When I used to watch reality shows about Hugh Hefner and his ‘girlfriends’, Hef would often have parties and dinners and movie nights. The incongruity of the visuals made my eyes hurt. Lots of elderly men and lots of young girls. Really young girls. And I always wondered what all those men thought the women were there for.
Maybe they were enjoying their company. Very possible. I’ve met people of all ages who are really interesting to talk to, fun to be with and generally great to hang out with. But I didn’t want to sleep with them.
Do the old men know they’re not sexually attractive to the young girls? Do they? Or are some girls genuinely into that? Sexually, speaking.
In his new book, The Big Tilt: What Happens When Boomers Bust and Xers and Ys Inherit the Earth, KPMG demographer Bernard Salt has come up with a name for this: Hotness Delusion Syndrome.
And he says it’s not just Hef and his mates who are afflicted with it. Apparently, a lack of mid- 40s- single dudes (at 44, there are 15 per cent fewer available males than females) is messing with the natural order of things as women have to compete harder for their love and affection.
“An available male in his 40s receives a lot of attention because he’s the only thing going around,” Mr Salt said. “He can be balding and paunchy, but this is not what he sees in the mirror. He sees nothing less than trim, taut and, so he is told, terrific.”
Encouragingly, the “Hotness Delusion Syndrome” is reversed for the sexes in their mid-20s. According to Salt, at age 25, there are 23 percent MORE single men than single women because the blokes are competing with older men for the girls’ attention.
Who do you think has Hotness Delusion Syndrome? Can I nominate Charlie Sheen?
Have you – in work or love – ever been batting above your average? Ever found yourself feeling like a little tiny bit of a fraud? Ever dated someone who had tickets on themselves?
Top Comments
LOL In my experience it is WOMEN who are completely delusional. Sure, rich old guys pull women, and we all know what those glorified prostitutes are after, and likely so do the men. But women in their mid-30's, I have found, are panicking because they think they can all get that 6' doctor with a six pack, while bringing very little to the table aside from aging looks and a crappy personality. Meanwhile a decent fellow with good intentions gets categorically denied by these sad excuses for people. This goes for both sexes: "Nothing worse than when a 6 acts like a 10".
As a young woman, I have encountered plenty of middle-aged men who are suffering under this delusion. For example, when I was 19 years old, I was walking along a block of shops, and there was a man sitting outside a fast food store. The man, who was probably in his 50s or 60s, saw me and immediately went into 'seduction mode'. He was giving me what he thought was a 'sexy' look, and he clearly expected me to be attracted to him, too. When it became clear to him that I was not interested, I saw out of the corner of my eye that he looked rather disappointed and perplexed that I didn't find him attractive.
Not only do I find it immoral for a man his age to be checking out teenage girls, but I also think it's disgusting that these men actually expect young girls to return those feelings of attraction.
Obviously men refuse to believe that they become less attractive with age.