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Not sure about making older people look stupid, but there is something about her, - wonderful though she is in many ways, - that gets up my nose.., envy probably! Seriously, I do find her a little annoying these days in her perfectness.

Haha, henetha, I know just what you mean! There are others, equally irritating in their perfectness: Lulu, Felicity Kendall, and the dreadful Carol Vorderman, to name a few.
Though I have nothing but admiration and respect for Mary Berry and Joan Bakewell, who look wonderful at 80 and 81 respectively. They could teach us all a thing or two about growing older with dignity.

Dame Helen looks amazing so would I with all that air brushing and having someone to count your calories for you, but good on her if any young gentleman takes a fancy to her I would certainly grow old disgracefully given half the chance.

I scent something ageist here. If you are old and look the way you are expected to look you at any given age you get approval. If you do not meet the stereotype you aren't.

Mary Berry and Joan Bakewell are just as 'perfect', nurtured and well maintained as Lulu, Felicity Kendall and Carol Vordeman. To me the last three look their age just as much as the first two.

I was looking at a photograph of my aunt yesterday. It was taken on her 80th birthday, 20 years ago. She sat there, smooth unwrinkled skin, hair only lightly sprinkled with grey, a lady who had never used make-up, coloured her hair or had any beauty treatment in her life. She looked like this despite many years of ill health. She was just as typical of how people look at 80 as any white-haired lady of that age with a wrinkled skin who meets the approved stereotype.

FlicketyB, sorry, I didn't really explain properly - I agree that all five look their age and look absolutely lovely. It's not their appearance, but their manner that slightly grates with me. I might concede that Felicity K doesn't really belong with that group, but Lulu and Carol V are very irritating in the way they behave and dress as if they were in the bloom of youth.

Mary Berry and Joan Bakewell both look absolutely wonderful, both very beautiful women, and they act and dress accordingly.

I find, in particular, Carol Vorderman, very irritating indeed.... just something about her over-tight dresses and whole demeanor.
But I concede entirely that older women these days are absolutely entitled to dress and behave just how they want, and that is great.
Maybe I am being ageist? Don't think so. But I do admit to a touch of envy!
I do particularly like Mary Berry and Joan Bakewell. And I like and admire Joan Collins quite a lot.

But why shouldn't they? All of us find some people in the news irritating, mannerisms, choice of clothes etc etc. It is when the reason for irritation is because we do not like how they behave for their age that my hackles begin to rise.