I do not know whether it was on this thread or the other thread, but you talked about J.Lo, Mariah Carey's, J.Lo's and Madonna's having younger lovers. I have not heard the first two sing or seen them act, so I am just basing my opinion on how they look.

Mariah Carey has average to below average looks. She is not charming, her smile looks artificial, she does not seem to be enjoying herself, her affect seems severely restricted, and her pictures on Google images offer very little variety (are boring and repetitive). She never looks naturally sensuous and most of her pics portray pathetic attempts at appearing sensual without really being sensual. It is as if she were trying hard, but she does not have it in her and it cannot be helped. Without the whole marketing machine and photoshopping, she probably would be completely generic if you run into her on a busy street. I do not know what made her so popular - maybe she is a good singer and just does not know how to smile, touch her hair, touch her breasts, hold a glass of wine or curve her body without all of that seeming like a hard job she still cannot get the hang of, despite all those years and despite having dance instructors, image makers, makeup artists, photographers, photoeditors, and the whole entourage.

Maybe she is a good singer - I do not know but assume that she must be because based on the looks and that part of the personality that comes through visual images, it is unclear to me how she rose to fame if not due to a strong talent in singing.

To see what I am saying about her being boring and pathetic, look at the whole page of google images for her, and then for Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Scarlett Johansson: some are better, some are worse, but they are varied and the women are gems in themselves - the photographers and the whole entourage only serve(d) as the gold or platinum that made/makes the gems stand out and shine and sparkle and dazzle. If you run into Scarlett Johansson on the street, without her entourage, you would notice her because there is nothing generic about her - she has a personality, a wicked smile, authentic and overflowing sensuality that is her core being and not a task she is trying to get better yet, etc.

So if Mariah has a younger lover, I would assume that he wants to benefit from her fame because being her partner gives him opportunities he otherwise would never have. I highly doubt that she is interesting to be with.

Madonna, though not a beauty in the traditional sense, is a very interesting person with her opinion, views, style, etc. She is not generic. She is also a self-made woman. Her affect is not restricted, she is not sappy, unlike Mariah Carey, and her opinion of herself is objective - she herself says that she is not a beauty, that she is very hard-working, all of which seems to be true. Madonna also is mesmerizing, has her own unique charm, and is audacious.

So I would think that her young lover is interested in her as a woman AND benefits from her fame. Plus, because Madonna gets it, she probably realizes that part of the reason her young lover is her fame and part of it is her unique charm. I doubt that she would be deluding herself.

J.Lo is somewhere in-between.

But you put them in a series as if they were comparable. So that is one problem with using those examples.

Another problem is that celebrities do not represent the population at large. Unless the partner of a celebrity is of equal fame, there is always the issue of ulterior motivation. Both men and women sleep their way to success in industries that require this of all but the most talented and determined. Which gender of celebrities is more popular? The female gender. This is very easy to see because tabloid covers have more women than men. Many more. Kate Middleton appears more frequently than Prince William.

So if female celebrities are more famous, as a group, than male celebrities, then people who are fans of celebrities would be more positively disposed towards women celebrities because such people value fame. If more people like female celebrities then more people would speak favorably of the relationships of female celebrities than of the relationships of male celebrities. It does not translate in having the same opinion of couples of regular folks, because the most important factor - the fame - is missing with the regular folks.

Shadix, can you explain why female celebrities are "celebritier" than their male counterparts with only a few exceptions such as the late Michael Jackson? Why