±±¾©Èü³µpk10

What is my life coming to? ’You like cars and women, don’t you?’ my

trusty ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 contact asks.

I’m plunged into the dichotomy of defending my sensitive strategist

vocation while admitting to being a Loaded lad: yes, I was an early

supporter of the new lad phenomenon but only in response to the

onslaught of the Thelma & Louise generation of adwomen.

But it seems the battle of the sexes has just gone thermonuclear. Hot on

the trail of FHM outselling Cosmopolitan, we now have Redline ’Dragging

motoring down to our level.’

What level is this? Level two at the Motor Show circa 1971? After a

brief moment when I thought I could drive a sports car without being

accused of having a small dick, watch football without being a hooligan

and enjoy the odd shandy with some friends without being an absentee

father, it appears the male species has again pressed the self-destruct

button.

Redline revels in its crassness, makes no attempt to hide its misogyny

and positively encourages reckless driving and lawbreaking. Even

Citroen, with its incomprehensible yet offensive Claudia Schiffer ad,

has had the good sense to avoid these pages.

Maybe I’m just getting old, maybe every red-blooded male under the age

of 25 will carry on finding FHM essential reading and the porn in

Redline a useful addition to their wank fodder. Somehow, I doubt it. The

anti-new-lad backlash is well under way. If it isn’t yet affecting

newsstand sales, it will soon enough.

Grow up lads and read the the ad on page 160 headlined ’How to attract

girls’ - because it won’t be by reading this magazine.

Greg Grimmer - who is no longer a lad - is the client services director

of CIA Medianetwork.