Hooksexup Dating poll: What's the appropriate age difference cut-off in a relationship?
By Jeremy GlassApril 4th, 2012, 6:00 pmComments (21)
Last weekend, the boisterous, fifty-four-year-old Alec Baldwin proposed to his twenty-eight-year-old girlfriend. So over on Hooksexup Dating, we asked you what the appropriate cut-off was for an age difference in a relationship.
47% of you threw caution to the wind with the answer, "Age is just a number," although one respondent from that group did add, "It is a little weird if the person is older than your parents."
11% responded with the choice of "twenty years," followed by 16% who thought "ten years" was a bit more appropriate. A scant six percent of people chose "five years," which would, after all, cut out millions and millions of potential suitors and keep all your conversation pretty damn current.
The rest of the votes went towards the traditional "half your age plus seven" rule, leading our readers to stop everything they're doing for some serious long division. One commenter had more to say about Baldwin, adding, "Would she have anything to do with him if he wasn't famous? Maybe. Maybe not." While Baldwin's now fiance squeezes by on the "half your age plus seven" rule, you do have to wonder if she'd still be engaged if her soon-to-be-husband wasn't Alec Baldwin, incredible actor and classy son-of-a-bitch, but rather Alec Baldwin, incredible insurance salesman and classy son-of-a-bitch.
Want to meet a classy son-of-a-bitch of whatever professional calling? Head to Hooksexup Dating.
Commentarium (21 Comments)
No one older than the younger of your parents or older than the eldest of your children (though you get to have one exception -- mine is Helen Mirren).
Excellent choice of exception!
If you are polyamorous, you don't have these problems. You can have more than one lover, so you can have lovers of different ages, sizes, races, etc. And I do. By the way, there is a great deal to be said for having lovers who are older because there is a lot to learn from them. And you can still have a partner who is closer to your own age.
Yay poly! Watch out monogamists, we're coming for you!
Well, I'm not coming for monogamists, in any sense of the word. They are even more trouble than singles.
Yeah, he's real classy, this is the guy who called HIS daughter " "thoughtless little pig" (hey, Rush Haters, what do you think of that). And then there was " I don't give a damn that you're 12-years-old or 11-years-old, or a child," ... yup, that's one classy guy!
"fifty-four-year-old Alec Baldwin proposed to his twenty-eight-year-old girlfriend...squeezes by on the 'half your age plus seven' rule.
54/2 = 27, +7 = 34. So by "squeezes by", you mean "totally fails".
You forgot the golden exception to the 'half your age plus seven', and that is the Gold digger clause: A woman can get with a man of any age if his regular income exceeds 6 figures (& if she's not fussy at all, 5 figures).
I explained this exact clause (and the half plus seven rule) to my AP Literature teacher this morning when we were discussing Svidrigailov's pedophiliac relations in Crime and Punishment. I'm glad I'm not the only one who knows about the Gold Digger/Trophy Wife/Sugar Daddy Clause.
true.
and yet, it is widely socially accepted..even endorsed.
Socioeconomic status is a largest pinkest elephant in the room that everybody preconditioned to ignore.
Men attracted to younger females out of a declining libido and popularity..and women are always will be picking out the ugliest oldest idiot with the largest bank account. not a penis..blame the Darwin. . blame the society. Blame the media..
because no matter what... at the end of the day it is always more comfortable to feel sorry for yourself and cry by seating in Mercedes...and not on the bicycle in a poring rain..
There is a silver lining.. here I promise: yes. proven personally. Get happy and successful by yourself. Find an equal..absolutely equal. and fall madly in love.
and invite me to your wedding .
I've seen some great May/December relationships. Peggy Seeger was half Ewan MacColl's age when they met in the 1950's and he wrote "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" for her. They stayed together until his death decades later, and performed as a duo until the end. And of course there is Woody Allen and Soon-Yi.
You're really citing Woody and his step-daughter as a healthy relationship? Really?
It seems to work for them. They've been together 15 years, three longer than he was with Mia and much longer than his two earlier marriages. Judge not...
Um.. Jesus she was a kid which meant there MIGHT have been abuse going on but at the very least it is a relationship where a very young girl is being influenced by an older person in authority. Since she's been in that relationship ever since.. she doesn't really know anything else. This is NOT a good example and it should be self explanatory as to why.
Bull-s-eye-..!!
I'm almost 28 and get mistaken for being barely legal quite frequently. I tend to date guys that look like my apparent age, instead of the 27-38 year old guys my friends tell me are socially acceptable for me to go out with.
I think it's pretty dependant on your own age. Being 18 and dating someone ten years older is a very different thing than being 30 and dating someone ten years older.
Problems with the half your age + 7 rule occur when you start dating at 4 years old.
Age has nothing to do with attraction or compatability. But maybe I think that way becuz I'm very old and most of the women I'm attracted to are much younger!
I am 41 and my boyfriend is 64. We began dating 10 years ago. Ive lived with him for the last 4 1/2 years and I am happy. He is NOT rich, actually far from it. I love him because he treats me great and we get along very well. He has a 38 y.o. daughter and a son who just turned 41. His daughter and I are pretty close. She doesnt have a problem with our age difference. Age IS just a number.
Age... is not a number when you walked around with the man who everybody see as your grandfather.
Automatically assuming that he s rich and you re a gold-digging opportunist .
Age is a double edge sword.On one hand is a power for money exchange ( yes , yes, don't roll your eyes. . All " ashtons" are fading away from " demi"... right after they gather a few millions in bank .
Heff and younger blonds are so over.... dirty, disgusting and un- natural.
NObody ever gotten attracted to a loose balls and saggy boobs... yet. without an agenda..
Now you say something