Advertise this.....

With the recent appearance of the aged Joan Didion, Charlotte Rampling and Jessica Lange fronting ad campaigns, Radio 4's Woman's Hour last week asked if it's just a cynical marketing ploy of advertisers to use women of a certain age to sell products or a change in attitudes towards the ageing woman? 

Advertisers cynical? 

All advertising is about making us buy the things they want to sell, none of it is about our health, happiness or wellbeing. It's not about right and wrong it's about shifting product and was ever thus. Romantic love was, as Don Draper, explained, invented by mad men to sell women like us nylons.... and we bought it.  

Honestly, does it really matter why 'old' women are being used in advertising campaigns? Sometimes, I do feel that Woman's Hour, much though I love it, does just like to carp on for the sake of it. They don't like it when young upstarts are used so sell the middle-aged beauty creams so why not just enjoy all the grey hair and wrinkles while it lasts?

Top tip: am currently sleeping with Anjelica Huston, having enjoyed book 1 about her early life, A Story Lately Told, given to me last Christmas, I asked Santa for part 2, Watch Me, this year. What better way to start the year than reading about someone else's insanely glamorous life?

Starry starry night....

So....it's January, it's cold and damp and miserable and the world is now so awful we're all staying in. But help is at hand because Broadchurch is back (ITV 9pm Monday). Just when I'd gotten over getting over the demise of 'Missing'...... although marvellously distressing to watch, frankly the ending was wanting....... Olivia I-love-her Colman has returned and not only has she brought all our old favourites back with her, but Charlotte Rampling too!!

The face of Nars, the love interest in 'The Night Porter', Charlotte-bloody-Rampling, so sexy her name has become a verb..... and now we can all rample, prime time on Monday nights.....

Top tip: don't give up anything in January, especially not alcohol with all those Christmas drinks left over.... the sloe vodka maybe done but with only February to look forward to it's now all about that bottle of essential brandy that didn't make the pudding!!