Florence Pugh claims women want the romantic age gap: Is it true?

Emotional maturity, availability, understanding and connection, for women, older men tick all the boxes. While many might disagree, it isn't about the hotter looks or the fatter paycheck, it's about the bigger heart.

May-December romances, or age gap romances have been frowned upon in society for years. So much so that they are now limited to some TV series and novels that people watch and read while hiding away in their rooms. What's interesting here, is that these shows have some of the highest ratings on apps and the novels, well they turn out to be bestsellers. No matter what the outside noise screams, women want the age gap for all the romantic reasons and actress Florence Pugh is here to tell us why.

Florence Pugh on age gap romances

During her recent appearance on Louis Theroux's podcast, Pugh, now 29, reflected on the harsh criticism she received while dating actor Zach Braff, who is 21 years her senior. “With relationships and with romance in this world, it doesn’t matter how much you speak on it or how little you speak on it, people don’t care,” she lamented.“They want a story. They want a reality show. It doesn’t really matter how much you say you love someone or how much they make you happy.

If they don’t like them, and it doesn’t fit that image that they want of you, they don’t care. And I think that hurt me.”“It was an insane amount of abuse being hurled at my relationship just because there was an age gap,” she added. The Oscar nominee and former Scrubs star were together for three years between 2019 and 2022, which raised a lot of eyebrows and headlines over their age gap. According to her, mutual consent and adult choice should be the factors in a relationship, rather than societal expectations like age.

“It’s time for the self-appointed sex police to find a new target,” she stated.

Why do women want the age gap?

Age gaps have created controversies since time immemorial. This is one societal taboo that no amount of awareness and activism has been able to alleviate. From filmmaker Woody Allen's controversial relationships to Charlie Chaplin and Oona O'Neil's age difference, love has been overshadowed by age for years. But is there a reason why women tend to gravitate towards older men? A study published in the journal Personal Relationships investigated the preferred age gaps for men and women at the beginning of a new romantic relationship.

They analysed data from 35,996 couples, collected over 28 European countries. At the age of 25, men preferred a partner 3 years younger. In contrast, a 25-year-old woman typically partners with a guy 3 years older. According to Calm.com, this comes from various pros that being in a relationship with a person near or the same age as you wouldn't have. Beginning with a fresh perspective and learning opportunities. Partners of different ages are able to introduce each other to new things and ideas which can be inspiring for them both. Women interested in an older partner are also looking for emotional stability and maturity. This could be because they share the same traits or because it could balance well with their energy and enthusiasm. Personally, the relationship might feel more like a partnership where both are working towards goals of their own rather than being the only dedicated partner in a relationship. Lastly, nothing tops the want of a romantic spark and love. To find the one who not only understands you emotionally but also romantically, is one of the dreams and if it arrives in the form of a man older and more mature, then who's gonna say no?As Pugh said, it's time people focus on other topics and bigger problems than a person finding love in someone older than them.