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Nov 12, 2022Liked by Sharon

I love this piece and yes, it is another example of acting within the paradigm of patriarchy where this is our perspective. It takes a great deal of practice and observation to be able to act or see outside of this paradigm. I have empathy for the young lady in this story, she is acting from her perspective and that is shaped by what she sees around her, like all of us. To create a landscape where we can feel truly authentic requires practice and deep observation and dam dogged perseverance! Keep going sister, you bring us all with you.

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Thanks Caroline. It certainly does take great awareness and presence to live outside of this paradigm. But first we need the awareness and acceptance that we are. Both are big steps, but yes we're all up for it...I'll continue to ask the questions, prompt the conversation and change. I appreciate the support.

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I'm sorry you were blindsided by this situation!

I've always seen a man with a specific preference for younger women as a major red flag. It's either about them looking for a trophy that they think will prove their own worthiness, a belief that they are able to control a younger women more easily or that their own maturity level is below their own ago. None of which represent a man I have any interest in knowing. Nothing wrong with a coupling of any reasonable age gap, but a man with a specific preference is concerning.

So I think we should keep telling other women about a mans preference for younger women, but make it clear that this has everything to do with a deficit in the man and nothing to do with any deficit in the women.

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Thanks for chiming in Rebecca. I appreciate the engagement and your thoughts. However, in reading your response, I realised that I may have left a crucial part out of that piece - she was the girlfriend. The point of the piece was not whether men like younger women or not, it actually wasn't about the man in question at all, it was that a woman used that as ammunition against me ie: her youth. It was about youth being used as a prize/a better than old 'thing', whether it be dating, the workforce etc, even between women. And I was using this story as a way in to why I created a blog about menopause for women of all ages, meaning as women we will be all those ages, so if we want respect for that age when we are that age, we need to start showing it prior to reaching that age. PS: I do agree with you on your thoughts though on the topic you brought up. It's the 100% specific preference that is the issue, not that someone might like someone of another age.

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