A Cougar is a female, usually between 30 and 50 years old, who enjoys the sexual company of younger men under the age of 25.
The Cougar is non-committal, choosing to move from mate to mate without settling down. It is not uncommon for the same Cougar to 'attack' (sleep with) many different men in the same group of friends. Furthermore, Cougars are older and more practiced in the ways of snaring a mate so they will rarely broadcast their intentions to sleep with you until you are already in her Jetta, headed for the condo she just bought. It is this elusive behavior that earns her the name “Cougar.” - Urban Dictionary.
A lifestyle choice that was once frowned upon has now become trendy and many businesses are starting to jump on the Cougar bandwagon, trying cash in on it while it's still trendy.
New Zealand Airways had its controversial Cougar ad, while Sugarmill bar in Kings Cross (Sydney) recently held its 'Cougar Hunting' night on Valentines Day, and sites such as dateacougar.com are flourishing.
Even Hollywood is exploiting the trend and making it mainstream, with the Desperate Housewives portraying a married woman cheating on her husband with a younger man; the film American Pie, which popularised the idea of a college student starting a relationship with his friend's mother and then there is Courtney Cox's new show, Cougartown.
And we can't forget Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, who have a 15 year age difference.
With such an increase in older woman going for younger men, it was not a surprise to hear that the Crows Nest Hotel bar wanted a piece of the action.
Starting on Thursday, April 15 2010, Cougars and 'cubs' will be flocking to the Crows Nest Hotel to be part of Cougar Nights with Cougar comediennes Bianca Dye and Jackie Loeb kick starting the event with a model quest for the 'hottest young men' in Sydney.
Even though the event is targeted towards getting older women to come, I wouldn't be surprised to see younger women trying to intercept the boys before they reach the 'cougar'.
It also won't be a surprise to see outrage from some critics.
However, Crows Nest Hotel licensee Josh Stuart disagreed.
"We want to support this symbiotic relationship between the intelligent and intriguing 30+ women and the strapping young lads.
"Our objective was to design and dedicate a night with this valued sector of our clientele in mind," Stuart said.
And even though they are targeting older women, younger women need not be worried.
"There's certainly going to be something for everyone, I don't think the younger ladies are going to mind either," Stuart added.
I just hope not to see any of my friend's single mothers at the event...