May-December love-英语点津

Nancy Matos

Reader Question: “Does age really matter when it comes to love? GMA News took a look at some of the May-December marriages of famous celebrities.”

Could you explain “May-December” love? Is it popular in western countries?

My comments: Also known as “May-December Romance”, “May-December” love is when a couple’s age is significantly different from one another, usually a decade or more. It is called such as the older person is said to be in the “winter” (December) of his/her life and the younger person is in the “spring” (May) of his/her life. This is also referred to as “robbing the cradle”. The “winter” or “spring” of the couple can be either the man or the woman—there is no difference, although it seems to be more common for an older man to find himself a younger woman.

There are several famous couples in the west who are involved in so-called May-December romances, but it isn’t necessarily popular. Most couples tend to have some years between them in age, but it is only when the gap is 15 years or more when society takes notice and sometimes makes an issue of it. Some argue that two people can’t possibly get along or have the same interests when there is such a large difference in age, while others will argue that love has no age. There is a well-known saying: “Age is just a number”, meaning someone’s age should have no significance on a relationship—love is all that matters. The following famous Hollywood couples will show you just that, as they have proved the naysayers wrong with their successful May-December marriages and romance:

-Demi Moore, 46, and Ashton Kutcher, 31. She was 42 and he was 27 when they got married.

-Michael Douglas, 64, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, 39. They have been married since 2000.

-Susan Sarandon, 62, and her partner Tim Robbins, 50, together since 1988.

-Harrison Ford, 66, and Calista Flockhart, 44, who became engaged in March 2009 after seven years together.

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