JULIE BURCHILL:  Why ‘Hot Mess’ women of the world – think Bridget Jones and Fleabag – are doomed to be screwed over by patronising men.

While they might be celebrated by some as being a progression from the Hollywood honey or Chelsea chick, in reality Hot Messes appeal to the worst side of men – if women are a mess already, they’re going to be even easier for men of bad intent to mess with. A new show runs this month at the Soho Theatre in which the comedienne Liz Kingsman takes on the idea of the Hot Mess Dream Girl. She told the Guardian: ‘I don’t relate to those messy-women narratives. None of my female friends talk about their sex lives a lot. And I’d be hard pushed to find a single one who is aimless: everyone is hustling and working really hard.’

The Hot Mess Woman does exist though; I’ve known a few, but sadly they’ve long passed their youthful hotness which is the one time when being *ditsy* can be viewed as in any way cute. They tend to think of themselves as *feisty* and *sassy* and *free spirits* – far too *vibrant* to bother with the boring bits of life, such as paying one’s bills on time. When they go bankrupt, they’re amazed. But the minute they bounce out from the claims court, they’ll be off buying candles costing the best part of fifty quid and cushions saying I SEE SHOES!

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