Taking A Stand On Ageism In Dating

Happy Thursday! It has been a while since I have written with an update. To say that there has been a lot going on lately with Rachel Russo Relationships-and in my personal life-would be an understatement! 

One significant happening that you may have missed-or might like to learn more about- is that I did “a thing” on my social media platforms last week at this time.

I shared what occurred after I took a bold stand on refusing to do matchmaking for male senior citizens who want to date women twenty+ years younger. (Yes, I was admittedly a bit disturbed by an influx of men in their seventies asking to date women in their thirties and forties!) I had publicly announced that at my boutique matchmaking business, I will no longer work with men who devalue women as they age.

I was then invited on the Dates & Mates podcast-hosted by the well-known relationship expert, Damona Hoffman-to talk about ageism in the current dating culture, and it was a great experience!  You can check out my episode here. 

And since then some more magic has taken place….

On the business side, I attracted two new (awesome!) male clients for dating coaching, and they are open to dating age-appropriate women. Several men and women reshared my posts on LinkedIn and Facebook, and several others reached out to compliment me on being authentic and inspiring. There has also been a considerable increase in attractive, professional women of all ages applying to my database for complimentary introductions to my male clients. If you are single (male or female) and would like me to keep you in mind for introductions, you can do so here.

Personally, I said goodbye to my thirties and celebrated turning forty on October 8th. I laughed at the contrast between my thirtieth birthday celebration-which included popping bottles and dancing on tables in the meatpacking district of New York City-and my fortieth birthday celebration. For the latter, I found myself ringing in the new decade with my new mom friends and our little toddlers—enjoying strawberry pancakes, in our pajamas at the cute house we rented in the middle of a Pennsylvania forest! And of course, there was a family dinner.

On this Throwback Thursday, I have reflected on the past and realized that the version of me in the photo above (age 33, celebrating my birthday in Italy on this day) lacked the insight, wisdom, confidence, and bravery to draw my line in the sand in this very public way. (Proof that we ladies only get better with age!)

What do I hope you’ll take away from all of this? That you need no one’s permission to follow your heart. That you should just do what you want,  stand up for what you think is right, and watch the good things that will follow.

I also wanted to mention that in addition to my reminiscing about Italy, another country I have been thinking of this week is, of course, Israel. My thoughts and prayers are with those in Israel and within the Jewish community who have suffered from the impact of these recent, tragic acts of terrorism.

With so much darkness in the world, I am committed to bringing love and light to humanity, and I have been exploring new channels for recruiting high-caliber singles for my relationship-oriented clients. 

I am now searching for a man who wants to find an (age-appropriate!) woman he loves more than….pizza!  In the greater NYC tri state area, to be exact. (I know. I know. Just trying to lighten the mood….)

I am hoping to find a handsome and successful Italian American-or at least Italian American looking- gentleman, as my beautiful and accomplished fifty-five year old female client just loves that type! I think mid-fifties to a youthful early sixties would be perfect—though she’d happily date a little younger for the right guy!

Have you “got a guy”? Are you this guy?

Please email [email protected] to learn more about the opportunity for a complimentary introduction to my incredible bachelorette.

Feel free to let me know what you think regarding ageism in today’s dating culture, how we could all just get along while doing what we want, what you’d like to take a stand on, or, umm, whatever your heart desires!