A POPULAR presenter on Spanish TV was most offended when one of her reporters referred to women of 60 as 'elderly ladies' on air and called him an 'idiot'.
Ana Rosa Quintana, 62 (pictured), who hosts El Programa de Ana Rosa chat show on Spain's fifth channel, Telecinco, reacted hotly to the comments, saying: “Women of 60, elderly? And what if I said you lot were idiots?”
Her on-air colleague Joaquín Prat joked about the reporter's remark, but Ana Rosa insisted that it was offensive.
“These days, calling a woman of 60 'elderly' seems a bit exaggerated, to me,” she said.
But her indignation was for women in general, not herself, as she did not take the comment personally.
“Life has changed, life expectancy is higher, 60 isn't the same now as it was before,” she argues.
One of her female colleagues said the word 'elderly' was more correctly used for women aged 66 or more, but most ladies of that age would disagree – and so does the United Nations (UN).
According to its latest study of ages, the UN considers 'adolescence' to have extended beyond the teenage years, starting at age 10 and ending at 24, whilst 'young adults' is now the appropriate term for men and women aged 18 to 65 inclusive, and 'middle-aged' being correct for those aged from 66 to 79.
According to the organisation, 'elderly', in the 21st century, does not start until a person reaches the age of 80.
