Sadly, a foreseeable train wreck

When Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore married in 2005, my first reaction was: Really? He was 27. She was 43. Go figure. I then predicted: No way would this high-profile, Hollywood hook-up last. In time, carnal temptation would surely prove to be too strong for young Mr. Kutcher to resist, I thought. Fast forward six years to the present day. He is 33. She is 49. He is still in his prime. She isn't. On cue, he began to cheat on her (and one wonders if those cute Nikon commercials in which he chased any pretty skirt in viewfinder range were art imitating life). As everyone on planet Earth now knows, she is dumping him. So endeth the fairy tale. Toldja. I want to think the best of Demi and Ashton. Love is complicated and marriages fail. Some are just never meant to be despite the best of intentions. But I wonder if Demi should have seen this coming (not that I'm blaming her) given the 16-year gap in their ages (not that this should matter). Was Kutcher really emotionally mature enough to handle a long-term relationship with someone who was in high school before he was born? I think we know the answer. Moreover, our male-tilted culture makes such a pairing even more difficult, particularly when the older half of "His & Hers" is the latter. Chicago Sun-Times writer Richard Roeper got it exactly right (unfortunately) when he observed: "Middle-age women who enjoy the company of younger men are known as 'cougars.' Middle-age men who enjoy the company of younger women are known as 'men.' ” What's wrong with this picture? Ladies, it's time to woman-up. Stop letting men define you.