Yet another "age gap" thread ... but with an important difference

[Anotherkiwi]

So many people in this pursuit seem to be obsessed with age gaps - whether it's young girls on AnastasaiaDate and similar sites trolling for rich middle-aged (or older) dudes with no brains, or those same guys declaring that they can only find happiness with a twenty-something who has model looks, a pneumatic chest, and legs that go on forever.  There are some members here who are happily married to a woman who is 20, 30 or even more years younger than themselves, and there are other members who are married to women exactly the same age as themselves.

The one constant, though, is the amount of "age gap relationships don't happen in the USA" nonsense spouted by some posters, when they must surely know that they DO.  While possibly less common than similar relationships between Western men (from any country) and women from the FSU, South America, or eastern Asia, Hollywood obviously believes that the only true relationships in Tinseltown are those with exactly the same parameters that are so often decried here.

http://nz.lifestyle.yahoo.com/marie-claire/news-and-views/latest/a/28316216/hollywood-s-age-gap-problem-is-spiralling-out-of-control/

which is derived from (and has a link to):

http://www.vulture.com/2015/05/emma-jlaw-and-scarletts-older-man-problem.html

What's most interesting, though, and is something which I haven't seen before, is the extract from the USA's 2013 census data which is included in the Vulture article.

According to the 2013 census, nearly 60 percent of heterosexual married couples are within two to three years of each other; a union separated by 15 years ... comes up only 1.6 percent of the time, and ... men who exceeded her age by 20 years are reflected by a mere one percent of actual couples.

Vulture do specifically exclude Hollywood stars and producers from their analysis, however. 

[Boethius]

The one constant, though, is the amount of "age gap relationships don't happen in the USA" nonsense spouted by some posters, when they must surely know that they DO. 

Doesn't vulture negate this assertion?

[LiveFromUkraine]

I have never seen anyone say age gaps or even LARGE age gaps don't happen in the west.


I can honestly say I don't understand your post Kiwi.  Are you saying large age gaps are common and using Hollywood movies to make this assertion?  Surely you are joking with us.   

[Anotherkiwi]

Doesn't vulture negate this assertion?

It would certainly seem so.

[Anotherkiwi]

I have never seen anyone say age gaps or even LARGE age gaps don't happen in the west.

I'll allow that you may have missed it, but it most definitely has been posted here.

I can honestly say I don't understand your post Kiwi.  Are you saying large age gaps are common and using Hollywood movies to make this assertion?  Surely you are joking with us.   

No - you have it the wrong way round.  The fantasists amongst those pursuing smokinghotkovas will always argue that these girls say that they're open to relationships with anyone from 18 to 118 and, because it's on the internet, it must be true.  Hollywood is simply reinforcing the stereotype of older men being able to attract much younger women.  Unfortunately, the fantasists take it as gospel that it's possible because it happened in the movies, but don't (or won't) acknowledge that, apart from the movie being fiction, the average movie star has rather a lot more going for him than John Smith of Nowheresville, Oklahoma.

[TagUrIt898]

Interesting article, but those are Hollywood movie relationships.  In real life I don't think there is a right formula.  Everyone's situation is different.  There are  plenty of older men that set off on foolish journeys and end up with horror stories to report.  I think that an age difference relationship can work, you just have to want and have the same goals.  Many are unrealistic about their pursuit, no common interests, lack of equal attraction, the list goes on.  Plus I'm sure there isn't anything I could say that hasn't been said already.  All in all, I think they can work you just have to want the same things and be realistic and honest about achieving them.


Tag

[Anotherkiwi]

Everyone's situation is different.  There are  plenty of older men that set off on foolish journeys and end up with horror stories to report.  I think that an age difference relationship can work, you just have to want and have the same goals.

That was why I qualified my opening post with:

There are some members here who are happily married to a woman who is 20, 30 or even more years younger than themselves, and there are other members who are married to women exactly the same age as themselves.

There are also, of course, many in the middle, who are married to someone younger, but with only a few years' difference.