Popularity and trends in dating younger men.

Dating younger men has been around for ages. Queen Elizabeth I hooked up with the Earl of Essex when she was 53 & he was 26. .More recently, Cher is known for always dating younger men and Demi Moore kicked off what I call the Cougar Revolution by not only dating, but actually marrying someone 5 years younger, Ashton Kutcher.

Other celebrity cougars include Paula Abdul, who is dating a man 12 years younger; Katie Couric is 17 years older than her man; Ivana Trump is about to marry a man 23 years her junior; Mira Sorvino is married to a man who is 14 years younger and Madonna's husband is 10 years younger.

There are two main reasons why dating younger men has become so popular. The first is that 20-30 years ago, there weren't as many single women over 30. Most people married in their 20s and stayed married, no matter what. As divorce became more socially acceptable, women in the 30s and 40s began to enter the dating scene. However, they often found that men their age preferred younger women, so their choices were usually relegated to men 15-20 years their senior. Many of these women however, were young at heart, vibrant and attractive and didn't want to be with someone that much older.
The second reason is finances. Just as financially independent men often prefer younger women, financially independent women often prefer younger men. Now that women are no longer bound by finances and social norms and mores are loosening up, they are finally able to make more honest choices when it comes to a partner.

I'm Lucia your cougar expert for cougarchannel.com, happy hunting, thanks for watching. (less info)