The ugly side of the fuss over Meghan Markle changing her look

But she’s also someone who has withstood a brutal reckoning for daring to walk away from one of the world’s biggest brands. The hysterical overreaction to her new hair and great skin – the Google search term “Meghan Markle facelift” is trending – is ridiculous, deeply stupid and proves the duchess was right to turn down her invitation to the King’s coronation next weekend.

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Why would she put herself in the firing line again when the humdrum move of using a dewy foundation sparks global speculation of buccal fat removal and a chin implant?

I’m so bored that in 2023 how someone looks is seen as a prompt for the world to weigh in. Remember the furore over ageing gracefully – a myth, by the way – created by Madonna’s Grammy’s appearance in February? You would have thought Madge had hooked up with Vladimir Putin. Yes, she looked really done, but you know what, her face, her choice.

Carrie Bickmore was trolled when a gorgeous photo of her on a family walk in bike shorts was posted on social media last month. The comments were vile and disheartening, as is the way any celebrity with the temerity to pull on the togs on a beach is said to be “flaunting” her body or “showcasing her curves”.

Meanwhile, civilians are being bombed in Europe.

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Late last year I ducked into a doorway in Exhibition Street to wait out a rain burst. A man stopped. “You look good for your age,” he said, apropos of nothing. He took it personally when I asked why he thought it was fine to appraise a stranger’s appearance, and suddenly I was the villain.

This week a bloke who last saw me in 1988 came up at a party: “Thought it was you, but you look so different,” he said. Kooky concept, but yeah, that happens when you’re now 56, not 21. Here’s a tip: don’t comment on my looks unless you can help me with a quick fix – like telling me I have lippy on my teeth, or a stray hair on my jacket. Otherwise, keep your thoughts to yourself.