Source: Gilbert Carrasquillo / Getty
There’s an interesting thing happening in the dating world at the moment, or rather something that’s been going on for quite some time now on the low and finally becoming a bit more accepted. Or has it?
We’re talking about decade-plus age gaps in relationships, and you’d be surprised (or not!) at the amount of older Millennials tapping into the dating pool of legal Gen Zers for more than just advice on TikTok dances. In the entertainment industry, we’ve seen it occur across the spectrum: R. Kelly infamously took things the illegal route, Marques Houston rode the line of barely legal much to the public’s chagrin and even Nia Long raised a few eyebrows when she went viral earlier this year after it was revealed she had a 30-year-old, mother-approved boyfriend as a teenager.
In each of those situations, the picture is painted as an older man using his seniority to manipulate and, in some cases, groom an impressionable young woman into a sexual relationship. Legal or not, the man is always seen as the one with the power, whereas the woman barely has an identity throughout it all. In Long’s case, you can argue that she was both consenting and in control given her age. However, what if the roles are reversed and the woman is older of the two? Does the stigma still, well, sing?
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Most recently, veteran hip-hop model Bernice Burgos made headlines during her 43rd birthday week after it was rumored that her Boston b’day celebration was linked to 26-year-old Celtics shooting guard and rumored boyfriend Jaylen Brown. Their alleged union has been buzzing for close to a year now, being somewhat confirmed back in February when a “bae pic” was accidentally leaked by the photographer.
Staying in the sports world, 24-year-old Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs brought attention to his dating life after being spotted very publicly on many occasions over the past few months loving on Bow Wow’s 34-year-old ex-girl Joie Chavis — just two years ago she was seen smooching on fiftysomething music mogul Diddy, but that just brings us back to square one. Whew!
Given the gender politics of it all, the question becomes simple: in age gap relationships, are women who date younger men treated differently?
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While the former two relationships are still on the rumor mill, we’ve see the cougar complex in PDA-approved relationships as well. 48-year-old socialite Larsa Pippin’s relationship with Marcus Jordan, the 32-year-old son of her ex-husband’s world-renowned mortal enemy, moved into marriage talk status not too long ago. Reality TV star Nikki Mudarris, also 32, surprised pretty much everyone a few days ago with a full maternity shoot alongside soon-to-be-baller-babby-daddy LiAngelo Ball, age 24.
A-listers aren’t exempt, either! During the highly-publicized 9-month relationship of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson (seen above), it rarely if ever was brought up that she was 41 and he was 28. In the same breath, Hollywood icon Leonardo Dicaprio literally has girlfriend charts made about him. Them again, that’s probably more or less benefitting his own aging memory.
It seems the only exception has been none other than hip-hop’s royal couple, Jay-Z and Beyoncé. Looking back now after three kids, a multibillion-dollar empire and just as many fans across the world between the two of them, should judgement have been reserved for 32-year-old Jigga when he, as he told Vanity Fair in 2013, started “just beginning to try to date” a then-19-year-old baby Bey?
Source: Kevin.Mazur / Getty
Source: Josh Brasted / Getty
Let us know: is the stigma on age gaps between consenting adults treated fairly in the proverbial battle of the sexes? Should there even be an age gap between consenting adults? Let us know after checking out what some people on social media are saying below:
1. Larsa with Mj Nikki with LiAngelo Bernice with Jaylen. Is this the start of the cougar trend ?
via @raeemoreno
2. Bernice Burgos dating Jaylen Brown is so predatory
via @bobeaubreaux
3. Cougars going crazy in 2023, first Jaylen Brown and Bernice now this😂😂
via @uncdmsl
4. Jaylen Brown closer to Bernice daughter age than he is to her age 🥴
via @ChazC318
5. LiAngelo having a baby with Ms. Nikki Baby is craaaaazy
via @SimplyMonay
6. When liangelo ball was 10…Nikki graduated from high school let that sink in
via @Jarredkphillips
7. Miss Nikki baby done got a baby with Liangelo Ball lmfaooooo my girl is 40 years old and done secured 💅🏾
via @londonnbridgets
8. Lawd Jaylen Brown dating Bernice. Joie Chavis dating Trevon Diggs. Kevin Samuels was right bout the older women dating these young guys 😭😂😂😂
via @hailqueenke
9. Joie chavis 34 and trevon diggs 24 so maybe I do need to be an auntie 🤣🤣
via @ohlalaee
10. u literally can’t defend bey’s & jay’z age gap, 19 & 30 is scary & predatory
via @manisnat
11. No one ready for that convo of the age bracket between Jay and Bey. When it’s y’all faves it’s cool. Your faves can use and groom niccas meet it a stack.
via @bluemiiints
12. This might get me cancelled but some of y’all spend way too much time analyzing & critiquing ‘controversial age gaps’ when you can just mind your business. If both parties are a consenting adults then what’s the issue? If you don’t want to fuck someone 15 years older then don’t?
via @ChoiceReznikov
13. I only agree with age gap dating if the man is older than the woman.
via @amarihanifahh
14. I’m going to say something controversial. If ya’ll are two grown people (for me grown is 21+) I really don’t give a shit if there is an age gap. You are grown, you can make your own decisions and I’m not going to pass judgment on something that is not hurting anyone.
via @ingloriousgigi
15. if i was jaylen brown i would of went after the bernice daughter
via @anthorajon
