The Old Woman Crush Syndrome.

(glitteruniverse.com)

I have been feeling pretty darn good since I hit my 40s nearly 2 years back.

My 30s were a fantastic time:

we achieved a lot in terms of family, home and business

and there is a confidence I achieved finally escaping most of the peer pressure

that I felt as a teen and in my 20s.

I have an ever increasing sense of mortality

which I think has been associated with becoming a mother.

I fear that I wont be around to see my kids grow up to be

(hopefully) healthy and happy and settled in their lives.

But now that I have settled into my 40s

(and have been assured that I am not mid-life yet-

someone said it somewhere, once, and I am chosing to believe them),

I am starting to definately feel like I am coming down the other side of the hill.

Little bits of the body here and there are starting to slow down or fail.

I am slowly but surely getting out of touch with the youth culture

(though once I have 3 teenagers,

I am guessing that I will be back in touch in no uncertain terms)

Planning my 50th birthday will happen before planning any of my children's 18th birthdays.

But my secret fear is what I call "the old woman crush" syndrome.

When does it become a bit...you know...inappropriate to have a crush on someone?

Expected as a teen,

natural as a 20-something- year old,

not surprising as a person in your 30s, dare I say?

But is it a bit (or a lot) cougar-ish when you are in your 40s?

Or is it OK till you are 50? Or 60? Or as you squeeze out your last 93 year old breath?

And then there is the issue as to what 

(or I should say who)

 is an appropriate crush.

Too old could be a bit yucky.

Too young would not be something that you'd be sharing with the ladies on tuckshop duty,

now would it?

For tween gals at the moment,

it would appear that you are meant to swoon

at the mention of Justin Bieber.

(www.gossip.whyfame.com)

I thankfully have no vestige of interest in the likes of tween heart throbs.

I think more about giving birth to them than kissing them.

What about teens?

Break out in a sweat at the thought of Zac Efron?

Nope. Doesn't do it for me either.

No idea (no interest?) who's hot for a 20 or 30 year old.

Maybe something with fangs and a six pack.

I grew up in times when Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt were dubbed

"The Sexiest Men in the World"

(Personally I think that Johnny Depp is still right up there)

(from images.starpulse.com)



As a teenager, I adored George Michael

(before he came out)

As a late teen, Rupert Everett

(before he came out)

(http://www.imstars.aufeminim.com/)



Yes, OK There would seem to be a pattern there but let's just not get distracted for now.

(And I am loving the fact that the photos that I spent hours gazing at lovingly,

longingly as a teen

nearly 30 years ago,

 have been immortalised on the web.)

Peter Davison was the Dr Who of choice.

Loved Tom Baker but in a platonic way

while Peter was so darn cute.

(http://www.sella.co.nz/)

Did anyone else love Mickey Rourke?

(before he turned into plastic fantatic)

(But not gay as far as I am aware)

C'mon, he was hot!

Ever flutter the heart a little bit at Bill Pullman in
While You were Sleeping"?

In my 30s, I think I was too busy with conception, gestation and newborns to have the time to worry about who had a six pack or not.

Then, as I regained my sleep, my pelvic floor muscles and ownership of my boobs,

men on the screen suddenly seemed to be interesting again.

Mmmm, Gale Harold

(playing a gay man in "Queer as Folk"...

OK, still not going to go there)

David Tennant,

the thinking woman's Dr Who heart throb.

(http://www.sandalsandsocks.typepad.com/)

Pierce Brosnan,

the perfect 007.

Well. he was on the list till I heard him sing in "Mamma Mia"

Now I just have to step back on that one for a while and recover.

Colin Firth

(whom incidentally shared the screen with Rupert in "Another Country" all those years ago

and I didn't look at him twice)

(static.open.salon.com)

John Barrowman.

Torchwood, theatrical leading man, someone once said "sex on legs"

and yes, gay.

(Maybe I am attracted to gay men as it is a pretty safe fantasy world)

But interestingly all my current crushes are men of similar age.

Do you think that most people

are naturally inclined to be attracted to those who are of a suitable age?

(even if not suitable sexual preferences)

So, c'mon, share.

If I can own up to George Michael posters on my teenage wall,

surely you can own up to someone past or present

who floats your boat.

It'll just be between you and me.