Urban Cougars? Mrrow!

For those of you who might be a little embarrassed of the gay community's employment of zoological nomenclature to describe ourselves (bears, pigs, cubs, etc), you should be aware of the straight usage of the word "cougar" to describe an older woman trying way too hard to look young. Ouch. But just like fat gay guys created the bear scene as a form of empowerment, some of these older women have re-invented themseleves as something called the "urban cougar".

On this morning's Today Show, Katie Couric described the urban cougar movement, the explosion of older women pursuing younger men, as representing a "seismic shift" in dating culture. Urban cougar is a new term to me, I've always called it "pulling a Terry McMillan." On the Today Show , Ivana Trump was quoted as having said, "I'd rather be a babysitter than a nurse."

There is a website for older women interesting in dating younger men, UrbanCougar.com. From the website: Urbancougar: It's not a stigma, it's a sophisticated species of female who seeks the pleasure of younger males. She avoids the entanglements of a "relationship," in favor of the freedom of the hunt. She has overcome the taboos related to her sexual identity, embraced her true self, and now lives her life to its fullest. Always one for adventure, she knows what she wants and isn't afraid to get it! This website is a celebration of the urbancougar lifestyle, the women who embody it, and the prey who love them for it!

"The prey"? You go, you urban cougar, you.

UPDATE: Check out the UrbanCougar.com categories of prey.