Aged 50 himself, the author sparked widespread hatred when he made the comment, and went on to say that he prefers Asians to Western women.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on May 29, 2020. It has since been updated.
Growing older is like the richest and finest of wines... you only get better with age. You have experiences and confidence tucked under your belt and your stride can turn heads. Not to mention, being able to accept every part of yourself just makes you stronger. You have no plans of sitting back and accepting anyone's dismissal of you. So when a famous writer tried doing that, people united to show that they weren't going to take this case lying down.
It all started when Yann Moix, an award-winning French author, director, and presenter, unabashedly made insensitive comments about 50-year-old women. Moix, a man of 50 himself, told Marie Claire magazine that women over the age of 50 were "too old" to love and were "invisible" to him. According to the BBC, he stated, "I prefer younger women's bodies, that's all. End of. The body of a 25-year-old woman is extraordinary. The body of a woman of 50 is not extraordinary at all."
Adding to his insensitivity, he even mentioned that he preferred Asian women more, especially the "Koreans, Chinese and Japanese." Moix said, "It's perhaps sad and reductive for the women I go out with but the Asian type is sufficiently rich, large and infinite for me not to be ashamed."
With every word coming out of his mouth, he was just getting more and more hate. Especially when the man declared himself to be a "great feminist." Honored with various literary awards, all of that was ignored after his comments.
And the rage just kept mounting when he started to defend himself. He explained to The Times that these comments only came up after he was questioned on his inability to get into a stable relationship and his lack of desire for starting a family. He continued to stand by his words when he said that he can't be held responsible for his tastes, USA Today reports.
"We are not responsible for our tastes, our penchants, our inclinations," Moix said. "I’m trying to be honest. Of course I have a problem, I’m an adolescent, I’m a child and I don’t interest women in their 50s either. They’ve got better things to do than to drag a neurotic around who spends his time yelling and reading and likes doing things that only excite children. It’s not easy to be with me."
"I don’t see this as pride, but almost as a curse. It’s not my fault," he told France's RTL radio. If you thought he was done, he also managed to insult another race of women - the western ones. He told The Times, "White western women tire me, they wear me out. They make my hair stand on end. I cannot stand them."
Well, guess what Moix, it seems they can't stand you either as women took to social media to educate him.
Some women took the humorous route as French comedian Marina Foïs, joked in a tweet, that she only had "one year and 14 days" left to sleep with the author, as she'd be turning 50 then.
Laura Hulley, a member of the British Embassy’s political section in Paris said this in her post:
Happy new year, sexists everywhere!
— Laura Hulley (@laurakhulley) January 7, 2019
Signed Yann Moix, who only dates Asian women at least 10 years younger than him, because, you know, women have an expiration date.
"A 50 ans, je suis incapable d'aimer une femme de 50 ans. Je trouve ça trop vieux"https://t.co/dLgVIK9XTv
Other women weren't far behind with their own posts.
#YannMoix needs to know that it takes a real man to appreciate a real woman.
— Cheryl Ladd (@RealCherylLadd) January 9, 2019
I wouldn't look at him no matter what his age. #women #agingwithfreedom #charliesangels @marieclaire pic.twitter.com/Us35stMHyu
"... adding that he preferred to date Asian women, particularly Koreans, Chinese and Japanese." On behalf of the Asian community, I am imposing sanctions on Yann Moix 🚮 https://t.co/Psog57S3X5
— Zing Tsjeng (@misszing) January 8, 2019
so yann moix says the body of women over 50 is not extraordinary at all... well you’re not exactly idris elba are you? oh and by the way these ladies who are all over 50 say hey 👋 pic.twitter.com/kOIJZa3Lu3
— Ruby Naldrett (@rubynaldrett) January 8, 2019
"Voila, the buttocks of a woman aged 52…what an imbecile you are, you don't know what you're missing," wrote Colombe Schneck, a French journalist who posted a picture of her derrière on Instagram before she later took it down.
Another Twitter user addressed the fact that there are still many men who would agree with Moix. She posted, [translated] "That a****** #YannMoix and his sexist words to die... In reality, men who think like this are more numerous than we think... We still have a long way to go."
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