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The irresistible rise of the Hotter Over Fifties

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By Chrissie Russell
Thursday Feb 4 2010

Brad Pitt, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Colin Farrell -- look away now. The era of the floppy-haired metrosexual is finally over. As a new decade dawns we've ditched our obsession with toned torsos and boyish good looks in favour of sophistication, life experience and a bit of a paunch. The HOFS -- that's Hotter Over Fifties -- are taking over.

It seems that after an era of self-conscious materialism and an obsession with image, we're now craving a man who is flawed but fabulous. Just like we're ditching an expensive night out at a glossy restaurant in favour of getting out a Delia Smith cookbook and staying in, so too are we looking for substance over style when it comes to leading men.

Heading the pack is man of the moment, Alec Baldwin. Baldwin already had his moment back in the 80s but spent it fighting the demon drink and a raging temper. Now he's back, notching up viewers in the award-winning, must-see 30 Rock, as well as starring on the big screen with Meryl Streep in It's Complicated.

Today's Baldwin isn't as raven-haired and handsome as he was in his Knots Landing days, but he's grown up, survived a gruelling divorce with Kim Basinger and come out the other side with his sense of humour still intact. He's a flawed but fabulous fighter.

Closer to home, Gabriel Byrne is cut from similar cloth. The Dublin-born actor was recently hailed as one of the sexiest celebrities over 50 by Entertainment Weekly. He's also one of the hottest stars on TV, wowing critics with his role as therapist Dr Paul Westen in HBO's In Treatment. He gives a gritty performance that draws on a well of experience in a life where he has battled abuse, addiction and depression to get to where he is today. And when you put his wry smile and knowing eyes alongside the vacuous good looks of Zac Efron or the Jonas brothers, it's not hard to choose who you'd rather spend a night out on the town with.

It could be to do with the bumpy economy but it seems we're all interested in plumping for reliability and old favourites, not just in the shopping basket but in all walks of life.

On the stage, veteran crooner Rod Stewart (65) is just one of the seasoned performers showing the young ones how it's done. The 'Maggie May' singer's popularity shows no signs of dimming -- he's added an extra two dates to his upcoming Irish tour to accommodate demand for seats.

And just look at Bruce Springsteen (59). Fans of all ages stood rapt as the rocker won over the hearts of festival fans to become the darling of last year's Glastonbury line-up.

Proving once and for all that he remains The Boss, Springsteen and his E Street Band played for almost three hours, belting out a 25-song set (Pete Doherty played 12), strutting the stage and regularly leaping into the crowd to get up close and personal with the fans.

Even on reality TV, often seen as the domain of the young, it was a 70-year-old who recently walked away a viewers' favourite. With his jaw-dropping tales of Hollywood, mischievous sense of humour and devil-may-care attitude, George Hamilton was the star of last year's I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here. The veteran actor had more pizzazz, wit and charisma in his little finger than nice-but-dull Hollyoaks hunk Stewart Manning (30), who was pitted against him in the TV3 reality series.

But is our affection for older men really such a new thing?

According to dating website Parship.ie, more than half of Irish women look for a partner who offers the role of protector; 59pc want a courageous go-getter; and 85pc want a sense of security -- and who better embodies these traits than an older man?

An older man has life experience; he knows what he's at, he's made his mistakes and hopefully learned from them, and now is ready to settle down and be a man worth dating.

Psychiatrist and dating expert for Parship.ie Dr Victoria Lukats says: "The appeal of an older man is certainly not a new thing. While there has been plenty written recently about women in their 40s, 50s and 60s dating (or wanting to date) younger men, it's still more common for women to want to date men slightly older than themselves."

Dr Lukats reckons this could be down to women seeing an older man as more emotionally mature, successful and stable.

She says: "Ultimately the combination of charisma, intellect and success -- of course provided it is tempered with modesty, generosity and a sense of humour -- can be very attractive."

When we look at the men on the cusp of their half-centuries -- George Clooney (48), Mad Men actor John Slattery (47), and soccer boss Jose Mourinho (47) -- it seems more than likely we'll be lusting over 'fitties over 50' for years to come.

- Chrissie Russell

Irish Independent