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The charming opinion of all English roses from a delightful American man. (And a British girl’s comment on it).

I don’t usually read The Times but my eye was caught a few months ago by the interesting headline on the front of its review section, “Why are British women so shabby?” The front of the section carried pictures of Charlotte Church and Paris Hilton with the title, “Flabby and badly groomed: The trouble with British women (by an American man).

American Tad Safran, who lives in London, claimed that American women he knows see the £850 they spend a month on their appearances as “simple and sensible investment in the future.”

The delightful Mr Safran who, it has to be said, is far from being an Adonis himself, goes on to describe a British female friend as looking more like “something that would have been happier hunting for truffles.”

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Far be it from me to suggest that this epitome of chivalry might once have been spurned by a British woman. I’m not in the least trying to suggest that this article has “sour grapes” written all over it, but what really rankles is that this was in a week when worrying trends are being revealed that young girls would rather look sexy than be decent people. With people like Safran being allowed exposure in national newspapers, it’s really not surprising.

This journalist thinks that parents are to blame, telling us that in America, “beauty treatments appear to be a large part of the growing-up experience.” Well that explains a lot.

Safran opines that beauty treatments offer girls “an opportunity for a gossip and a catch-up” because of course, girls cannot catch up anywhere but the salon, where we all just love to talk about boys, make-up and shopping.

He adds that being seen to make an effort with one’s appearance is seen as shameful among British women, and describes being put off two beautiful girls because one had rough hands and the other two missing fingers.

It’s amazing that in this modern age there exists a man this sexist, arrogant and rude. Someone not intelligent enough to see that there might possibly be more to life than looking good.

This man is clearly single and looks likely to remain that way for some time.