere, partly because older women are younger in looks and attitude.
I for one applaud this trend. For years we have heard much of older men dating (much) younger women, so why not the reverse? Older women bring sophistication and self-confidence to the table; younger men bring their joie de vivre and boundless energy. I say it's a fair trade.
But there are caveats. As common as it is now, there's a segment of society that remains uncomfortable with this phenomenon. An older woman runs the risk of being branded a seductress or afraid of stable relationships; many aslo assume that such a woman is only looking for a fling which doesn't lead to anything substantial or permanent.
There is also the issue of younger men being unfamiliar with the limits of their invincibility. Free of baggage, they can be brash or arrogant, as opposed to older men whose life experiences may have grounded or sobered them.
Still, there are no absolutes. Age doesn't always translate to maturity nor does youth always translate to frivolity. As women stay single longer, we may just have to include younger men in our dating pool and not let social conventions limit our personal lives.
Thirty years ago, the movie 40 Carats--where a fortysomething woman gets involved with a much younger man--raised a minor stir. Nowadays, if you date younger men, you are not alone.
It's everywhere, partly because older women are younger in looks and attitude.
I for one applaud this trend. For years we have heard much of older men dating (much) younger women, so why not the reverse? Older women bring sophistication and self-confidence to the table; younger men bring their joie de vivre and boundless energy. I say it's a fair trade.
But there are caveats. As common as it is now, there's a segment of society that remains uncomfortable with this phenomenon. An older woman runs the risk of being branded a seductress or afraid of stable relationships; many aslo assume that such a woman is only looking for a fling which doesn't lead to anything substantial or permanent.
There is also the issue of younger men being unfamiliar with the limits of their invincibility. Free of baggage, they can be brash or arrogant, as opposed to older men whose life experiences may have grounded or sobered them.
Still, there are no absolutes. Age doesn't always translate to maturity nor does youth always translate to frivolity. As women stay single longer, we may just have to include younger men in our dating pool and not let social conventions limit our personal lives.
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I'm a curious dilettante
from Los Angeles, California.
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