It’s time to set ground rules on our Insta snaps: ALEXANDRA SHULMAN’S NOTEBOOK

Six years ago while staying at a friend’s house, I posted online a bikini selfie and the image went viral. 

Shock horror! Middle-aged former editor of Vogue is prepared to show off a less-than-skinny body seemed to be the gist of it.

Last week, I was back with the same host, who reminded me of that occasion and how he had spent his life determined to be a very private person but suddenly the decoration of one of his guest bedrooms was there to be commented upon all over the internet.

In our Instagram age, it’s very tempting to post about holidays. The sunsets, the pools, the cocktails, the vistas and, of course, the company. 

But not everybody wants to play the game. 

Shock horror! Middle-aged former editor of Vogue is prepared to show off a less-than-skinny body seemed to be the gist of it

In our Instagram age, it’s very tempting to post about holidays. The sunsets, the pools, the cocktails, the vistas and, of course, the company

Is it acceptable to spread pictures of somebody else’s exquisite garden or rustic kitchen? Does your host mind if you share their choice of bathroom tiling with the world?

Also, what about your fellow holidaymakers? 

Does a group photo of a relaxed lunch at a long table in the garden infringe on the gathering’s right to privacy? 

Should you ask everybody before sharing an image of them?

Holiday snaps, where we are off-duty and hopefully enjoying ourselves, are generally more picturesque than photos of everyday life. 

A family trip to a foreign city may have its share of recalcitrant teenagers refusing to leave the hotel but there’s normally an ice cream moment in an attractive piazza that makes it ‘Insta-worthy’. 

A group of friends sharing a house will provide instances when it looks as if everyone is having a marvellous time which can be shared with folks back home.

Instagram does not record the tetchy moment in the supermarket over what price wine to load into the trolley. 

With Instagram having invaded our privacy, it’s probably wise to work out some ground rules of who can post what before the first plunge into the pool.

Lionesses have so much to be proud of

Not only have the Lionesses brought a whole new level of attention to previously underrated women’s football but they’ve drawn attention to another inequality in the sport. 

Rachel Daly, pictured, is in a relationship with fellow player Millie Turner

Many of England’s squad are happy to be known to be in same-sex relationships.

Defender Jess Carter’s girlfriend is her Chelsea team-mate Ann-Katrin Berger; Rachel Daly is in a relationship with fellow player Millie Turner; Beth England is dating Welsh international Stephanie Williams. Contrast this to the attitude to gay male footballers: there is none of the same acceptance.

Also, while we delightedly follow the antics of the Wags in the men’s game, the Lionesses’ husbands and boyfriends keep a low profile.

Surely it’s time that the same level of honesty about homosexuality is accorded to male footballers as in the women’s game.

Fascinated by a few home truths

A new book, snappily named After Work – A History Of The Home And Fight For Free Time, highlights how technological advances have failed to increase our leisure time. 

The authors’ argument is that while washing machines and dryers take the tasks out of our hands, we’ve simply replaced the time gained.

And – big question – is it quicker to wash up by hand than load and unload the dishwasher? Such issues might seem trivial but they are crucial indicators of our lives (stock image)

For example, as a child, tea was frequently a can of baked beans or spaghetti hoops. Now, in most middle-class homes, such foods would be seen as nutritional deprivation.

The book says that in our search for domestic perfection, we have merely replaced one list of time-consuming chores with another.

I’m always fascinated by the minutiae of others’ domestic lives. Does everyone change sheets once a week? Do other women’s partners need a fresh shirt every day? 

And – big question – is it quicker to wash up by hand than load and unload the dishwasher? Such issues might seem trivial but they are crucial indicators of our lives. 

Making time is their common denominator – and without time, we are nothing.

The mums trekking across Nappy Valley

Another big question: when did new mothers first become pack-mules? Every trip to the local park appears to involve as much kit as needed for a two-week expedition to the Rockies. I’m sure that back in the day, a clean nappy, change of clothes and a bottle ticked the box just fine.

Making a mint from the menopause

I’m bored by every wrong in the world being attributed to Brexit (hideous mistake as it was) but not so infuriated as I am by the way the menopause is blamed for almost every affliction. Menopause is now the buzzword for any problem a woman might have between aged 40 and 70. As a result, it’s become a new cash cow. No longer is it enough to buy something to settle your stomach. Instead, we are lured into thinking that we need a solution for menopausal gut issues. Soon there will be menopausal washing-up liquids. Can’t wait.

Courteous Kim is no flash in the pan

Kim Kardashian is the face of fashion designer Marc Jacobs’ new campaign. There she is, waving his mega-selling tote bag bundled up in his traditional oversized shapes and polka dots.

Kim Kardashian is the face of fashion designer Marc Jacobs’ new campaign

When she first came on the scene, I thought she would just be a fly-past, a short-lived glimmer in the universe of celebrity. Instead, she’s been top of her game for 15 years, breaking free from her reality star image and is now a big-name draw in luxury fashion as well as owning her best-selling Skims underwear.

I expected Kim, below, would be spoilt and difficult, but, when I met her a few years back, she was exceptionally pleasant. Very chatty, easy and polite.

‘Good manners,’ as Mum always told us, ‘will get you far.’

A-grades for the Claridge’s bar boys

My new benchmark of ageing is not policemen getting younger but barmen.

As I sat in Claridge’s hotel the other day, a trio of barmen all looked like they could be waiting for their A-level results. However, their skills on the dry martini front were immaculate.

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