I hear ya.  Getting hit on by middle-aged men is de rigeur for women in their 20s.  I think youth in general is attractive to a lot of people, but women aren't supposed to act on it for reasons like "young men are immature" (please!  I know plenty of old men who are just as immature).  Friends have told me before that they think I'll be a cougar, given my propensity for crushes on anything from 17 to 30 years old.  We'll see, I guess.

Hey, Sarah Palin would be a GILF if her values weren't so disgusting, and she's 44.

I also think there are people who do look substantially younger or older than their age, particularly once they get north of 40.  For men, how much hair and how gray it is deeply affects age appearance.  Smoking can age someone's skin terribly.  For women, I hate to say it, but having children can age the body quite a bit (MILFs notwithstanding).

Eewwwww...I used to love when anything elicits that response from women.

But as one's gets older, I only hear the mock indignation of people inured to human shortcoming.

Even as a bloke (40) the idea of a 70 year old man believing he has a chance with a woman 30 years his junior...eewwwwww!

Why even reply to people whom don't fit your criteria stated or otherwise? Maybe your response gets them off - makes them feel like they can connect even if it's a rebuff...what a sweetheart you are - feeding old men's fantasies...ahhh that airheadgenius, she's a feisty one!

People do look their age but there is a wide range of what 40 looks like, what 50 looks like, etc. A non-smoking, sunscreen wearing 40 year old can pass for a smoking, sun-worshiping 30 year old.

And to the folks who feel that they have to say that they look younger than their true age in dating profiles, that's a red flag...People who fit into the younger-looking category never have to state the obvious.

Men who are able to REALLY laugh at themselves (as opposed to those who develop a persona around this concept but are tight of ass when challenged) seem to thrive in the age-appropriate relationship.  The lure of taught flesh aside, there is a need in some to be revered for experience that is only possible when a partner lacks equal footing.  She looks at him with big eyes while he pontificates.  We just roll our eyes.  

*NOTE:  For those uninitiated in your irony and considerable charm, the image of an adult woman in a Hello Kitty shirt is a tragic specter.  

That reminds me of a scene in the movie "Love and Sex".  

John Favreau says to Famke Janssen, "Men age better than women."  

She protests.

He responds by asking, "Who looks better, Sean Connery or Shelly Winters?"

The woman who lives across the hall from me is 10 years older than me and very attractive.  She has made advances in the past which I have declined not because of her age, but because she is the woman across the hall.

So your profile says you're "40" now?  How many years have you been aging Benjamin Button style?    

Ha!

Fair enough.  If it's only one year, why not be honest then?  Do you really want to  

appeal to men who'd write you off for being 41 instead of 40?

I placed a profile on Hooksexup a couple of months ago. I have tried searches starting as young as 30 to as old as 60 (I am 55). The returns in my neighborhood have included many women who clearly state they want someone younger than me. The search seems to ignore inconvenient realities in favor of quantity.

I have always dated women my own age but am open in either direction. I have received attention from younger women that didn't interest me because of some other factor and have lusted after older woman......

The reality is that this whole selection by "profile" is terribly limited and not something I have much hope for (for me any way). I would never knowingly date a Republican if that was the first thing I knew about them BUT if I saw 'em and got hot for them I might overlook it.....

I, however, am not offended by anyone's interest.

BTW, the age guesser at the state fair has always gotten my age wrong, course they are usually way younger than I am (as is everyone).

Actually men get 70 and on as well. The ratio of women to men as we all age is remarkably skewed toward more women (I guess men die off from chasing young women), so much so that men have many more opportunities the older they get. My father at 85 is much in demand at the retirement place he lives.

Hmm, and see I feel like the case from 1-30 is more just like everyone is convinced that everyone else has the upper-hand.

And what good would having an upper-hand do from 1-14 anyway?

ahg:  Yeah, but most of the young women I know seem to be of the opinion that it's inappropriate to have crushes on guys more than about 2 years younger.

zeitgeisty, don't know what world you live in, but the comments are self-serving---you're pushing 40, with a dissatisfied past, men of your era and over like to think more options are available--its a politic remark that bears no reality--look at the grizzled old men vs women of the same age in profiles

For 1--women don't rule 1-35 yrs, quite often,young men rule that era

35-70--men don't rule that era in that so many men--age very badly--all the abuse shows up, women often look pretty good--but the slim minority of attractive people persist across the age groups

I think you are pointing to this--40s on, men have this fear of death and aging, seek out younger women like all their worth depended on it,if they have success by then, they have a chance over a broke young man--that is the only reason an old guy with average looks gets a younger woman--if he's old and broke, not so likely

I don't subscribe to this  money/youth obsession, just pointing out  others do

So, putting things into age categories might seem a determinism, but men really Don't age better--lived in many cities, very rarely do I see men taking care of themselves better than their female peers

Reviewing my unsolicited engagement ring collection, I can assure you that many men between 30-45 seem equally desperate to marry.  To be sure it was not my sparkling magnetism or raving beauty.  I think several of them saw their charisma on the wane and wanted to stick with the girl who would remember them when they were hot, possessed some semblance of social status, and had hair.  

It's so amusing to listen to all you prospective corpses nattering on.  Very soon you'll all look just like me.

On second thought, no you won't -- I'm pretty damned well-preserved.

   I can't subscribe to the 'older men want younger women because they fear death something something' trope; older men want younger women for the same reason young men (and young/old women who swing that way) want 'em - they're hot.

  Whether you're into guys or girls, young (but legal) is hot. It's not necessarily the hottest, but we evolved to find that body type attractive. Why people ascribe complex motivations to why 19-24 year olds lustworthy is a mystery to me.

 Re the online dating world, it seems like a case of everyone who's, say, a 6 feels that they deserve an 8 or above, with their general awesomeness making up for deficiencies in looks, health, whatever. Of course you'll get hit on by people you don't feel are on your level. Still beats arranged marriages.

 'Ruling the roost' is a bit over-general; I'd amend that to 'first dating age to about 30' is when men must (usually) make the overtures, do the heavy lifting, shell out more money. They have to do the chasing. Between 30-35, this tends to turn around, how much depending on what the respective parties have done with themselves up to that point.

 From a young age, my mother used Sean Connery as an example to never ever get a toupee. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Sorry, above meant to say "...to why 19-24 year olds are found lustworthy "

  In some local online personals, a 34-year old female 'seagreenizzz' who describes herself as 'a perfect 10 - what else can I say?,' lists 18-33 as her desired age range for men.

 If there's grass on the pitch, let's play ball, I guess.

Two possible solutions:

1) Everyone wears makeup/prostheses/whatever's necessary so that everyone looks approximately 50 (of course, if you already look approximately 50 [sorry 60-year-old, you do not look 50]), you get spared the makeup trailer for a couple of years).

2) Complete cultural reboot (including state-mandated divorces), where both sexes agree to never date someone more than 3 years above or below your birth year.