Men shouldn’t put their arm around their girlfriend’s shoulders as it looks like a gesture of “ownership” according to Helen Mirren.
The outspoken British actress said: “It annoys me when I see men with an arm slung round their girlfriend’s shoulders. It’s like ownership. Of course, when you’re young, you want the guy to take your hand and look after you.
"But when I see girls being leaned on, I want to say, 'Tell him to get his damned arm off your shoulder'."
She made the comments during an interview with the Mail on Sunday’s You Magazine, in which she also said: “At 70 years old, if I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to use the words “f*** off” much more frequently."
Mirren went on to suggest that women are “still toddlers in this modern world, trying to find their position in the age of sexual liberation, birth control, education and financial independence”.
Stressing the importance of being independent, Mirren said that marrying late, as she did (at the age of 52, to US film director Taylor Hackford), “is a very good idea”.
She suggested that young women these days have a “princess complex” which makes them long to wear a gorgeous wedding dress and be the centre of attention.
The actress has repeatedly spoken out over the topic of sexism. In June, she attacked the US film industry over “outrageous” sexism and ageism against older actresses in Hollywood.
She believes her sex-symbol status has been a “hindrance as well as a help” during the course of her 40 year career.
She told You magazine: “There’s a huge pressure on young girls to look a certain way these days but, as I age, I’ve lost that incredible insecurity of youth.”
Mirren’s comments came after a debate in the media last week over the topic of men paying women compliments about their appearance.
Feminist lawyer Charlotte Proudman, 27, hit the headlines after publicly shaming barrister Alexander Carter-Silk for allegedly demeaning her by telling her he liked her photograph on professional networking site LinkedIn.
While she won widespread support, some commentators suggested that men might now feel afraid to pay women compliments as a result.
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