Cougars

In this infinitely confusing era of Feminism, sexual harassment, asexuality and metrosexuality, there are not many things the men of the world have to be more thankful for than Cougars. Once seen as past their prime, the 40-something divorcees were the social equivalent of horses put out to pasture. Outcast from the world of happy hours and nightlife, they were expected to stay home and watch prime-time soaps, keeping their opinions and their sagging decolletage to themselves.

Today, though, with a few thousand dollars worth of cleavage and a "gently used" BMW, they are becoming a regular fixture roaming the bars and clubs of cities everywhere.

Where once men were the hunters and women played the part of the damsel in distress – a game most players knew the rules to intimately – Cougars have stepped in with a virtual EMP, short-circuiting the process. This leaves men new to the phenomenon confused and on uncertain ground, blindly attempting to navigate this new landscape, wondering just who is the hunter and who is the hunted.

And, women are in an even worse position. Where females of all ages used to rely on the ladies-room camaraderie of shared experiences to commune over whether she should "dump his ass" or "give him one more try" now there is tension in the restaurant lavatory when the 24-year-old Aphrodite stares through the mirror at the 42-year-old Venus. Caught between an instinctive desire to compliment another member of the Sisterhood on her beauty and the gut-wrenching fear her date might want to do the same, she stalls like a kite on a windless day.

Yes, Cougars are rewriting the rules of the dating game to the point dating doesn't often even come into play. Men are hustling to play catch up and trying to figure out why she didn't call the next morning while women are beginning to see a light dawning.

Perhaps the 21st century will see women holding the reins. Will they take this opportunity to seek the equality they've wanted so long, or will they embrace their advantage and become the new Men?