There are celebrities out there like Demi Moore, Cameron Diaz Ivana Trump and Lind Hogan who are all self-proclaimed “cougars,” all having dated men who are more than 10 years younger than them. There’s always that one golden dating rule: “Never date anyone under half your age plus seven.”
Many girls have to handle a lot of harassment from their “friends” when dating a younger guy. I, personally, would never go for a younger guy, because I feel like they are much more immature than guys my own age. This is even truer when the girl is in college and the guy is still in high school. I have a friend, Katie, who is 21 and dating a guy in high school and she used to get verbally abused by her roommate and her room mate’s boyfriend whenever her boyfriend, Johnny, would come over to visit. She’s even going to prom with him! I could never do this, but there are some girls who just seem to go for younger guys.
Click here to see a picture slide show of Katie and Johnny.
Dr. Faryr Barkeley, a Human Behavior Expert, says that women in their 20’s is not a “cougar,” but they have a more specific name, “a kitten.” Kittens are college girls who date guys who are still in high school. By definition, my friend Katie is a kitten.
There is much more than an age difference when dating a guy in high school while you are in college. Regina Phlem, a senior at George Washington University, who has had a short , 3 month relationship with a guy in high school tells me, “The freedom gained while in college grows a person and matures them. High school seniors just aren’t the same as people in college. Plus, they have little to relate to you once you’re in college.”
I surveyed 40 college women and asked them if they would ever consider dating someone in high school, this is what I found:
I then surveyed those same 40 women and I asked them if they found younger guys to be more immature. Here are my findings:
I asked those 40 women if they have ever dated someone who was still in high school. Here are my results:
I then asked the women who did date someone in high school if they noticed significant differences in levels of maturity or if they had trouble relating to the guy. Here’s what I found:
So do guys ever catch up to girls? Dr. LouAnn Brizendine, a neuropsychiatrist insists that, yes, they do eventually. Guys normally catch up to girls in their 20s, a time when they are in college.
Don’t fret. If you’re into a younger guy and want to start dating him, there’s hope! My friend Katie does it well. Watch Katie speak about her personal experiences with dating a younger guy. Despite the teasing she may get from other people, she insists that it’s doable and that not all guys in high school are immature.
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