Does age really make a difference where love is concerned? The romantic in me would like to believe that it doesn’t – but the stigma attached to a May-December relationship says otherwise. The term itself, May-December, refers to a huge age difference between a groom and his bride. Oddly enough, when an older woman marries a younger man, the stigma is not as profound, but when a man of advanced years marries a much younger woman, it’s a whole other ball of wax.
Anna Nicole Smith
The first name that may pop to mind when you think May-December is Anna Nicole Smith. She catapulted to fame by marrying a much, much older millionaire. She was young, she was buxom and she reveled in the lifestyle her marriage afforded her. Rumors of gold digger would persistently pursue her for the rest of her life.
When her husband died, he left a huge amount of his wealth to his wife. His family protested and sued to try and invalidate the will. The lawsuit and all the ugly stories surrounding it were tabloid fodder for months. The relationship, many felt, was all about Anna getting her hands on her husband’s money. In his eighties, he did not live long after their marriage and other than some good arm candy, what could he possibly have seen in his wife?
Other Famous May-December Marriages
There are some who would put Prince Charles and Princess Diana in this category. She was just 20 when she married him. He was 32 and while 12 years is hardly an extreme age difference, his more worldly experience definitely put them on different footing. More recently, there has been a negative backlash to Katie Holmes and her marriage to Tom Cruise. Katie was a baby when Tom made his infamous slide across the floor in his underwear in sunglasses.
The media chews these stories out and regurgitates them for public titillation – but there are other stories of May-December relationships that are far from romantic in nature. Horror stories of forced marriages between very young girls and much older men. Forced marriage isn’t about a May-December romance at all.
The simple truth is – love can exist between people of varying ages – and while we should have an age requirement for relationships (we do – it’s 18) of this nature, beyond that – if a couple really loves each other, then they should be able to enjoy that love without fear of public consumption.
My mother was involved in a May-December relationship, the man she fell in love with was nearly 25 years older than she was. My grandmother always contended she was trying to replace her father, but I think she was just trying to find love and whether the man was 25 years older or 25 years younger, if they were happy together – then so was I.
What do you think?