A cesspool.

Brings out the worst in us

What’s wrong with an old fashioned book?

I heard this about TV. I heard this about t’interweb. The logical, enlightened me has resisted this.

There is nobility in a cat pic. Life’s eternal truths can be found in a first wedding dance.

The internet is a good thing. It’s just that some of the people who post things online or who attempt to start a ‘mad’ trend might need to think before they hit the ‘post’ button.

As prime witness for the prosecution - step forward the ‘A4 Waist Challenge’. Like the rising sun, it comes from the East. If you haven’t heard about it, here’s the drill.

Step 1. Take one A4 piece of paper.

Step 2. Hold it lengthwise. Technically, the phrase is ‘portrait’. Imagine you are the Mona Lisa and you get the picture.

This next bit is the clincher...

Step 3. If the piece of paper hides the front section of your waist, then, hey, you pass the challenge.

Now, the thing is, an A4 sheet is 8.4 inches in width. I’m not good at maths but we are talking about a full waist of under 22 inches.

I might have had one once - as a child.

Imagine the pressure that places on a younger man or woman? This is where my interest is sparked.

An obsession like this will inevitably lead to young people finding themselves open to considerable mental and physical health issues as they try to chase after the elusive standard of beauty.

The sad part of the story is that A4 sheets are used to do an amazing thing. A4s allow us share our thoughts with others. They are called words and the action is called writing.

Thankfully there has been a backlash to the trend. Young women are taking pictures of their CVs, their college thesis and other far more interesting ways to use A4 sheets.

The even better news is they have used the INTERNET to post these. Normality has been restored. I don’t need to whine.