Two of my blogging compatriots, Hearne Christopher (kcconfidential.com) and Tony Botello (tonyskc.com) seem to be obsessed with what they refer to as “hotties.”
Their idea of hotties is young women with eye-catching qualities of one sort or another — sometimes beauty but more often physical endowments, such as curves or protuberances — that rivet the eye.
For example, on Tuesday, when The Star announced the hiring of Mi-Ai Parrish, a 40-year-old publisher in the McClatchy system, Hearne breathlessly gushed in the second paragraph of his story, “Blessed mother of god, they hired a hottie!”
Tony also weighed in with a “hottie” headline, and, on those two sites, at least, her appearance and youth took precedence over her credentials. (For a closer look at Parrish and her credentials, see my last post.)
Now, I’m completely in agreement with Hearne and Tony that beautiful young (and youngish) women are appealing to the eye, but my idea of a hottie is a bit more expansive than theirs. Probably, it’s because I’m 65 and look at women through a slightly different (more mature?) lens than those two “young” guys.
(For the record, Hearne will only admit to being “north of 50,” and I would guess that Tony is in his 30s.)
Anyway, as I have aged, I have come to appreciate the beauty of “older” women, which brings me to this…Christine Lagarde, the 55-year-old French finance minister and leading candidate for International Monetary Fund director, is one of the most striking women I have ever seen…At least from photos, that is, and I’ve seen a lot of photos of her.
As a teenager, Lagarde was a member of the French national synchronised swimming team. Wikipedia says that she is divorced and the mother of two adult sons. Since 2006, Wikipedia says, her partner has been an entrepreneur from Marseille named Xavier Giocanti.
She is a vegetarian and teetotaler, and her hobbies are yoga, scuba diving, swimming and gardening.
Take a look for yourself…
With Xavier
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Here is a picture of Kansas Citian Susan Stanton, who is referenced in the comments below
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
She looks kind of like Susan Stanton. How can you be French and a tee-totaler?
Christie Brinkley is bringin it too.
How about Christiane Amanapour? I don’t know, don’t ask why… I kinda feel like she is in great danger on an on going basis, and I need to throw my body across hers to protect her. You know, cause I’m a giver.
Steffi Graf always makes me wanna use my fore hand. Still way hot…
I read a book by Libby Custer once (After “Son of the Morning Star”, I was interested in another view of the times.), she was very beautiful, and it was tough to be beautiful in picutres ca. 1860. http://ramblingbob.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/libbygeorgecuster.jpg?w=311&h=433
My great great grandfather is actually hiding in Libby’s petticoats in this picture, tracking hostiles.
I want Tony Botello to marry a Jenny Craig grad from Ethiopia.
Hearne is “Robert Peary” north of 50. Just remember, he ate lunch during the Truman administration.
Shit! Gotta go, Helen Mirren is on the phone.
Ah, Mike, how sharp you are…Of course, we both dated Susan. She was the only woman I ever dated that I could never completely get out of my mind. As the old Alabama song goes, “There’s an old flame burnin’. (That said, I want to assure my incomparable wife Patty, a sometimes reader of the blog, that the old flame doesn’t burn nearly as strong as the current one, the one that has endured for 26 years.)
Chuck — Your mention of Helen Mirren makes me quiver…I once read that that she set her alarm so she could have sex with her husband before going to work. Holy mother of God, that’s a hottie!
hey guys cold showers will take care of the problem or a good cigar and jack daniels..you must be careful don’t the wives read this stuff…
Mary doesn’t let you fantasize, Gus?
Give me Emma Thompson any day followed by my Plan B, Uma Thurman.
If you’ve ever seen Tony Botello out with his girlfriend you’ll quickly understand his infatuation with soft core porn.
Hearne, by most accounts will be 62 this year. I’m sure that he and the other half of the god couple, Craig Glazer, both have fake I’d’s that say they are in their early 40’s. Such a shame that men can’t cop to their real ages.
Remember man that thou art dust and to dust thou shall return. Amen!
Very good, Smartman…and I’m now putting my timeline cards on the table — all 65 of them.