I'm no scientist, but with a 60-year age difference, it's possible Hugh Hefner's fiancée, Crystal Harris, has a serious case of gerontophilia — a sexual attraction to someone much older than you. It's been in the spotlight lately with the Night Stalker case, since he sexually assaulted elderly women and has been labeled with the paraphilia. A Slate article today examines this atypical attraction, so if you're curious about this granny- and pa-loving condition, here are seven things you may not know about gerontophilia:
- The origin of the attraction could have less to do with an Oedipal complex and more to do with an early sexual experience that created an "erotic fixation."
- Not to be confused with "cougars," the sexual "target" should be 60 and older.
- Without scientific proof to back it (and questionably motivated examples like Anna Nicole Smith), it's possible female gerontophiles don't actually exist.
- Because there aren't criminal repercussions for being involved with an elderly person (unlike with children), it flies under the radar. So it hasn't been as scientifically explored as other sexual age orientations.
- Even gerontophilia has niche dating sites, such as nannydate.co.uk and silverdaddies.com (NSFW).
- In the UK, approximately two to seven percent of all rape victims are over 60 years old.
- Some believe there's a connection between pedophilia and gerontophilia: a phobia of pubic hair.
