Mrs Robinson Night
Sun Herald
Sunday June 3, 2007
IT was something straight out of a Desperate Housewives script - 11 middle-aged women in search of an eager "toy boy" to call their own.
The young men came courtesy of speed dating service Fast Impressions at the launch of its Toy Boy Night in Sydney last week.Its rules were simple: the women had to be between 35 and 47, the men 23 to 35.In its promotional material for the speed dating night at the Aurora Lounge in Sydney's CBD, organisers tempted single men and women with lines including "Prefer to get them young and train them?" and "Boys, do you prefer the allure of experienced older women? Perhaps harbouring a Mrs Robinson fantasy?" Fast Impressions general manager Anna Saunders said pairing older women and younger men was losing its social stigma."We got the idea for a toy boy night from a few of our online members, who expressed an interest," Ms Saunders said."Once we organised it and put it up, the women's spots filled up in just a couple of days."By 7.30pm the Aurora Lounge was filled with the excited chatter of the 22 participants. The well-dressed younger men wasted no time getting to know their elegant and professional older dates.After each participant was given a score card, the speed dating started. Seven minutes between each couple, fuelled by unlimited champagne and canapes.If the participants liked each other they registered a "match" and asked organisers to pass on their details. Ms Saunders said about 30 per cent of Fast Impressions' female members over the age of 40 had indicated they were looking for a younger man."A lot of older single women find that their mental age is much younger than their physical age," she said."They don't share a common mentality with men their age so look towards younger ones. On the other side, younger men find older women have more maturity and experience where it counts."Fast Impressions holds at least five events each week. It has theme speed dating nights including Extreme Sports Night, Travel Lovers Night, Tall Men Night and Professionals Only Night."We're only too happy to comply with people's dating choices," Ms Saunders says. "There's no reason why people should feel embarrassed about expressing their preferences when it comes to relationships."HER STORY * Mary-Jo Nolan, 37, human resource officer, Surry Hills. Matches: 4. "MJ", a first-time speed dater, was coerced into it by her friends. After once dating someone seven years her junior she is familiar with the perks of dating younger men. "Young guys seem to be more in touch with things like the environment and with what they want," she said. "A lot of men my age are after the stereotypical supermodel female."HIS STORY* Derrick Waterfield, 29, soldier, Randwick. Matches: 2. A speed dating veteran, drawn back by the social aspect and a love of meeting new people. He is recently separated from his fiancee. About to embark to the Middle East with the Australian Army, he is looking for an older woman to have a bit of fun with while he's at home. "A more mature woman is more grounded, financially stable and relaxed."
© 2007 Sun Herald