Kittens vs. Cougars?

Cast: Age of Love: Kittens vs. Cougars on NBC

For the record, I have to say this: I hate "Reality TV." It has nothing whatsoever to do with reality, and it shouldn't have anything to do with TV. I'll stop there, because I don't want to turn this into a rant.

I heard the ad for this on the radio this morning and it just about stopped me in my tracks. I had to laugh. I mean, "Kittens vs. Cougars"? Come on, what will they think of next? I ran a search on the internet to get a closer look. The concept is ridiculous, of course, like all "reality TV", but what is interesting is the amount of controversy it's stirring up. Click here and scroll down to Comments for one woman's rant on the subject. She takes a typical feminist stance and makes some pretty good points. She is not alone.

The premise is this: Attractive 30-something tennis star gets his pick from a select group of 20-something "kittens" and 40-something "cougars." Somehow, someway, true love is supposed to figure in all this, but I think it has more to do with boob jobs and teeth whiteners. I don't know, but take a look at that cast picture. Can you tell the difference between the Kittens and the Cougars? I can't. They all look the same to me. One of my pet peeves about media culture: women come in only one size: 5'5" and 105 lbs. If this is supposed to be reality, then let's see some real women up there. Oh, wait, that's right, this is "reality" not reality.

The other thing I object to is the objectifying (no pun intended) of the opposite sex. The woman mentioned above complains about the stereotyping and objectifying of women in this case, but I think the man is being objectified as well. Here he is, Mr. Tall-Dark-Handsome-Tennis Star. Is that all that's required to engage the interest of these women? By making him the prize in this race, it diminishes his humanity. Under this kind of intense media microscope, is there really any opportunity for a real soul connection? And could any of these women, after subjecting themselves to this intensely competitive media circus, could any of them turn to the camera and say, "You know, after a couple of dates, I'm really not feeling a connection with him. I'm going to withdraw from the race." Likewise, could he make such a choice? What if he finds no true connection with any of them? But the dictates of "Reality TV" demand that there be a winner. So he'll have to choose someone. And to prove what? That age/experience wins out over youth, or vice versa? The artificiality of it all just disgusts me.

I'm not sure if I entirely object to the metaphor of "kittens" and "cougars" though. Fancy bit of marketing, that. Being (ahem!) "a woman of a certain age," the concept of being a "cougar" is not entirely unattractive. I'll have to think about it. I'm going to go clean my claws and get back to you.

P.S. We know from studies in quantum physics that the act of observing changes the outcome of the experiment. Therefore, whoever Mr. Tennis Star chooses is irrelevant. If left unobserved, he would end up with an entirely different partner. Whoa. Sometimes I amaze even myself....

29 Days til Lift-Off