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 Claudia Opdenkelder's CougarLife.com boasts 80,000 members and growing. (Sun Media/HO) |
Confidently making her way through the room, the woman in the short, curve-hugging fire-engine red dress stopped every couple of feet to mingle with the crowd.
She was tall and lean, had a brightly painted pucker like Marilyn Monroe at her most glamourous, a beguiling smile and a dazzling head of wavy red hair.
The woman certainly had the grace of a classic 1940s film siren, but there was something else about her that stood out.
She was in her 70s, and beside her stood a dashing man of about 30.
Hmm, a grandson, perhaps?
Nope, not even close.
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I later learned that the man accompanying her was, in fact, her boyfriend.
Yes, for the first time ever, I'd just spotted a cougar up close. And she was a fascinating creature indeed.
Admittedly, I was impressed by her joi de vivre, youthfulness and, presumably, her healthy sexual appetite.
This was a number of years ago, when the term "cougar" was still largely taboo.
Back then, it implied that a woman of a certain age might suddenly turn into a fearless predator, hit the town decked out in her finest leopard-print attire and pounce on the first unsuspecting young thing who happened to cross her path.
My, how things change.
With stars such as Demi Moore and Halle Berry proudly snapping up younger guys, claiming cougar status has become hotter than faux lesbianism (think Madonna and Britney) or Sex and the City character Smith Jared without his shirt on.
Certainly cougars have long existed, at least in the fictional sense anyway.
The queen of all cougars is perhaps the one who started it all -- the mysterious Mrs. Robinson.
With her thigh-high stockings and leopard-print attire, Mrs. Robinson became the poster gal for cougars when she seduced a nervous college grad in the famous 1967 flick, The Graduate.
But, even with the '60s free-love mantra in full force, the world wasn't yet ready for a real-life Mrs. Robinson.
Nowadays, one needn't look far to see that cougars are roaming free.
In fact, just last week the ABC series Cougar Town debuted, starring former Friends star Courteney Cox.
Cox plays Jules Cobb, a newly divorced mother with a non-existent sex life. That is, until she becomes a novice cougar. Comically awkward, Cox manages to bring a softer purr to the sharp-clawed, wildcat stereotype.
For self-proclaimed cougar Claudia Opdenkelder, the growing desire for older women means big business.
Last Valentine's Day, the Canadian launched the international dating website, CougarLife.com, which already boasts 80,000 members.
Opdenkelder, who turns 39 in November, admits she's always been attracted to younger men. Recently she and her 25-year-old boyfriend, Paul Ste Marie, celebrated their one-year anniversary.
"I pretty much live the lifestyle," Opdenkelder says.
"I got comfortable with what a cougar actually is -- a strong, independent, successful woman who doesn't need someone to take care of her and who has an insatiable desire for fun. (With younger guys) there's no drama, there are no games, there's no ego that gets in the way."
Sound refreshing?
Opdenkelder thinks so.
"Women are looking for someone with a zest for life, who's energetic and who can keep up with them," she says.
"(For men) I think it's knowledge and experience, the lack of game playing ... and not having to deal with all the dumb things young women do."
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COUGARS ON THE SCREEN
- On the reality series The Cougar, Stacey Anderson, a sexy 40-something Arizona realtor and mother of four, dated 20 younger men before settling on one. The show debuted in April.
- Desperate Housewives character Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) has a steamy affair with the hot lawn boy back in 2004.
- In the 1999 film American Pie, Stifler's mom (Jennifer Coolidge) has an indiscreet sexual encounter with one of her son's buddies.
- The 2007 movie Cougar Club sees two young men creating a club to honour their pursuit of older dames.
- In their video for the 2003 tune "Stacy's Mom," the band Fountains of Wayne recruited Rachel Hunter to play a yummy mommy and the subject of a young boy's fantasy.