Has consent culture gone a bit too far?

Joan Collins has a point. But there’s a simple way to refresh the rules of modern dating

Actress Joan collins has said consent culture has gone too far in the wake of the #metoo movement. ‘what’s going to happen to seduction?’ she asked on

Good Morning Britain. ‘Is it not going to be allowed any more? Is somebody going to have to ask permission to the parents before they kiss a girl? It’s absolutely becoming out of control.’

in a way, Joan is right. We’re living in a world paralysed by fear of accusation. look at the rise of consent videos, in which men ask women to record a verbal agreement before having sex. imagine watching a Poldark scene where our touslehaired hero whips out a piece of parchment for Demelza to sign before tumbling into bed with her. But Joan, i have a 12-year-old son and it’s up to me to advise him on how to navigate the dating world in which he will grow up. so while he’s young enough to listen to his mum, i’ve shown him a brilliant online video that compares sex to cups of tea. if you ask someone if they want a cuppa and they say, ‘yes, i’m desperate!’, make the tea. if they say, ‘no’, don’t make it. if they say ‘yes’, then change their minds, that can be frustrating as you’ve wasted time and a tea bag. But if someone has gone off the idea of tea, that’s up to them and nobody in their right mind would dream of pouring tea down someone’s throat. so there you have it, sex and a cuppa – it’s as straightforward and British as, well, Joan collins.