Frank Skinner on 'age-gap love'

[Kathyis12feethighandbites]

here
The 17 year old girl in Somalia who married a 112 year old, for instance.
He doesn't understand why everyone is so down on it.
Nothing wrong per se with age gaps in relationships IMO but he misses the point a few times in this article I feel....

So Maggie Monday, you are the same age my Dad was when he married my 22 year old mum - so is that 'eughghrghgh' a comment on them - or do you think it's different if the woman is older?

Yes but he's not examining any of the cultural context in which people are making these kneejerk responses.

Which is why I think the article is pointless. Because there's a gaping hole at the centre of it.

who is sam taylor wood?

oh good glad someone else asked.

I have no idea either - the only place I've heard of her is on MN....

Skinner is a fuckwit of epic proportions. Only a teenager would have him.

Read his autobiography recently and then he was with a (different) younger woman, and in the book he seemed pretty aware that it would never have happened if he was him just working in a bog-standard job in the West Midlands, but he was quite straightforward about it being one of the perks of being famous that you got to punch above your weight, so to speak, in the romance stakes so he would always go for it. So I don't think he's deluding himself about why the younger women were with him. He is probably a tad more defensive about it than he needs to be, though.

Yeah, who is Sam Taylor Wood?

Anyhoo, Skinner is still a nob jockey.

Rustybear, whatever floated your mother's boat, but it's entirely my perogative to turn down a man 20 years older than me without being accused of being ageist.

And tbh, 9 times out of ten, eururghghghg. Occasionally, great compatibility, true lurrrrve... but most of the time, refer to what Jenny ross said.

Yes, of course it's your prerogative, I wouldn't suggest otherwise - unlike you, I try not to comment on other people's relationship choices....

I'm 26 and my husband is 43! I don't think anyone bats an eyelid so am always really surprised/amused to hear they do.

I've just asked him if he thinks the neighbours/staff at the nursery etc are whispering about us and he laughed his head off...because honestly we NEVER think about the 17 year age gap!

He didn't have a pot to piss in when we met, and I earn twice as much as him now so it is not about money.

We have so much to talk about. We could easily stay up until the early hours chatting.. sometimes he'll talk about his trivial interests (retro toys, movies) or mine (friends love lives, pushchairs ). Or there are a million other subjects, mainly our 2 children and childcare arrangements, the stepchildren and DSSs leukaemia treatment, work, decorating etc.
He phones me every day from work at least once just for a chat and we laugh, he tells me about the free lego with the paper (for DS not me) or a work issue, I tell him what the children have been up to and tell him that we've had an invite to dinner next month etc.

A totally normal, very postive relationship. No one in our lives mentions it, we don't think about it, has never been an issue.

If Frank Skinner is missing the point, what was the point?

ah jeeez rusty, relax. I've read Frank Skinner's autobiography you see. I have the unfortunately 'advantage' of knowing what a wanker he is. I'm sure your parents had a great marriage. I'm jsut a bit wary of middle-aged men who trot about making sanctimonious speeches about people who have the gall to judge them for dating 20 year olds.

And I'm not sexist... I find Madonna's relationship with Jesus unenviable.

I have read his autobiography too. It was very badly written and I felt ill learning about how he lost his virginity. Boak.

TBH I have no problem with big age gaps, each to their own and all that, but Frank Skinner once said something along the lines of "all women over 30 are bitter munters".

I also can't believe that The Times has given him his own column. It used to be such a good paper.

LOL at eurghghghgh...
I suppose DH looks a bit younger than 43. Maybe he'd pass for 38?
He is 6 foot 2 and slim, full head of hair which is greying so he keeps it very short.
Some people say he looks like footballer John Terry.
I look a bit like radio DJ Jo Whiley apparently (although I'm quite a bit younger).
Maybe I'll put pics on profile and you can decide if 17 year age gap is eurgrggrghhhh!

Rate my age gap!

citybranch, that comment "eurghghgh" was specifically brought forth for the visualisation of myself with a 22 year old man. Which personally, makes me feel "eurghghgh".

I know age gaps can work etc, but as The Crackfox says, it's the nerve of Frank Skinner, we all remember that he said all women over 30 are bitter munters, and then he comes along to try and present his dating young 'wans' as something beautiful that the rest of us don't 'get'. He's so funny actually. Bless him.

citybranch no one is interested in your age gap.

Frank Skinner is a tosser and his article is crap for reasons which have been outlined already on the thread.

I read his book when I was 28yrs but I still thought "what a cock". At least I wasn't a bitter munter then, unlike now, when I turned into an old hag just before midnight on the eve of my 30th birthday. However at least I am not shagging Frank Skinner so my life isn't all bad.

Do or die: Frank Skinner, Big Cook or Mister Maker?

He backs up his argument with the reasoned commentary of... Peter Stringfellow... umm,

Agree with Rusty.

Our head girl at school was 16 when she met her DH. He was in his 30's (can't remember exact age - but irrc closer to 40 than 30).

18 months down the line, when she fell pg (oops ) he slowly started revealing to her that he was a self made millionaire with his own business.....instead of picking her up in a mondeo he picked her up in a Lamborghini and took her to his town house instead of small bachelor pad . (we all, her included, thought he was just another of her slimy "old" BF's)

They're very happily married living in the south of France with 4 children in one of their many houses.

"Do or die: Frank Skinner, Big Cook or Mister Maker?"

well, personally, I'd rather die an old maid!

I'd do Big Cook rather than die!

Nice to hear rusty's story, DH and I have a 17 yr age gap, and I must admit it has sometimes worried me when I think about the future. We got together when I was 19 and he was 36, but we met at uni so it felt like we were 'in the same boat' so to speak. He was living in halls with me, he'd never been married or lived with anyone else before so it felt like we were on a level, both starting our lives together. I might have felt differently if he was 36, divorced with other children, his own house etc. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I think I would have felt a power/experience difference in that case, rather that the way it actually is between us, whereby having kids, making a home is new to both of us.

The only time I notice the difference is when he remembers things that I don't like the moon landing and random 70's TV programmes