Cougars Inc.: The Lady Predator Lifestyle

(page 2 of 2)

Browse Issues

Browse the BusinessWeek Archive

Aphrodite: Bloomberg News; Catherine: Stock Montage/Getty Images; Moore: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Cattrall: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Alvarado: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

Story Tools

• post a comment
• e-mail this story
• print this story
• order a reprint
• suggest a story
• digg this
• add to Business Exchange

Websites such as Urban Cougar, Go Cougar, Date a Cougar, Cougared, and in Britain, Yes! Mrs Robinson, reel in tens of thousands of hits each month from cougars and cubs alike. These businesses range from dating sites to sex sites to lifestyle sites for women who want to be cougars but might not know how. The Real Cougar Woman offers virtual group therapy for women contemplating cougarness and includes ads for beauty magazines, cougar books, Zestra "essential arousal oils," and links to "sexperts," nutritionists, trainers, salons, and fashion boutiques. Urban Cougar features articles about famous women "going cougar" in addition to its service-oriented Urban Cougar of the Month video montage.

Lucia Demasi, who recently took over Urban Cougar, is enthusiastic about the company's outlook. She is hoping to increase current traffic from 35,000 to 100,000 visitors each month. "In the Jewish tradition," Lucia says, "you become a man with a bar mitzvah. For everybody else, maybe it'll be a cougar." Soon, Urban Cougar will offer VIP memberships, Lucia says, for $7.99 to $12.99 per month.

Marketers also believe the trend has global appeal. Cougar expert Gibson says she receives calls from self-described cougars in China, Portugal, Australia, and Chile. Rich Gosse's umbrella organization, the Society of Single Professionals, has already hosted events in Germany, New Zealand, Israel, and Zimbabwe. Vacations for Cougars, a similar sightseeing outfit, organizes Nicaragua getaways; Norwegian Cruise Line provides a Cougar Cruise to the Bahamas. (Three- and five-night packages range from $150 to $500.) More modest cross-cultural options include a $195 two-night Celtic Cougar deal at the Irish Cottage Boutique Hotel in Galena, Ill.

Meanwhile, some budding cougar stars are already cashing in on themselves. Tyana Alvarado, an unemployed real estate broker, used her Miss Cougar California victory as a platform to land a spot on The Apprentice. Now, Alvarado says, she's looking to start her own cougar-themed business. Manderino says she's writing a book about love. Still, despite the branding opportunities, many cougars are conflicted by their new identity. "I call myself the Accidental Cougar," says Manderino. "And I'm 'soulibate': I don't share physical intimacy with people I don't have an authentic connection with." Jerzee, on the other hand, is the Intentional Cougar—someone who aspires to be something that may not exist. Cougar author Gibson says simply: "I hope in the future there won't be any cougars because I hope—and I really hope this—that it will just be another alternative relationship. It'll be like gay guys."