Goldstar

• Rated 1.0
• Written on Nov 09 2009

For those who know me or have read my other blogs, you realize that I take the cougar "lifestyle" as a genuine experience rather than the mentality that people imagine the males to have. Thus I was excited when I heard the cougar convention was coming to Beverly Hills in hopes to find like minded individuals who viewed the lifestyle the same way I do.

I will admit maybe I am being a tad too critical solely because I envisioned a grand event that didn't meet up to my expectations. I attended the event with the intention to be an observer, as I knew the cougars would have enough attention from the other cubs (which factored out being 1 woman for every 10 guys at one point). A few people attended the event solely for business and networking purposes, thus I wasn't the only one not mingling and working the room.

Speaking of which, some of the cougars turned into politicians shaking hands and kissing babies (no pun intended) in order to secure a gold coin from the cubs. For the record, I didn't give mine up. The cougar with the most coins at the end of the night was to be crowned Miss Cougar California and win a prize pack which included a trip on the cougar cruise.

There was controversy in who rightfully deserved the cougar crown, as a jealous contestant purposely gave her gold coins to another contestant to ensure that Melanie Garrett would not win. Afterward I even heard the nameless contestant admit it to Melanie, while at the same time revealing that the winner might have only been 38 (as the requirement for the crown was 40).

I was ducking cameras all night as I had seen Youtube videos of the Palo Alto event which painted the lifestyle in a negative and harsh way. I did however take an interview with a journalist from a Finland newspaper as I felt he was the only true journalist in attendance. Granted I had just finished my second Jack Daniels on the rocks and might not have answered the questions he asked.

After attending the event, I realize that my idea of what a cougar is and the dynamics of that relationship differs greatly from everyone else in and out of the "lifestyle". Sadly this cougar phenomenon is sliding down a path that I wish to have no part of and people are more interested in the profit that they can make from it. It's as if the majority of the culture thinks in terms of the movie Cougar Club while my way of thinking is that of the movie I Could Never Be Your Woman. Many people have predicted that the cougar lifestyle will soon come to pass, while other believe it has only just begun. Not sure where that leaves me...

• Rated 3.0
• Written on Nov 09 2009

I went to this with my girlfriends and we were surprised by the number of men. It must of been a 5 to 1 ratio with all age ranges represented. It looked as though it ranged from 18 to 70 yr old men with women ranging from 35 to 80 yrs old. The heavy press coverage made it feel like a circus. Worth a visit for newbies or women but thats it. We had fun and laughed at the things we saw.

• Rated 1.0
• Written on Nov 09 2009

Did not really enjoy the "vibe." There were 50+ year old women in cocktail dresses and 25 year old men in jeans. There was an audience area to listen to a comedian/singer who performed an obnoxious song about cougars. The song went on for too long and her singing was terrible. The speaker was fair. Perhaps it should have been set up as more of a networking room with places to sit and talk and maybe a suggested dress code. There were too many cameras all over the place.