We can only imagine how the title of this article sounds to those who are not familiar with terms like Pumas and Cougars. They probably think this is going to be a detailed explanation of the wildlife in America. Imagine their surprise when they find out they’re about to be educated about an important distinction in the world of dating. And, more importantly, its global ramifications. First of all, we would like to acknowledge that we’re only reporting what’s going on out there, in the real world.
We’re not imagining things, creating new terms, or reframing them. What we’re trying to do is educate and explain what these terms mean. With that being said, let us begin. All of these terms are by no means offensive and we actually find them empowering. When we’re talking about the world of dating, the term Cougar refers to a woman who’s in her forties and fifties and who’s looking for a younger man to date. The term first emerged in the 20th century, around the year 1999, so it’s almost a quarter of a century old.
Before we go any further, we would like to bring your attention to just how wrong and biased scientific studies can be. In 2010, a study was published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Evolution and Human Behavior claiming that cougars do not exist. Moreover, it claimed that traditional gender and age dynamics accounted for almost all of the relationships in the world. Something that’s just plain wrong. In the last ten years, that study has been disputed many times and proved wrong.
Moving on, the term Puma refers to a woman who’s in her thirties and who’s looking for a younger man to date. This means that the age range is much more limited than with the Cougars as they’re basically looking for guys in their twenties. There are a number of celebrities who were considered Pumas before they became Cougars, Jennifer Anniston being one of them. However, she’s just one example as there are many celebrities who went through the same thing.
To sum up, the difference between a Puma and a cougar is the following: Pumas are women in their thirties who are looking to date guys in their twenties while Cougars are women in their forties and fifties who are looking for just younger guys. So, for example, Cougars can date men in their forties while Pumas cannot. To be perfectly clear, they can date them, it’s just they won’t be considered Pumas from their perspective. However, if you look at things from a perspective of a twenty-year-old guy, that woman would still be considered a Puma.
As you can see, things can get complicated and metaphysical quite quickly in the world of dating. What’s not complicated is mutual respect, communication, and understanding. These are the essential ingredients of any relationship, including the ones with Pumas and Cougars. These terms emerge as a part of a larger societal narrative and need to label things in an effort to understand them better. But also not to think about them too much or even to make fun of them. We, here at Cougar Dating Expert, strongly condemn such behavior.
Cougar Dating Sites have millions and millions of members who are all seeking some kind of relationship. One of the most popular sites is Meet Local Cougars, bringing like-minded people who live nearby together. In our Meet Local Cougars review, we talked about how this dating platform is actually a community that’s easy to join. And once you join it (it’s free), it’s easy to find romantic partners.
