Jane Fonda drops the C-bomb on TV.

Now I’m going to shock some people here and admit that I’m not averse to dropping the c-bomb myself on occasion. My mum, a wonderful feminist, always told me that as it was a word used to describe a particularly important part of the female anatomy, it was important not to use it as a term of abuse. I assumed this meant I could greet her fondly with "Hello, you lovely c—!". But alas, I am inclined to use it – albeit only occasionally – as a term of abuse. I love my feminine parts and respect those of all other women, but my golly, sometimes you just need a word that’s going to shock and convey a certain depth of feeling. Possibly because the f-word has become so over-used and now has a similar shock value to wallpaper, the c-word seems to be on more, er, lips that it used to be. I do love the way Jane just drops this so casually on live American TV and the host, Meredith Viera, tenses visibly but then just breezes through it.