‘Cougar Town:’ Is Courteney Cox hitting it or stepping in it?
Courteney Cox is ready to hit that. Are you? (Image via Wikipedia)
While waiting for a repeat of “Scrubs” to come on at Worst Episode Ever world headquarters this week, my wife and I caught a promo for ABC’s new fall series “Cougar Town,” starring Courteney Cox. The following (mostly) verbatim conversation then followed:
Wife: No offense to Courteney Cox, but that show is offensive.
Me (feigning ignorance): What’s offensive? The title?
Wife: Well, certainly the title… but the whole idea. And I hate that word: “cougar.”
Me: Would you…
Wife: (cutting me off) I mean, why is it OK for older men to date younger women, but when an older woman dates young men, it’s a wacky comedy… and why do they have to be called “cougars?” Like they’re some predatory animal… No one calls men who date younger women…
Me: Pumas?
Wife: Ha, ha.
Me: If it was called something else, would you watch it?
Wife: I like Courteney Cox, but I’m not sure… And it’s not just the title. The whole concept is old. “Cougars?” Didn’t that concept already go out of date?
Me: Good point.
Here’s the official preview of “Cougar Town,” which is co-executive produced by Cox (who seems to have dropped the “Arquette” hyphenation) and Bill Lawrence, the creator of “Scrubs:”
You won’t find any women’s studies classes on my college transcript, but I don’t think you need to have a PhD in our patriarchical society to think Mrs. G has a point. While it looks like the show tries to address the fact that society looks askance at women trying to date younger men… it undermines that dash of empowerment in the next breath by portraying women in their 40s as lonely drinkers and desperate barflies looking for quickie sex. Or are we reading too much into a three-minute promo?
What do you think? Let me know in the comments…
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Sigh. I just wish FX hadn’t canceled Dirt. I loved that show.
Older guys who date younger women are called “pathetic” etc. It does work both ways.
Mr. Greenberg,
To begin with a definition, a “cougar” is not an older women who seeks out younger men but rather an older woman who attracts younger men. Whether she either seeks to have a relationship with them or not is not the point. However we are talking about TV here so it is likely to be about some recent divorcee who cannot get a date with anyone her own age (’cause they’re off chasing younger women) so well guess what? How do you spell 100% predictable? T – V.
I guess in a weird TV sort of way it is saying “Older women can be evaluated entirely by their appearances in a positive way just as younger women can”. Is that empowering or demeaning? It is probably a little of both. I know women in their 50’s who get hit on by much younger men. They tell me it is very much a mixed experience. On the one hand, they get a good feeling that some younger, good-looking fellow might find them attractive. On the other hand, they know quite well that those younger men are after exactly one thing. So art, life, and mixed feelings. The German’s have a saying “It is all in the ‘how’”. If you can capture the real, complex emotions of older woman meeting and falling for a younger man, maybe you have art. If you use a bunch of stale stereotypes in sexually exploitative situations, you probably have television.
There are a hand full of thoughts.
I am not crazy about the ‘cougar’ stereotype nor negative impression out there with older women/younger men. However, I will at least check out this series, in support of Courteny Cox, a good actress, & others like her that are over 40 & still look great!