2008 November 21

Don’t tell Linda Franklin and Bonnie D. Graham that cougars are dirty old women preying hot young studs. The founders of The Real Cougar Woman blog – and social movement – would like to feed that stereotype to the wolves.

In its place, they’ve got a more civilized, less salacious definition.

“The Real Cougar Woman is smart, stylish, graceful, independent, proud to be over 40 and – yes – sexy,” says Linda, a New York City dweller who formerly ran the all-male trading department at a leading Wall Street investment bank. “She knows what she wants and how to get it. She can be married or she can be single. It’s not about the ring on her finger. It’s all about attitude.”

Today at 12:30 p.m. ET, Linda and Bonnie – host of Up Close and Personal on Long Island’s WGBB Radio – launch their weekly BlogTalkRadio show, The Real Cougar Woman.

Sizzling as it celebrates, the program focuses on Real Cougar Women’s on real concerns: wellness, beauty, relationships, financial freedom and “a mindset that’s programmed for success.”

Today’s guests will be Damon L. Jacobs, author of Absolutely Should-Less: The Secret to Living the Stress-Free Life You Deserve, and Mary Marshall, author of Charm School for Guys: How To Lose the Fugly and Get Some Snugly.