When Age Is Just A Number

Does Age Really Matter or Is It Just a Notion That Society Has Taught Us to Believe? Find Out How Three Women Handle the Age Factor in Their Relationship.

- Jasnitha Nair

There was a time when seeing an older woman and younger chap together was the sort of thing you’d only see in Hollywood. Remember Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon who had an 11-year gap? They decided to call it off after five years of marriage. Despite the divorce, the pair remains one of the friendliest exes in Hollywood. Also, let’s not forget that Madonna and Jennifer Lopez both dated men who were much younger. Similar to a lot of other May-December relationships, they also ended in shambles.

But not all of such relationships end this way. There are also some that have worked out e.g. the newly-appointed president of France, Emmanuel Macron, 39 and his wife Brigitte Macron, 64. She was his school teacher when he was just 15 years old!

All the above examples are from the West, which is supposed to be liberal and more open to these kinds of relationships. And yet, these women still faced their fair share of backlash from the media with condescending titles like ‘cougar’ thrown at them.

So what’s the big deal about dating a younger man – especially in the context of the more conservative Asian society? We had the chance to speak to three Malaysians who gave us their honest opinions.

Siti Salwa Mohd Alias, 33, Manager

Husband Muhammad Ariff is four years younger

From the get-go, Siti’s family and friends weren’t too keen on her choice of dating someone younger – her friends would even pass comments and say that he’s a tad too young for her.

Fortunately, she never took their comments to heart and understood that their intentions were genuine. Instead, she gave them the time and space to get to know him and soon enough, everyone opened up and looked at him beyond his age. Siti and her husband tied the knot in 2015 after dating for five years, and eight months ago, they welcomed their first child, Muhamad Adam Harith.