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86 MIAMI LIVING PROFILE When Raquel set out for her first date with a new guy last week, she initially felt nervous. "I drank two martinis beforehand and went well-above protocol, making sure everything was hot, sexy, and perfectly waxed." She also took painstaking care to find a sexy matching bra/panty set, the highest heels she could get her hands on, and a restaurant with the perfect lighting. Raquel's divorce was just finalized and it had been over a decade since the last time she was out on a real date. She was unsure why she was so nervous as she wasn't looking to meet Mr. Right, more like Mr. Right Now. Maybe it was because Mr. Right Now was 12 years younger than her – a "cub" that she found on CougarLife.com. Ever since Mrs. Robinson seduced Dustin Hoffman on the silver screen in the 1967 film The Graduate, sexy, older women have held a certain mystique for interested younger men. In the 43 years since the film's release, a lot has changed about the way we view this unconventional dynamic. Skyrocketing divorce numbers have caused more and more of these sexy sirens to be re-released on to the dating scene and as a result, the "cougar" phenomenon was born. This meteoric rise in May-December romances has not gone unnoticed by Hollywood and others hoping to capitalize on the growing trend. Desperate housewives (who incidentally look nothing like June Cleaver) are now splashed all over television and film. Thanks to hotties such as Demi Moore, Eva Longoria, and Courteney Cox, dating older women has become… who are we kidding? —has always been every young man's dream. Enter Claudia Opdenkelder, a 39-year- old self-proclaimed cougar who couldn't help but take note of the burgeoning trend. Claudia, a former marketing executive and current knockout, just so happens to prefer the company of younger men. Her boyfriend, Paul, is 15 years her junior and though his career is in its early stages, Claudia is comfortable being the breadwinner in her relationship. Additionally, she isn't tied down with the baggage that comes with dating an older man. Demi Moore made it hot. Courteney Cox brought it to Prime Time… Now CougarLife.com brings it right to you. Words by Vanessa Pearson Claudia Opdenkelder, President of CougarLife.com, with boyfriend, Paul.