by Marnie Brodersen (Tue Jan 19, 2010)
In the U.S. we have a show called ‘Cougar Town' and, based on the name
alone, I truly did not want to like it. Plus, it stars Courteney Cox, who was
easily my least favorite of the clan on the long-running show ‘Friends.' But I decided to take a
visit to Cougar Town and, despite my best intentions, I found myself liking this
show - nay, enjoying the hell out of this show. Not only that, but I actually
found the subject matter rather touching.
As most of you probably know by now,
a ‘cougar' is an older woman who typically preys on younger men. They are known
to be very resistant to aging, and will go to any lengths to try and look like
the young person they feel still exists inside themselves. Think Joan Rivers
but on a less hideous scale. ‘Cougar
Town' actually has a sort of sweet twist in that it's about a woman who
got pregnant very young and had to drop out of school to raise her child and
support the family, hence missing out on her twenties. So the show is basically
about her trying to catch up on what she missed, and you can't help but laugh
as you watch her do body shots, keg stands, and all the crazy shenanigans that many of us enjoyed in our youth.
When I first moved to Los Angeles, I was a bit old to be starting
out in the entertainment industry. I was 31, which is about 200 in Hollywood
years. And, although I certainly wasn't preying on younger men, for some reason
the guys in my office had taken to calling me a cougar. The hard part was
wondering whether I should take it as a compliment or not. Around the same
time, I was babysitting a lot for my nephew, and even got called a ‘MILF' a few
times when with him. A MILF is a ‘mom I'd like to...' I'll let you take it from
there. Like I said, I never knew whether to embrace these things, or to take
offense. In an ironic turn of events, I did end up dating a much younger man
for a while. I guess I decided to become my own self-fulfilling prophecy. Hey,
if I was going to be called a cougar, I might as well take a stroll in my
cougar shoes.
It certainly was interesting, as this
particular guy was a ‘surfer dude.' He lived for the tides, and based his
entire day on how much surfing he could fit in. There I was, in my thirties,
riding on the back of his motorcycle to the beach to watch him catch some
waves. So much for that image I'd had of myself marrying a doctor, attorney,
or, basically, an adult. But I can't say it wasn't fun. I'd never really
allowed myself to be all that reckless before, but I felt myself doing that
with him. Even hanging with his friends made me feel young again.
But when he suggested that I cross the
border into Mexico with him once, I hesitated, and ultimately said ‘No.' I
figured Mexico would most certainly be pushing my luck. The image in my head
involved me, a bottle of tequila, and a Mexican prison - and I wasn't ready for
that. So he went with his buddies and, sure enough, returned with tales of
stolen cars, sleeping on lawns, and being escorted to the border by the police.
He thought it was hilarious and, hence, I knew it was time...time to end my
vacation in Cougar Town. It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to
live there.
Instead, I'll live vicariously through Courteney
Cox by watching her mercilessly work out, apply fake tan, and primp in order to
land that younger man - and I'll chuckle even more as I think to myself ‘Been
there, done that.'
