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Pride and prejudice: celebrity versus fictional cougars

2012; Routledge; Volume: 3; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/19392397.2012.644722

1939-2400

Betty Kaklamanidou,

Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

This article explores the various forms that the ‘cougar’ – the mature and sophisticated woman who dates younger men – takes in television and film in the new millennium, contrasting fictional representations with ‘real’ celebrity cougars currently in the media spotlight. First, it examines the film cougar in a new cycle of the romantic comedy that emerged in the 2000s (Rebound (2009 Rebound. 2009. Film [Google Scholar]), I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007 I Could Never Be Your Woman. 2007. Directed by Amy Heckerling. USA. Production Companies: Bauer Martinez Entertainment, Templar Films, Formula Films, Lucky 7 Productions, Eclipse Catering, I Could Never Ltd [Google Scholar]), Prime (2005 Prime. 2005. Directed by Ben Younger, USA: Production Companies: Prime Film Productions LLC, Stratus Film Co, Team Todd, Focus Features, Younger Than You. [Google Scholar]), Something's Gotta Give (2003)); films which concentrate on and/or include relationships between older women and younger men, reversing the traditional May–December cycle of the 1950s. It also examines Cougar Town, the ABC sitcom launched in September 2009, starring Courteney Cox as a recently divorced, 40-something woman who starts sleeping with younger men in order to replace her lost youth. Cougar Town is especially significant to this movement, since Cox is also a ‘real’-life celebrity cougar who married a younger man and is not afraid to embrace the label attached to her by the media. Drawing on existing celebrity theory including Turner (2009 Turner, G. 2009. Understanding celebrity, London: Sage. [Google Scholar]. Understanding celebrity. London: Sage), this article explores the reactions that surround this ‘new’ woman, which range from prejudice and even contempt to positive embrace and acceptance. Using textual analysis of both fictional representations and media discourses about famous cougars, I reflect on how the ‘real’ cougar translates into the fictional one and whether both sets of representations negate or empower women in the twenty-first century.