Older girl? Younger guy? Is that okay?

What is the stigma around high school relationships in which the girl is older than the guy? Are most guys open to dating older girls?

Sally:

Are you kidding me? Are younger boys open to dating older girls? YES! Not only does that give them major street-cred and props from their guy friends, but it also makes the girls in his own grade view him as more desirable. After all, if an older girl chooses him over guys in her grade and above, there has got to be something good about him.

I’ve noticed that this older-girl-younger-boy is mostly a trend only when it comes to a senior girl with a junior boy. It’s a common joke that finally once you become a senior girl you have the right to become a “cougar” and go for the younger boys. Personally, I don’t see why this has to be a trend only when a girl becomes a senior. If anything, I bet that the girls didn’t find said boy attractive or mature enough until he was a junior, and didn’t have anything to do with her waiting until being a senior gave her “permission”.

In my opinion, if an older boy can date a younger girl, it doesn’t make any sense why there would be any negative feedback if the opposite were to occur. Girls and boys from all different grades are friends, so what’s to hold them back from being friends that kiss?

My baseline advice: If you’re an older girl that wants to be with a younger boy, DO IT. If you’re a younger boy that wants to be with an older girl, DO IT.

Sincerely,
Sally

Steve:

I think that since day one of high school girls have always looked to date older guys. I don’t know whether it is because their peers encourage this, if the guys are hotter, or if they think it makes them cooler. Regardless of the reason, it is usually the girls that date up, not the guys. However, when the girls hit senior year they run out of older guys to date and are often tired of the guys in their grade. In this case they will decide to date someone younger.

Girls are discouraged from dating younger guys from day one. Dating an older guy is a lot more socially acceptable for a girl, so that seems to be what they try to do. From what I’ve seen, a girl who dates a younger guy will get a lot of crap about being a cougar from their friends. Usually it’s in a joking way, but there is also a lot of serious disapproval from other classmates. The guy on the other hand will get a lot of props from his friends. For him, dating an older girl is considered a “rep” by his friends. So because of this, guys are encouraged to date up, but girls are discouraged from dating someone younger.

Sincerely,
Steve