So you can say merci beaucoup to Brigitte Macron for killing the cliche of the cougar and the crassness of the MILF and heralding the age of the WHIP - a Woman who is Hot, Intelligent and in the Prime of her life.
After all, Emmanuel Macron's relentless pursuit of the woman 24 years his senior has been documented to death. Now 64, Brigitte still looks damn good. And it's pretty obvious that her 39-year-old husband still has the hots for her.
WHIPs - coined by British writer Bibi Lynch - perfectly encapsulates the woman of a certain age who knows who she is and who she wants, and this confidence is very attractive and very sexy.
Of course a WHIP doesn't need younger men to validate her hotness, but there's no reason why she shouldn't have as much fun with them as she wants. For as long as she wants.
• This article was originally published in The Times.