Double Standard for Women after Divorce...

I was reading one of the online entertainment blogs the other day and was shocked at the headline accompanying the photo of Sharon Stone with her new, much younger boyfriend. It said something like "Sharon Stone the cougar shows off her kill".

I have never seen such headlines used for male celebrities dating much younger women. No one seemed to care that Tom Cruise married Katie Holmes, who is many years younger. What about 82 year old Hugh Hefner and his three girlfriends, one who was only 19 when she moved in with him?

Men dating younger women are respected and look up to by other men and the media and the women are attacked. Linda Hogan is another recent example. She is dating a man 29 years younger and the media has had a field day.Although I personally could not imagine dating a man so much younger than me, it is not my business to judge another woman's choice. The message sent to single, divorced women over 40 is that you are a "cougar" and on "the prowl" if you date a younger man.

It is surprising that is the year 2008 there are still different rules for women than men. If a woman wants to date a younger man, that is her personal choice, just as it for a man to date a younger woman. I think women who are single should not fear being labeled a "cougar" if they are comfortable dating younger men.