Monday, October 19, 2009

Calling all Cougars!


Isn't it funny how you can come across the same subject matter time and time again for no particular reason. For the last week every newspaper, magazine, TV program and conversation I have had seems to touch on the phenomenon of..... The Cougar. And not the furry members of the cat family.

According to Wikipedia, a Cougar is a "woman over 40 who sexually pursues younger men, typically more than eight years her junior".

I  remarked to my wife recently that I have now reached an age where a Cougar on the prowl would have long lost interest in someone of my advanced years. Yet another one of life's opportunities has now been sadly snuffed out. Unexpectedly, my wife has no sympathy with my new predicament and caused me greater angst with the revelation that she is now of an age to qualify as a Cougar;-) Hey, that's not funny!

We note with interest that some accommodation providers are shamelessly making the most of this new market demographic.

We see that as an example of inovative niche marketing,  Hotel Diva in San Francisco have introduced the Cougars With Personality Package. OK, it's shamelessly titillating and tacky, but that's what we like about it.

So what does the package include?
  • A one-night stay (The Cougar's den)
  • Two Hanky-Panky animal-print thongs (Cub bait)
  • Two Lemon Drop cocktails (Cougar courage)
  • Two $25 Gift Certificates for the Epi Center MedSpa (Yes, they do Botox!)
  • Professional bra fittings at Nordstrom (Hold 'em high)
  • “A list of San Francisco’s hottest Cougar bars” (We assume this is where young dudes hang out)
Judging by the package on offer, I guess Cougars hunt in pairs?

...So, this got us thinking. What sort of accommodation packages could be assembled to target other demographic niche markets?:

  • Boy toy or toy boy A much younger boyfriend or husband of an older woman.
  • Chickenhawke An older gay man who sexually pursues younger males.
  • Cradle robber or cradle snatcher A man (primarily, but could refer to a woman) involved with a much younger individual.
  • Cub The younger male who is supposedly going out with a "Cougar".
  • Gold digger Someone who develops a relationship with a much older partner for primarily financial reasons, especially to inherit the partner's wealth upon death (which is expected to come soon).
  • Jailbait A sexually attractive person (primarily female but could refer to a male) who is below the legal age of consent.
  • Lolita A sexually precocious girl who is the object of desire of a significantly older man.
  • May-December romance A relationship in which the age differential between the two adults is wide enough to risk social disapproval.
  • Manther The male version of a cougar.
  • MILF An acronym of "Mother [or 'Mom'] I'd Like to F*ck", widely-used idiom that was popularised in the 1999 film American Pie).
  • Puma A woman in her thirties who dates a younger man (i.e., 20-somethings), often considered to be "cougars-in-training". It also means Cougars whose age disparity is less than 8 years.
  • Silver fox An attractive older male who is pursued by (generally much) younger women.
  • Sugar baby The person provided for by a sugar daddy/mommy.
  • Sugar daddy/mama/mommy A rich, usually older person who offers money or gifts to a less rich, usually younger person in return for companionship or sexual favors.
  • Troll A man, often a less-attractive older one, who cruises for sex.
Please feel free to go wild with your accommodation package ideas and make sure you tell us about it.

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