Brittany Renner. Source: Paul Archuleta / Getty
Brittany Renner caught a lot of backlash when she found love with 18-year-old NBA player PJ Washington when she was 26. They later had a child together when Washington was 22.
During an appearance on the Tonight’s Conversation podcast, she and the hosts discussed age gaps while dating and answered the question about whether an 18-year-old should date a 30-year-old. Brittany Renner said she didn’t see the issue with dating someone with a significant age difference. Renner also pointed out that there’s a double standard when it comes to older men dating younger women. She used Beyoncé and Jay Z’s relationship to drive her point home. When Bey began dating the Brooklyn rapper, she was 19 and he was 30.
Co-host Randi Rossario Maple said her issue is that she would want her son to experience more life before dating someone that is “seasoned.”
“Whether you’re talking about me or Jay Z, what’s the difference?,” she asked.
After Renner and Washington broke up, he sent out tweets that claimed he faked his feelings during their whole relationship. After being accused of seducing him while he was a teenager, Renner shut those claims down.
“You’re old enough to ride this ride. You want to f*** with me… so why are we babying men that are making a decision for themselves,” she said on the Off the Record podcast. “I was on birth control up until I had a conversation with my baby father… I have no reason to lie about anything that I have done or the person that I am and I believe in full transparency.”
Research has even shown that women are dating younger men more. One study found in the Journal Of Sex Research, uncovered why women have their eyes on younger men. The study revealed that older women are attracted to younger men’s sexual stamina, feeling that their pleasure also matters and being able to assert themselves more in the bedroom.
Older women are also more established financially and career wise, which means they may not feel that it’s necessary to be equally-yolked.
“Women are now going to be dating like men,” matchmaker Julia Spira said on the TODAY show. “These days, women have the economic power, they’ve got great careers, so they aren’t necessarily looking for somebody to be their equal on a bank statement.”
