via YouTube

Picture this: You’re in the cinema, about to watch a movie, when you notice something strange. The main male lead has just started a romance with the female love interest, but you’re increasingly uncomfortable.

Your discomfort is perfectly understandable, as the age difference between the two leads is wildly inappropriate.

This isn’t a hypothetical situation either. Although we see this kind of age gap in almost every movie these days, these romances have been there for some time now. Obviously, we’re not talking about age gaps like the one between the popular pair Asser Yassin, 41, and Nelly Karim, 47. We’re referring to age gaps like the one between Tamer Hosny, 44, and Hannah El-Zahed, 28.

Before we tell you about the worst offenders of this age gap, let’s first tell you why some age gaps are allowed while others are not.

Okay, so not all age gaps are bad. Yes, even ten-year age gaps are manageable as long as the actors themselves aren’t in different stages of life. For instance, if one actor is in their thirties and the other is in their forties, their age gap wouldn’t be a problem as the people in question have the same presumed emotional maturity.

via Nogoum FM

So, when are these age gaps iffy? Well, when one actor (usually female) is in their twenties and the other is in their forties, the power dynamic is unbalanced. This is exactly how it is in real life. Someone in their twenties and another in their forties are in different stages of life, with different needs, experiences and expectations. In fact, the latter usually has a lot more life experience while the former is only beginning to live theirs.

via Facebook and Hia Mag

Additionally, the fact that there is a power imbalance makes a relationship like that a breeding ground for toxicity and possible abuse. While we’re not saying abuse or toxicity are exclusive in relationships with significant age gaps, they’re more common when the power imbalance is that glaring.

And, yes, the fact that Egyptian male actors grow older but still get called for on-screen romances with actresses in their early-to-mid twenties is related to the commodification of women.

via Mklat

In movies and certain TV shows, female characters aren’t given the time to develop and grow in their own right. A lot of the time, they’re included to serve a purpose, that being to play the ageing male lead’s love interest. To make the love interest desirable, she naturally has to be relatively young and attractive. Hence, it’s rare that Egyptian actors are given on-screen romances with actresses their age. 

The Worst Offenders of This ‘Trope’ 

Sadly, a lot of films have their male leads paired up with actresses that are much, much younger. But, even within that trope, there’s ‘bad’, and then there’s ‘worse than you thought’.

via El Mogaz and Al Solta

So while the age gap between ‘Amohom co-stars Huda El Mufti (27) and Mohamed Emam (37) is prominent, there’s no real imbalance between the characters, who share similar lives and emotional maturity.  

via Hia Mag

An age gap like the one between Bahebak co-stars Hannah El Zahed (28) and Tamer Hosny (44) comes off as creepy, as does the age gap between El Aref co-stars Ahmed Ezz (51) and Carmen Bsaibes (29). The creepiness remains even when the roles are reversed, because the same power imbalance is implied between older women and younger men.