Let’s just take a moment and look at James Franco.
Ahh, that was beautiful.
That was a great break from studying for finals, wasn’t it? James Franco is ridiculously attractive. He’s also a majorly accomplished actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, and much more, with degrees from UCLA, Columbia, and Yale. He’s even the face of Gucci ad campaigns… wouldn’t he be the bestbestbest boyfriend EVER?
Pause: the guy is 33 years old.
Would you still date him?
Sadly, dating James Franco is most likely not an option. But the main components of his allure are his attractiveness and his accomplishments, two things that rarely can be achieved to such a degree by your early twenties. So the question is, if you’re tired of dating college guys with often unsatisfactory muscles and texting abilities, should you enter the dating pool of older men? Here, Her Campus Emory readers, are some things to consider:
The Creep Factor: Stop hitting on me, Grandpa
It goes without saying that getting hit on by a guy old enough to be president is highly creepy. I mean, ew.
Seriously.
But even if he is not terrifyingly old, you still have to wonder if he has totally creepy motives in his flirtation with a college girl. Does he want to take advantage of you? Does he think of himself as a major player because he can get girls seven years younger than him? Is he the type of person you should seriously be busting out the pepper spray on? If an older guy flirts with you, even if he seems well-intentioned and interesting, or even remotely like James Franco, you still have to keep these questions in mind.
The Ridiculously Good Looking Factor
The cree
p factor aside, older men can sometimes be so much hotter than college age guys. For one, they are fully out of puberty with developed muscles and have an actual need for a razor blade. They have a wardrobe that consists of more than several dozen frat tank tops. And they most definitely have that allure of maturity. I’ll be honest: I would probably date James Franco for his looks alone, despite the 13 year age gap.
The We-Are-In-Totally-Different-Life-Situations Factor
Another con to dating an older guy: you might find it hard to relate to him because he is in such a different stage
of life. He might be paying bills while the main thing you spend your money on is alcohol. He might be searching for a job in Atlanta or applying to grad school, and you’re still struggling to declare a major. Going through the same life struggle at the same time is a huge bonding factor, and with that not available between you and your older dude, you might not have enough similarities to sustain a relationship.
The Maturity Factor: A good boyfriend based on experience
If he is in his late twenties or so, older man has bee
n in the dating pool for a while, and thus will know the ropes. By this age, he’ll know how much to call or text you, he’ll know fun date venues, he’ll know how to compliment you without sounding completely cheesy, and he’ll make for interesting conversation just because he has had more life experiences. He’ll have gotten the kinks worked out of dating, something you can definitely appreciate.
The Maturity Factor, Part Two: If he likes it, he might want to put a ring on it
Great, older guy wants a relationship beyond weekend booty calls and the occasional date party! Oh god, older
guy wants a really serious relationship… and is ready for marriage. As a college student, you are probably not ready for this now (understatement?!?!). You probably want to date around some more, or at least wait until you graduate from Emory, maybe attend med school or have a job already… The settling down factor would be a huge deal breaker in cultivating a relationship with an older man.
There you have it, HCE readers. Sure, he’s super built and stylish and accomplished. But maybe he’s an old creeper. He might be a great boyfriend. He might want to be a great husband… soon. There are many pros and cons to dating an older man, but for now, I personally am going to stick to dating guys my age while privately drooling over James Franco’s picture.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emory chapter.