I read an article today taken from Chatelaine (a Canadian magazine for women) and low and behold there was a reference to my book Don't Ever Call Me Ma'am – The Real Cougar Woman Handbook. It was described as a humorous book that a woman might read to pass the time away on a cougar cruise. Just wanted to set the record straight. This book is not funny, it's a serious look at the challenges women over 40 are dealing with every day. And these issues such as ageism, sex discrimination, menopause, divorce, dating and gaining financial Independence aren't so ha ha when they are happening to you.
In the article Katrina Onstad said, "the cougar joke isn’t a joke; it’s scorn. The cougar is a caricature: the horny granny infiltrating a young man’s world — a nightclub, a pub — encrusted with cheap makeup; a predator spilling out of a polyester wrap dress. And the face that the media is seizing upon this monstrous image reeks of discomfort with the very idea of an older woman who dares to be sexual". I would agree with that one hundred percent and I have been trying to get convey that important message since I started this blog.
The term "cougar" has less do with sex and more to do with power. Female independence is scary to the men who control almost everything. Nothing has really changed since we were earning 67 cents on the dollar. Men our age were really threatened by our intelligence, drive and ability to infiltrate their old boys club. So, no wonder today's Real Cougar is choosing younger men who admire and respect her achievements.
So come on – someone please tell me what women have to do to be taken seriously? We've come so far yet sometimes it feels like we never left the starting gate.
The Real Cougar Woman 