Netflix is always premiering new dating shows.
Their latest, Age of Attraction, centers around the concept of “ageless dating,” or dating without knowing or focusing on someone’s age.
The show’s tagline is, “Does age matter when it comes to love?”
I don’t watch many dating shows – just a select few – but I’ll admit I’ve been watching Age of Attraction as it has a certain relevance for me these days.
Age of Attraction seemed pretty polarizing with viewers right from the start. From what I could tell by reading social media posts and comments about the show, some loved the idea of pairing younger daters with older partners, while others found the whole concept offensive.
I’ll admit, before my recent foray back into the modern dating world, I had only ever dated people within about 1-2 years of my age. It seems that people are becoming far more open-minded about dating outside of their immediate age range. Age gap dating is certainly working well in my life, although it’s not something I ever intentionally sought out. The most important dating factors have nothing to do with age: for me, they are character, emotional depth and maturity, willingness and ability to communicate, chemistry, shared interests and sense of humor.
But back to this goofy TV show. The dialogue is as fake and forced as you’ll find on most dating reality shows, and the singles are just as highly groomed and coiffed. On Age of Attraction, the older singles look young and fit, while the younger singles look so polished that it’s not always easy to tell people’s ages – though usually you can guess within a 5-10 year range with a few notable exceptions.
From this group of singles ready to mingle, connect and date each other without knowing anyone’s age, one can spot two main types: those who truly don’t seem to care about the age of their partner, and those who actually admit they prefer age gap dating for one reason or another.
Here’s where I found myself being not just judgmental, but a bit hypocritical: I find the trope of older men seeking younger women to be distasteful, while I do not have that same bias against older women looking for companionship with younger men.
If shows like Age of Attraction can bring to the forefront societal trends that have been percolating beneath the surface – like the increasing prevalence of women dating younger men – then good for Netflix. As dating shows go, this one is kind of a unique concept, and it is executed well in beautiful British Columbia amidst gorgeous natural surroundings.
I haven’t watched the end of the show yet, so I don’t know if any of the couples will make it once they take their new relationships out into the real world. I’m rooting for Theresa and John, pictured above. They are one of the older women/younger men pairs who seemed to have a genuine connection and be a good fit for each other – I hope they can make it work.
I also want to shout out the hosts, podcasters Nick Viall(45) and Natalie Joy (27). They did a good job guiding participants through the age-blind dating experience, leveraging their own 18-year marital age gap to help the singles navigate new romantic connections.
If nothing else, watching Age of Attraction brings up some interesting changing societal norms and mores and can make for a good topic of discussion with friends or dates.
