Why are younger men into older women?

Despite what Men on the Internet say, there is a shift in younger men's interest in older women. I have some theories.

“Once you turn 25 it’s all downhill” seems to be the common claim of Men on the Internet (who may have yet to celebrate a 25th birthday, themselves), the point being to convince women that once they begin reaching towards 30, their value in the sexual marketplace begins its sharp descent into irrelevance.

There are a couple things wrong with this claim, one being that, conveniently, as you age, you grow more confident and less concerned about what bitter men who’ve learned much of what they know about the world from internet forums, Twitch streams, and pornography say about you. The other flaw in the thesis is that it’s simply not true.

Sure, objectively, if looking at a photograph of a stranger on Instagram, you could determine that technically the 24-year-old is hotter than the 38-year-old, but that’s not how things work in real life (something most people who spend time there know). In real life, attractiveness, sexiness, and desirability are felt for a million reasons—often ones you can’t even pin down.

Surely we’ve all wondered what it is exactly about the guy we just can’t quit that makes him such a draw, despite lacking in perhaps the most obvious qualities of desirability. Men, similarly, are less superficial than they claim to be. In fact, they often appear to have no discernable taste at all!

I jest, but seriously—look around. Do you see an endless array of super attractive couples? Of course not. You see a parade of relatively unremarkable people—often even outright unattractive people—coupled up by the thousands. Factors like pheromones, family histories, sexual compatibility, style, as well as of course things like personality, sense of humour, body language, and mannerisms all play a role in whether or not you are first attracted to someone, then remain interested in being with them further. If you’re smart and rational, which I assume some of you are, despite having no experience in this area myself, you may choose a partner based on shared lifestyle, ethics, and goals in life.