Looking at a picture of Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber, something seems wrong. It’s not the fact that I am not the girl holding Justin’s hand. It’s the fact that Selena Gomez looks like his babysitter.

 
Gomez is what we call a cougar, a woman who prefers the companionship of a younger male, and she is not alone. Cougars have been on the rise at CHS. Despite its recent increase in popularity, “cougarism” must be put to an end. Those who have not already fallen under its dangerous spell must continue to resist and fight against its overwhelming and infectious power.

Now, I will admit that one night back in sophomore year I engaged in an out of character text conversation with a freshman boy. It was not one of my proudest moments, and I am 99 percent sure that something was slipped into my dinner that night… but it happened. The next day I came to my senses, and was able to regain my sophomore pride by realizing that it was not okay. The temptation can be resisted, and if I can do it, you can do it too.

 
Let’s face it. It is socially unacceptable for the female to be the older person in the relationship. In high school, a conversation about a cougar tends to be accompanied by judgmental tones and a disapproving crinkle of the nose. At the risk of sounding superficial, I will admit that I try to stay away from things that will bring down my reputation— like younger guys. High school is a hard place to fit in, so why make it harder by dating someone practically prepubescent?

But now let’s consider the dynamic of these too common partnerships. When a younger boy teams up with a cougar, he experiences a surge of unwarranted cockiness. The burden then falls on the girls and boys in his own grade to tolerate his heightened confidence and self-proclaimed “swag,” which, speaking from experience, is extremely annoying.

 
Maybe it’s just me, but I would feel uncomfortable getting intimate with an adolescent boy. Especially because, given his underage status, I would have to drive and pick him up. But also, if he is younger than I am, chances are he is scrawnier too, and that is no way a confidence booster. 

 
Now let’s say that we were not hanging out one on one. Would I have to attend a freshman or sophomore party? Some of my friends have siblings in those grades, and they have always seemed so immature to me. Boytoy or not, I could never imagine hanging out with them and their friends. In high school, even a one or two year age difference can mean a big maturity gap.
From a more scientific perspective, it is proven that girls mature more quickly than boys do, so the maturity gap would be even greater between a cougar and her prey, which could end up wrecking the relationship.

 
Furthermore, upon typing “younger” into thesaurus.com the word inferior was given as a synonym. Just saying.