Cougars On The Prowl

Say goodbye to secretive, predatory Mrs. Robinsons. Older women dating younger men aren't taboo anymore.

They're fierce -- they're cougars.

And now they're being celebrated on the new reality show hosted by Vivica A. Fox, "The Cougar."

They're women over 40 who want to date men under 35. And one of them on the show, Fox told The Early Show, has her pick of the litter. Twenty-somethings are lining up to win the affection of a twice-divorced 40-year-old mother of four.

"I think that a forty-year-old woman today looks a lot different than she did, per se, 20 years ago," Fox told Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman. "And her state of mind now is different. She has her own career. Her own independence. Her own bank account. And she's making her own decisions."

Fox added that young men are growing more attracted to mature women.

"I don't know what's going on with the younger guys," she said. "They are attracted to... heck, I want a woman!"

Madonna was 10 years older than the man she divorced, then went on to date a man almost 30 years younger. Jennifer Aniston, who is 40 years old, is almost a decade older than former boyfriend John Mayer. And Demi Moore and husband Ashton Kutcher have a 15-year age difference.

But it isn't just celebrity women who are dating younger men. Dating Web sites cater to this crowd, including Cougar Speed Date.com, run by relationship expert Lucia.

"The number one reason guys say they like older women is confidence," Lucia told Kauffman. "She knows what she wants by then, she's not afraid to ask for it, she's not afraid to go and get it."

But what happens to cougars that age?

Fox said there's no expiration date on a cougar.

"You just enter into the next league -- and become a jaguar!" she said. "Check that out!"

"The Cougar" airs Wednesday nights on TV Land.