Caitlin Moran - Is Botox Feminist?

Now, I have a rule never to put women down in either my newsletter or the blog (there is enough of that out there without me adding to it), so this is by way of being an observation and a genuine request to know what you think. This is a slightly adapted extract from my newsletter, by the way, which goes out on Thursday.

I love Caitlin Moran; she cracks me up and I have read all her books except her latest - see A Paean of Praise to Caitlin Moran. I'm all for humour in life to get your point across and to oil the workings a little and Caitlin does it with aplomb and a lot of talent. Her latest book, More Than a Woman, is all about being older, a subject of interest to me as I approach a milestone birthday. Discrimination against women as they age is rife and many moons ago I coined the term Femageism to describe it. I interviewed Miriam O'Reilly who was basically sacked by the BBC for being too old, yet her much older co-presenter was allowed to continue. Men can get old on screen but women can't. It makes me fizz.

Back to Caitlin. I haven't actually read the book but in it, Caitlin reveals that she has had botox. I genuinely don't know what to think. I will confess to you, dear reader, that one of my first fleeting thoughts was 'Oh, does that mean it's alright to have Botox now', while peering at my face in the mirror wondering quite where they'd put the needle and would I look utterly gorgeous, or like a woman who hasn't got out much? I'm sixty five next birthday (yes, my picture is out of date) and use face creams, sun block, still get highlights and love spas...is Botox so different?

My next thought was, blimey, all the press coverage seems to be about the botox followed by, Ooh did she do it deliberately to be provocative and get a lot of PR for her book, and then by, Oh, why did you do it, Caitlin? I fear it will put more pressure on women not to feel great about getting older and adding to the plethora of messages of women about staying young. Certain firms are already quoting her in their advertising and marketing botox to women in their twenties. In their twenties! I want women to glory in their signs of a long life, like Mary Beard. To be comfortable in their skin.

I will read the book (birthday gift surely, if I can wait that long) and I have no doubt I will still love Caitlin Moran. Being a feminist is not following a prescribed set of rules and behaving like robots with all the same views. At its heart it's believing that life should be equal for both genders and that we should challenge (however gently) behaviour which perpetuates the supremacy of one gender above another. I am just a teeny bit disappointed though. What do you think?