Rachel Johnson
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OMG, you have to check out the catfight between Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie. It all started when Ange told The New York Times that she had fallen in love with Brad Pitt on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith in 2004, when he was supposed to be totally married to Jen. So now Aniston’s gone for Jolie’s jugular and the latest is: Brad’s so annoyed that he called his ex and chewed her out.
Yes, I know that it all sounds very Jerry Springer but it may be useful at this point to recall the actual words that Aniston used to cause this headline-grabbing three-way stropathon.
What Aniston said was: “There was stuff printed there that was definitely from a time when I was unaware that it was happening. I felt those details were a little inappropriate to discuss. That stuff about how she couldn’t wait to get to work every day? That was really uncool.”
Well, here’s the outrage, in my humble opinion. A woman six years younger with huge pouty lips takes your man, because she can, leaving you to face 40 alone and childless . . . and “a little inappropriate” and “uncool” is the best you can come up with, Jen? Oh dear.
I would have said that the situation called for some full-fat, industrial strength, venti-sized bitching. What you gave it was small, skinny and decaff, and that got me really worried that maybe - my voice drops to a concerned whisper - you’re not really that okay after all.
For as I know from the work of wimmin such as Kate Figes, Germaine Greer, Julie Burchill, who’ve all hymned their song of praise to the bitch, from Joan Crawford to Joan Collins via Jean Harlow (that’s Harlow with a T), the strongest and funniest and best women are just that: bitches who say it loud and proud.
It’s when women stop being bitches that the trouble starts. Not being one is a sign of drippy weakness, of craven conformity to the crushing man-made convention that women don’t speak out in case they’re thought ball-breakingly aggressive and unattractively unfeminine. And Jen? Bad news. Not bitching is now also a sign of age.
Scientists last week established a link between high oestrogen levels and cattiness: a link that most of us might have worked out from our viewing of every reality TV show from Big Brother to the bikini-clad, talons-sharpened I’m a Celebrity.
A hundred women between the ages of 40 and 64 were shown pictures of faces that were digitally altered, some to look more masculine and some more feminine. The survey showed that the older the women were, the more prepared they were to rate other women attractive. Boffins speculated that this was because young women were fighting each other about men, but older women were over that rat race. “Postmenopausal women have shifted away from this mating-oriented psychology to one focusing on family and community,” the Royal Society said. The newspaper headlines were rather more succinct. “Women become less bitchy as they get older,” they crowed.
And yes, on the face of it, I can see this sounds nice and cosy. It raises the placid prospect that in lateish middle-age, life’s suddenly going to get like The Archers, with everyone offering each other cups of tea and volunteering for the church flower rota, and women gratefully closing the door on their years of slagging off their friends behind their backs and passing on chlamydia to their best friend’s boyfriend.
Now we can all see the point of that. None of us like women who slate other women because they feel insecure and competitive themselves, but as I think you realise, this isn’t really what I’m talking about.
No, like the aforementioned women writers - Greer, Burchill and co - I’m all in favour of strong, funny women telling it how they see it. We already live in a mimsy, cowed surveillance society where everyone takes offence at whatever is said (you should see my postbag), particularly if a woman is saying it.
As Figes, author of The Big Fat Bitch Book for Girls, points out: “Now, men tend to call women bitches when they do not get what they want from them. So if a woman turns a man down for a date, she is a bitch. If she climbs the career ladder faster than him, she is a bitch. If she becomes his boss and turns down one of his ideas, she is - you guessed it - a bitch.”
When the word is understood in that sense, I don’t think it’s just a woman’s right to be a bitch: it’s her duty. Which means that being called a bitch is a badge of honour. As Madonna said: “I’m tough, ambitious and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.”
So nope, I’m not planning on becoming a sweet little old lady, knitting in a corner and not saying boo to a goose. Whatever the old hormones are doing, we must carry on bitching - in a good, strong, brave way, of course, rather than a vicious, weak, cowardly one. After all, as the late Bette Davis said: “When a man gives his opinion, he’s a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she’s a bitch.”
All fine by me.
- Obviously great news about the post office U-turn and good to hear that Lord Mandelson realises that the network can “rebuild itself into a widely accessible, trusted provider of a broader range of financial services”. I take it this is an acknowledgment that after the financial meltdown, consumers have only about three high-street, state-subsidised mono-banks to choose from and so post offices have at last come into their own.
I also hope this is a sign that the government is secretly planning to claim as its own work the genius proposals for a “people’s bank” based on the post office network, launched by the New Economics Foundation. If it does, then I promise we shall say no more about the years of cost and chaos that ended in the awarding last week of the post office card account to the, er, Post Office.
But we can’t draw a line under the episode. There are still 2,500 post offices, many in rural areas, facing the axe. So we can’t shut up until Lord M reverses the closure programme and realises that when it comes to post offices, the all-purpose slogan of “change” (doublespeak for “mass closures”) won’t wash.
We don’t want change. We want post offices to stay the same.

Rachel Johnson has written for among others, the Daily Telegraph, the Spectator, the Evening Standard and Easy Living, and is author of The Mummy Diaries and Notting Hell. She is married with three children and lives in London. Her column appears weekly in The Sunday Times.
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Most of women choose to be on Jen's side becase they feel like she reflects themselves: not pretty but happens to be famous due to marrige with Bratt Pitt. Those ugly and unattractive ladies are so scare of Angie's beauty and attraction that they deny the fact that she is a good hearted woman.
Nga , hai phong, Vietnam
Jen did not want to have children until she had a huge Oscar nominated career behind her. Whereas Brad was ready to be a dad and didn't want to put it off any longer. So he meets Ang who already has a son and is a devoted mum. Basically he wanted to start a family but Jen didn't. Now Jen REGRETS it.
Anita Paige, Reigate, England
So Brad was married to Jen, he meets Angie, moves on.
So Brad is married to Angie, he will undoubtedly meet another younger model along the way and move on. C'est la vie - what goes around comes around Angie, so enjoy him while you can!!
Lynda House, Ringwood, uk
I think its a shame to promote values systems that reward creepy and dishonest behavior. Were Aniston to point out that Pitt did her a dirty she would be called that cheap shot catchall reserved for women but less than honorable actions should be called for what they are more often.
Mollie, santa fe, usa
This article gives itself away when it cites Greer and Burchill as female role models. Whilst I respect what these women have achieved in their careers, I do not take their angry and often self-important invectives as as blueprint for how I would like to behave myself ('if *only* I had the guts'!).
Nemira, Manchester, UK
You guys act as if he had a choice. He was married. What happened to recognizing that? Jen handled it how she wanted to. Angelina has Brad so now she needs to just be quiet. She is wrong on all obstacles.
Josephine, Vacaville, CA, US
Anna - if Angelina is every man's dream, how come she has had a stream of failed relationships, whereas Jen had a stable marriage? Why the relief in these men?
Angelina is, I would argue, every man's nightmare. Undeniably physically attractive, but disturbed in the head and self obsessed.
Tom Franklin, London, UK
What your article should be advising women is to not put off motherhood in favour of a career.
Mel, London,
Where do you get this "put off motherhood" nonsense from? I don't know ANY WOMAN who has ever done this. They haven't met a man who wants to settle down, that's the problem.
Helen E., London, UK
Any man would go for Angelina over the boring, needy & nauseating Jen -Angelina is every man's dream & most women's nightmare - I expect many of the anti- Ange fans are the one's whose husbands have philandered & so they feel the jealous need to hate Angelina . She doesn't chase men, they chase her.
Anna, London , UK
Mel - you're sick of the Jen sympathy? I'm sick of being told not put off motherhood in favour of a career. It's not modern woman theory, its that reality of the fact that the man you're advising us to rely upon may leave you (see Brad Pitt) and all you have left is your career (see Jen).
S, Leeds,
Jennifer handled this a lot better then most.
How dare Angelina announce to the world that she was inlove with a Married man and not expect anyone to respond.
If Brad, really did confront Jen, he did it for that for his mess of a girlfriend. Who I guess thought her comments would be admired.
Lisa , SSF, USA
Angelina is a mess,. This is not the first home she wrecked. Remember Laura Dern coming home to find her Boyfriend Billy bob married to Angelina and her stuff in storage.
Angelina is a disturbed human being. Her charity work is not going to fix her dark soul. Nor is having Angel in her name
Sonia, New York, USA
Jennifer Aniston continues to demonstrate why women the world over love her. She could easily have gotten into a war of words but she remained calm and lady-like. Jennifer is one classy lady, especially when compared with Angelina (look at her rather scary relationship history).
Michelle, Glasgow,
i am apalled by the article that somehow defies all boundaries of being mature and callously lauds angelina for being a sexy vixen. if being beautiful means breaking up homes then im sorry i dont wanna buy this definition. I respect jennifers calm response!!!angelina is no role model!
Maha, Karachi, Pak
As a fellow Greek I think Jennifer needs to go back to her roots, and I don't mean the politics or democracy. The Greeks were always good at war and destroying those who tried to hurt them. This includes Brad and Angie. Strong words? Yes. But don't mess with families, especially a Big Fat Greek ones
Andreas , Lichfield, UK
I wish this was still the 18th century and they would have given Jolee a scarlet letter to wear. Come on, she hated her dad for years because he left her mother for another women. Well do you believe in Karma? I can't wait.
Rebecca, Texas, US
Rumana: a beautiful, talented and caring human being cares for other women too. Jolie is most definitely not a "role model for the modern day woman".
A role model would say to a married man "You're married. I respect other women. Sort your life out. When you're single, call me. Not before."
Laura Roberts, London, UK
Has anyone ever heard of being discreet? No matter what happened between them, keep the details to yourself in that type of situation. And Jen never said she did not want a family with Brad. Quite the contrary. Media at it's best.
Beth, Jackson, USA
Give Ange a break! so what she fell in love with a married man, let's not forget Brad was the one in a relationship and he could have said no! Angelina Jolie is a fantastic role model for the modern day woman. She is beautiful, talented and a caring human being.
Rumana , London , United Kingdom
I am sick of this Jennnifer sympathy. She is not the first woman to lose her husband to a younger woman. What your article should be advising women is to not put off motherhood in favour of a career. I know it goes against the modern woman theory, but we need to be real.
Mel, London,
Publicly Brad and Angelina may appear perfect and happy, but inside them will continue to exist shame. The mere fact that Jolie continues to reveal tidbits about the beginning of Brad's affair with her show a deep need to explain themselves and to be accepted.
Success won't erase internal shame.
joan, Newport, USA
The only reason the reporter would ask Ms. Aniston a question about Ms. Jolie is to provoke a response that the celebrity media could feast on for many days like vultures.
Robin, SJ, USA
So these days a refusal to publicly rage against and insult your ex's new partner (especially when the media can't get over your marriage breakup and wants to keep harping on it) is a sign of weakness? Interesting - I was brought up to believe it was maturity and showing a little dignity.
Hol, London, UK
Just see the reall world and the right for the couple.Not to cheat on wife and husband.Because it`s gonna hurt one`s heart.The person who hurt one`s heart is not the human being.just the animal who don`t think about anything,the right,the wrong.The animal just think,sex is feel good.
rujira kobayashi, Osaka, Japan
But,the real Human being always think of the wife who is getting married with.not the girls in the office or a beautiful woman who he work with.Brad and Angelina really do the Big mistake.not to themself.but also to the world.
rujira kobayashi, Osaka, Japan
I have children.They`re teenager.They read the Newspaper or the magazines and always ask me that Can I have another girl friends or bf while get married with wife or husband like Angelina and Brad pitt?Oh my god.I can`t believe that question!My children think,cheating wife or husband is cool???
rujira kobayashi, Osaka, Japan