Ageing Celebrity Buying A Toffee Crisp

I made the mistake of flicking a copy of the Daily Mail while in the coffee shop which contained a frankly startling revelation.

I'm still reeling from the news a well known person looks different than they did 30/ 40/ 50 years ago. Apparently its something called ageing and I for one applaud all the newspapers and magazines for informing their readers week after week of this stunning new discovery by using celebrity examples. These articles are often so similar that I've suspected that they were written using a template and yesterday I was proved right when a file marked peopleageshocker.docx was accidentally forwarded to me, the gist goes as follows

[Insert name of well known person] NOT SO [insert reference or pun to what they are most famous for]

Back in the [swinging sixties/ glam seventies/ electric eighties] they [reference the field the person was successful and popular in] but today [essentially call them a slob].

(insert a small picture of person professionally taken, well lit and with make-up on, place hastily taken Paparazzi shot at a very unflattering angle of person 30/ 40/ 50 years later out walking dog or quickly popping to shop to buy a Toffee Crisp over at least half the article space).

The reality is that people age, admittedly some do so better than others helped by good diet, exercise, beauty regime and a bit of luck. If someone after a successful career wishes to not do that and put their feet up and have that second helping then that's their wish.

Not Angry, Just Disappointed

I probably have mellowed out a little over the past year over trans representation in the media my view seemed to have veered to a slightly parental 'I'm not angry, just disappointed' bent however the sketch based on newspaper report of Thai airline hiring "ladyboy" hostesses which featured on Russell Howard's Good News is worthy of complaint.

The sketch perpetuates negative and offensive images of transgender and in particular transsexuals which encourages transphobic abuse, ironically given the story was about an initiative designed to help a marginalised group in Thai society.

On a comedic level it was lazy stereotypical writing from writers who can do better.