Like R&B artist Aaliyah once sang, “Age ain’t nothing but a number.” Or is it?
On Wednesday, March 11, Netflix released their new reality dating series “Age of Attraction.” In case you weren’t satisfied with the mass amount of reality shows alike, such as “Love Island,” “Love Is Blind” and “Too Hot To Handle,” just to name a few. Now you can watch more strangers attempt to form connections, all while feeling like you’re interrupting the most awkward Tinder date of all time!
“Age of Attraction” follows 20 single men and women on their journeys to find their true loves. What makes this show different from all the rest? The contestants must form their new relationships while simultaneously being unaware of their partner’s age from the get-go.
In this new series, hosted by Nick Viall and Natalie Joy, an age-gap couple of their own, we meet people that are eager to prove that an age gap shouldn’t overshadow good compatibility, and are told your soulmate may very well be someone who was around before the internet was invented. With the ages of contestants ranging from 22 to 60 years old, this show feels like a poor excuse for Gen X to not be labeled as creepy for going for someone 20 or more years younger than them in the name of reality TV.
Age gap relationships have always been a big debate, rife with history and controversy surrounding the topic’s very problematic reality. I find it strange that Netflix is trying to normalize the idea of big age gaps within relationships. But there have been many famous age gap relationships in pop culture — just ask Leonardo DiCaprio.
Now, psychologically speaking, there is many reasons why someone may go for someone much older than them, with a lot of the contestants justifying their participation by saying that they’re looking for someone who is more mature, responsible and stable in their life than those in their age group. The idea doesn’t sound too bad, until they find out they’re closer in age to their prospects’ children than they are to their partners.
But seriously, there’s plenty of people who seek older partners to provide a sense of security, safety and maturity. So, what’s the reasoning for the people who go for someone a lot younger than them?
For many of the older contestants in this show, they claim to be looking for active, independent and free-spirited partners. If that’s the case, I’d point them to their nearest dog shelter. However, it gets even weirder when certain contenders say they saw similarities between their connection and a close relative or even going as far as to seek certain traits attributing to them; which feels like only further fueling the fire that is hating on age-gap relationships.
Only five episodes have been released so far, with new episodes coming out every Wednesday. While the idea of seeing how these relationships adapt in the real world sounds interesting, the premise of the entire show is off-putting, and I don’t see it being renewed for a second season. But who knows, maybe next year there will be 40 more contestants who are just as desperate to find love.