Katie Price has gone back on her word as she prepares to wed Leandro Penna.

Last summer she declared that after two failed marriages she would never walk down the aisle again.

Katie Price has gone back on her word as she prepares to wed Leandro Penna.

The glamour model will wed her Argentinian toyboy, making him her third husband in the space of seven years.

Husband no 3! Leandro Penna will soon be Mr Katie Price, here he looks every inch the doting dad Princess and Junior earlier this week

 

Model step dad? Leandro has reportedly told Katie's children the pair will soon get married

The Sun published photos of Price, 33, flashing a pink diamond ring on her wedding finger as she and Penna, 26, dined out near her Sussex mansion.

A spokesman for Katie confirmed to MailOnline the couple were engaged.

He said: 'They're engaged. Leandro proposed to Katie while they were away skiing recently - and she said yes.'

Proposal: Katie Price is said to be thrilled to be getting married for the third time

Beauty and the Beast... The pair went to see the Disney classic with Katie Price's children

The spokesman told the Sun the had couple told her children - Harvey, nine her son from a relationship with footballer Dwight Yorke, Junior, six, and four-year-old Princess, from her marriage to Peter Andre - but kept it secret and have yet to make any definite wedding plans.

Not so on/off anymore: Katie and Leandro were snapped canoodling at the polo in March a day after she and second husband Alex Reid were granted a 'quickie divorce'

And Katie has yet to finalise her divorce from cagefighter Alex Reid and is expecting the decree absolute very soon.

Katie met Alex in 2009 and they were married in February 2010 in Las Vegas before getting formally hitched in the UK, which was filmed as part of her reality TV show, but they split in January 2011.

She was previously married to Peter Andre who she met when she and the pop star took part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here in 2004 and they were married in September 2005.

Fairytale wedding: Katie married Peter Andre in September 2005 but they were divorced four years later

They had Junior and Princess but announced in May 2009 that they were separating and they were divorced that September.

Katie met model Leandro in March last year at Sir Elton John's Oscar party and they remained pretty much inseparable, despite their age gap and Leandro unable to speak English.

He followed her to the UK and became close to her family but their romance ran into trouble when it was revealed that Leandro had a three-year-old daughter and was feeling homesick for Argentina.

Not so intimate: Katie married cagefighter Alex Reid in 2010 and the ceremony was filmed for her reality TV show - they were given a quickie divorce last month

They split in October last year but have kept in touch and Leandro came back to the UK to spend Christmas with her.

Then, earlier this month, she took to her Twitter page to declare: 'I'm in love with Leandro Penna'.

Days later, he announced that he had sealed their relationship with a ring.

Short-lived: Katie and Alex at a showbiz party in January last year not long before they announced they were separating

He is believed to have told Argentinian glossy Caras: 'I surprised Katie with a sparkly ring. Our story is no longer just a romance. Now we’re committed.

'We decided to get back together... so I bought a ring and I surprised her with it. Luckily, she ­accepted and we are now really happy ­together.'

But last July, while appearing on Lee Mack's All Star Cast, she announced: 'I'm never getting married again. It's too expensive to get married and more expensive to divorce. No, I'm definitely not.'

She was also quoted by website Female First as saying: 'I've adopted an Argentinian man. I wouldn't adopt an Argentinian baby at this point but I would have a baby with an Argentinian man when the time is right.

 

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Lauren Goodger brought a whole new meaning to the word 'plunging' last night.

But instead of opting for a daringly low-cut dress to showcase her cleavage, the cheeky TOWIE star went for a backless number.

Displaying her new slim figure at Cafe de Paris, a braless Lauren chose a sparkly silver creation that showed off her entire back, with the gown dipping so far south it threatened to reveal her derrière.

Revealing: Lauren Goodger steps out in a daring backless dress for a night on the tiles at Cafe de Paris

 

Waiting for the next bottle? Lauren seems to sip on water after the Moet bucket on her table is emptied

Since Lauren has spent the last couple of days showing off her newly slim figure, you would think the men would be queuing up to buy her drinks.

 

 

But just in case her knight in shining armour was a tad on the skint side, the reality star thought to bring a huge wad of cash with her, which she was seen counting not-so-subtley in the back of a cab.

It was a girls night out with the 24-year-old heading to the London nightspot with Georgina Dorsett.

How low can you go? Lauren's dress dips rather south towards her derriere

Tres belle: Lauren Goodger tries for a pout as she arrives at Cafe de Paris nightclub in London

Posers: Lauren and Chloe Green give their best bezzie mate pout

Lauren was only too happy to show off her weight-loss from the liquid only Cambridge diet, posing with her back to the cameras and going on a tweeting frenzy with images of inside the venue.

But it seems the brunette had a few calorie cheats as she was on a slightly different sauce last night - emerging from the club looking slightly dazed in the early hours.

And although single Lauren had been staying demure in recent days keeping her famous pins under cover, she decided to go back to her usual thigh-skimming dresses for the evening out.

Ready to party! Lauren arrives in a taxi and counts the cash ready for a night on the tiles 

Demure: Lauren has recently said she is regaining her body confidence and looked back to her old ways

Also out on the tiles was Sam Faiers, 21, slightly upstaging Lauren with her effortless glamour. 

After being upset by photos of her 11st frame on holiday in Miami last month, 5ft 6in Lauren is hoping to lose 2st.

Goodger has been following the Cambridge Weight Plan, following advice from friend Frankie Essex.

The diet sees Lauren living on a combination of shakes and snack bars.

Cool chic: Sam Faiers was also on the tiles, and looked effortlessly gorgeous

 

Double trouble: Sam and sister Billie were in the party spirit, showing off their figures in curve-hugging frocks

The only way is to the bar... Lauren appeared to be a little merry posing with Georgina

She explained recently: 'I want something quick because I’m going away again soon. 

'I want to go to Marbella and Ibiza and when I’m walking around I want everyone to go, ''My God, have you seen Lauren?''

'The quick fix will act as a motivator for me.'

She decided to follow the plan after dismissing the weight loss supplements Meratol, which she had praised last year for making her slimmer.

She said recently: 'I didn't like them. All the caffeine makes you feel on edge and shaky.'

Slimmer down: Lauren Goodger shows off her stomach while being pampered at her own salon, Lauren's Way, in Buckhurst Hill, Essex

Unhappy: Lauren is keen to shed some weight and gain a more impressive bikini body

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G-spot 'does exist'

 "This study confirmed the anatomic existence of the G-spot, which may lead to a better understanding and improvement of female sexual function." The G-spot was named after Ernst Grafenberg, a German gynaecologist who claimed to have discovered it in 1950. The theory has been maintained ever since by sex therapists, who have claimed some women need coaching to find it and experience the full pleasure of sex.  Sex gets better with age say scientists 04 Jan 2012 Female G-spot 'may not exist' 20 Jan 2012 G-spot 'may not exist' 03 Jan 2010 Despite Dr Ostrzenski's certainty, his finding is unlikely to be the final word on the matter. Earlier this year a rival medic, Dr Amichai Kilchevsky of the Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, said after reviewing 100 studies that there was no conclusive evidence of its existence. He hoped it would take the pressure off men and women during sex. Professor Kevan Wylie, a sexual medicine consultant in Sheffield and associate editor of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, said its existence could not be confirmed by a single post mortem. There were other theories that did not rely on the existence of the G-spot to explain female orgasms, he said. Others are disdainful of the continued fascination with female sexuality in general, and the G-spot in particular. Dr Petra Boynton, a lecturer in health services research at University College London, said: "We persistently try and make out there are unique parts of the female genitals that should or should not be stimulated to encourage orgasm."

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Dengue Fever Asian Mosquito Could Invade UK

The mosquito can carry dengue and chikungunya viruses

 

A mosquito that spreads tropical diseases including dengue fever may be poised to invade the UK because of climate change.

The Asian tiger mosquito has already been reported in France and Belgium and could be migrating north as winters become warmer and wetter.

Scientists have urged "wide surveillance" for the biting insect across countries of central and northern Europe, including the UK.

The mosquito can carry dengue and chikungunya viruses, both of which cause high fevers. The infections usually occur in tropical regions of Africa, Asia and South America.

Scientists led by Dr Samantha Martin, from the University of Liverpool, used climate models to predict how changing conditions might affect Asian tiger mosquito distribution.

They wrote in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface: "Mosquito climate suitability has significantly increased over the southern UK, northern France, the Benelux, parts of Germany, Italy, Sicily and the Balkan countries."

The research shows that parts of the UK could become hot-spots of Asian tiger mosquito activity between 2030 and 2050.

The mosquito has been introduced into Europe from Asia via goods shipments, mainly used tyres and bamboo.

Climate change is now shifting conditions suitable for the insect from southern Europe to central north-western areas.

The mosquito could survive in water butts and vases, and may find winter protection in greenhouses, said the researchers.

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Joe Manganiello goes shirtless

Joe Manganiello: Shirtless at Coachella!

while waiting in line for a cold lemonade at the2012 Coachella Music Festival on Saturday (April 21) in Indio, Calif.

The 35-year-old True Blood actor was joined by a female friend as they checked out the festivities.

In case you missed it, make sure youcheck out the trailer for Joe‘s upcoming stripper flick Magic Mike, which also stars Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, and Matt Bomer.

 

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Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds Buy a 'Country Home' Together

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup

Lovebirds Blake Livelyand Ryan Reynoldsare nesting. 

The couple, who werefirst linked late last year, "bought a beautiful country home" in Bedford, N.Y., a source tells PEOPLE. 

And it's not too shabby. "The house cost more than $2 million," the source said of the property. 

The actors, who starred together in the super-hero film The Green Lantern, have been spotted inBoston, New York Cityand New Orleans but seem to have found the perfect place for settling down. 

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Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds Buy a 'Country Home' Together

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup

Lovebirds Blake Livelyand Ryan Reynoldsare nesting. 

The couple, who werefirst linked late last year, "bought a beautiful country home" in Bedford, N.Y., a source tells PEOPLE. 

And it's not too shabby. "The house cost more than $2 million," the source said of the property. 

The actors, who starred together in the super-hero film The Green Lantern, have been spotted inBoston, New York Cityand New Orleans but seem to have found the perfect place for settling down. 

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Prince Harry and The Saturdays star Mollie King are dating

Prince Harry and The Saturdays star Mollie King are dating - but the royal is terrified a media frenzy could ruin their relationship.

Both have agreed to keep their relationship secret and will only meet up behind closed doors for secret dates.

Last night the pair were said to be together at a mutual friends house in London.

Secret dates: Mollie King and Prince Harry have agreed to keep their liaison a secret to give their relationship a chance out of the media frenzy

A source told The Daily Star Sunday: 'Harry saw how tough it was for his brother William and Kate when they first started seeing each other.

'He knows the enormous in them drove them apart at one point and doesn't want that to happen to him and Mollie.

'They want to carry on seeing each other but will only do so inside the private homes of very few close friends they trust.'

Under wraps: The prince and Mollie are said to have met in 2010

But it seems although the pair have vowed to keep their relationship under wraps with no public dates, they have been seen out together three times.

Harry, 27, and Mollie, 24, were rumoured to have been set up by the royal's cousin Zara Phillips.

It is thought Zara, who knows Mollie's bandmate Una Healey, knew the pair would hit it off.

The 30-year-old royal knows Una through her husband Mike Tindall who is friendly with the singer's rugby playing fiance Ben Foden.

A source told Katie Nicholl in the Mail On Sunday last week: 'They’re having a lovely time together but she won’t say anything publicly because she knows that will mean the end of it.

'She loves the publicity so she is happy to drop a few hints and keep  people guessing.'

The couple are said to have first met at a polo event in Surrey in July 2010 but as Mollie was in a relationship it is thought her and Harry got together some time after their split.

And Mollie is certainly already feeling the 'Harry effect.'

It seems Aspinal of London and Prince Harry share the same taste in women.

Cautious: Harry is said to have given his reasons for secrecy that the media glare almost split his brother and Kate up

The luxury brand hired the young Royal's 'ex-girlfriend' Florence Brudenell-Bruce as the face of their Spring/Summer campaign.

Now they have signed his latest rumoured flame Mollie King - and even named a handbag after her.

 

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Wayne Rooney launches phone-hacking claim

Wayne Rooney and England rugby union World Cup winner Matt Dawson are among the new wave of high-profile figures suing Rupert Murdoch's News International over alleged News of the World phone hacking. The England and Manchester United football star, his agent Paul Stretford, Dawson, now a BBC rugby commentator and Question of Sport team captain, actor James Nesbitt and Sir John Major's former daughter-in-law, Emma Noble, are among 46 new phone-hacking cases filed at the high court in London. Times Newspapers, the News International subsidiary that publishes the Times and Sunday Times, is also facing its first civil damages claim, from Northern Ireland human rights campaigner Jane Winter, who is also suing NoW publisher, News Group Newspapers. Winter's claim is related to an article in the Sunday Times in August 2006, her solicitor confirmed. A reference to the article was made in a witness statement she submitted to the Leveson inquiry in February. Winter alleged in evidence to the inquiry that her emails to the former British army intelligence officer Ian Hurst were hacked by NoW. A News International spokeswoman said Winter's case would be "defended vigorously". Others who have filed claims in the past few days seeking damages for alleged invasion of privacy from News Group, the News International subsidiary that published the now-closed Sunday tabloid, include former Conservative cabinet minister and chief whip Lord Blencathra and former Fire Brigades Union general secretary Andy Gilchrist. The list of new claimants also features Michelle Bayford, the former girlfriend of the victim of the 2006 so-called "elephant man" drug trial case. Her then boyfriend, Ryan Wilson, spent three weeks in a coma and lost all his toes and parts of his fingers to gangrene. Another claimant, Anne Colvin, was a witness in the Tommy Sheridan perjury trial. At a case management conference at the high court in London , Hugh Tomlinson QC, representing victims of alleged phone hacking, told Mr Justice Vos that he had 44 new cases filed while two others had submitted their claims via another legal representative. The court also heard that law firm Harbottle & Lewis has a number of "sensitive clients" who wish to remain anonymous. It is expected that up to 200 new claims will be filed over the coming months, Tomlinson told the court in a previous hearing. Claims filed in the past week bring the number of new cases against News International to 46. This figure includes earlier claims filed by public figures including Cherie Booth, Alex Best, the former wife of the late footballer George Best, and Colin Stagg, the man wrongly accused of murdering Rachel Nickell. Others who have filed claims include comedian Bobby Davro, actor Tina Hobley's former husband Steve Wallington, TV personalities Jamie Theakston and Jeff Brazier, the former boxer Chris Eubank, and footballers Peter Crouch, Kieron Dyer and Jermaine Jenas. The cases are part of a second wave of civil actions which Vos is managing following the settlement of more than 50 cases earlier this year including claims by Jude Law, Charlotte Church and Lord Prescott. Tomlinson did not disclose the names of the claimants on Friday, but court documents show that new cases submitted to the high court in the past week bring the number of new actions faced by News International to nearly 50, a number that is expected to rise considerably. Tomlinson told the court that News International had received 100 requests for discovery of preliminary disclosure. He said there were 4,791 potential phone-hacking victims, of which 1,892 had been contacted by the police. The police believed 1,174 were "likely victims". Court 30 in the Rolls Building of the high court was packed, with more than 50 law firms acting for victims. Vos said there were 58 firms of solicitors representing only 100 victims, which he told Tomlinson was "unbelievable". The judge added that he wanted to ensure costs are reduced for claimants. "Many of them have seen the light and have instructed lawyers who have specialist knowledge of this case," said Vos. He suggested possible tariffs of costs for each element of the legal action. This would mean fresh claimants could access to information relating to the News of the World's phone-hacking activity already produced on discovery in earlier cases, without incurring the costs associated with a full action. "I will have no sympathy for outrageous cost estimates," he said. "A claimant is entitled to have a solicitor, but what he is not entitled to have is a solicitor who knows nothing about the case and charges the defendant for that."

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Queen Victoria always had a great appreciation of male beauty. So when she saw him, kissing her feet... how could she resist

Just imagine. It’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year, the eyes of the world are on London... and the Prince of Wales threatens to have his mother declared insane. 

Unthinkable? Well, that’s what happened to Queen Victoria in 1897 after her Royal Household refused to condone any longer Her Majesty’s shockingly intimate friendship with an Indian servant. 

It was a relationship that violated Victorian taboos of race and class, and threatened to destabilise the monarchy and the Empire – yet, although Queen Victoria’s earlier scandalous relationship with her Scottish ghillie [an outdoor servant] John Brown is still common knowledge today, her deep affection for her Muslim servant has been almost forgotten. 

A new Channel 4 documentary, Queen Victoria’s Last Love, rediscovers how, as courtiers plotted to depose the royal favourite, the nation’s Jubilee celebrations teetered on the brink of chaos. 

The story began a decade previously, in June 1887, when tall, handsome Abdul Karim, aged only 24, arrived at court as a ‘khitmagar’, one of two Indian servants recruited as waiters at the Queen’s table. Queen Victoria, in her Golden Jubilee year, was 68 and had never recovered from the loss of her dear Albert some 26 years earlier; moreover, her only other close male confidant, John Brown, had died in 1883. The Queen was lonely and in need of male companionship.

 

More...‘When he first appeared at court, Abdul looked wonderful in his gorgeous sashes and turbans,’ explains royal biographer Professor Jane Ridley. (Unfortunately, he later became rather fat.) ‘Queen Victoria always had a great appreciation of male beauty. So when she saw him, kissing her feet... how could she resist?’  

Within weeks Karim was well on his way to becoming rather more than an ordinary dining-room servant. Kitchen archives at the Queen’s favourite residence, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, reveal that curries featured on the menu every Sunday lunchtime. 

‘Had some excellent curry, prepared by one of my Indian servants,’ the Queen remarked in her diary later that summer. ‘We know that Abdul Karim and the Indian attendants prepared the meat, procured their own spices and were given a corner of the main kitchen to prepare these authentic curry dishes,’ says Michael Hunter, the curator at Osborne House. Meanwhile, Karim regaled the Queen and Empress, who had never visited India, with stories and legends from the land that was the exotic jewel in her crown.

Soon he was teaching her Hindustani, having somehow led the Queen to believe he was a man of some education. ‘Young Abdul teaches me,’ she wrote in her diary. ‘He is a very strict master and a perfect gentleman.’ From then until the end of her life, the elderly Queen kept a daily record of her studies and proved an adept pupil, writing in a neat Hindi hand. Karim became her ‘Munshi’, the Hindi word for teacher. 

Strong bond: Queen Victoria at her desk, assisted by Abdul Karim in 1885

But their translation exercise books betray a more flirtatious relationship. Lucy Worsley, curator of the Historic Royal Palaces, says, ‘He wrote things like, “The Queen will miss the Munshi very much. Translate. Hold me tight. Translate.” It does seem quite personal and intimate.’ The Queen seemed to think of Karim almost as a son, affectionately signing letters to him as ‘your loving mother’.

Her indiscreet affection caused consternation among the Royal Household, led by the Queen’s private secretary Sir Henry Ponsonby and her doctor Sir James Reid, who resented the ambitious young Indian upstart who was breaching all protocol. ‘The Household had never been used to Indian servants,’ explains the present-day Lady Reid, who married the royal doctor’s grandson. ‘The Queen was always worrying about their comfort and Sir James had to have special tweeds made for them in Indian styles because she wanted them to look exotic.’

The Queen seemed to think of Karim almost as a son, affectionately signing letters to him as ‘your loving mother’

The courtiers’ resentment came to a head after the Queen promoted Karim to Indian Secretary. Even the Viceroy – the Earl of Elgin – was nonplussed after receiving an ingratiating Christmas card from the Munshi in 1894, only to be rebuked by the Queen for snubbing her favourite when he failed to reciprocate. It wasn’t simply racism; there was no code of etiquette that enabled a Viceroy to hobnob with servants. (Victoria, however, had no racial prejudice and had adopted a little African girl in 1850, providing her with an education and a generous £250 trousseau when she married.)

The Viceroy now despatched his aide-de-camp – Fritz Ponsonby, son of the Queen’s private secretary – to make some overdue inquiries in Karim’s home town of Agra. The Munshi had given the impression that he was the son of an Indian army surgeon. In fact, he came from a much lowlier background. His father was an apothecary at the local prison, where Karim himself had previously been employed as a clerk. It fell upon Sir James Reid to deliver a blistering put-down: ‘By your presumption and arrogance you have created for yourself a situation that can no longer be permitted to exist,’ he thundered. ‘You are an impostor. You are from a low class and never can be a gentleman.’

The Queen was livid. ‘To make out the Munshi is low is really outrageous,’ she protested in a memo to Sir Henry. To everybody’s horror, she now wanted to bestow a knighthood on him. Victoria was in danger of undermining the monarchy itself, devaluing all the trappings of Empire if a prison worker’s son could rise to  such an exalted position.   

Kitchen archives at the Queen's favourite residence, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, reveal that curries featured on the menu every Sunday lunchtime

On the eve of the Diamond Jubilee, she even threatened to pull out of the celebrations. The Royal Household delivered an ultimatum, triggered by Dr Reid’s revelation – in an extraordinary breach of professional etiquette –that Karim had contracted a venereal disease. Courtiers threatened to resign rather than allow the Munshi to accompany them on a royal holiday in France. In a fit of rage, the Queen swept everything off her desk. 

But then her son Bertie, the Prince of Wales, conspired with Dr Reid and encouraged him to deliver another ultimatum. ‘There are people in high places who know Your Majesty well,’ threatened the brave Scottish doctor when he faced her next day, ‘Who say to me that the only charitable explanation that can be given is that Your Majesty is not sane, and that the time will come when, to save Your Majesty’s memory and reputation, it will be necessary for me to come forward and say so.’

The threat hit home and Queen Victoria was forced to concede defeat. There would be no knighthood for Karim, although he remained at her side throughout the celebrations. However,  when she died, in 1901, he was dismissed from Court – just days after attending her funeral – and sent back to India. All his letters and mementos from the Queen were confiscated and destroyed: the new King Edward VII did not look kindly on the Indian servant who had been the last great love of Queen Victoria’s life. 

 

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Why online dating is so addictive

My return to dating websites this week has been like getting reacquainted with a crack habit. That familiar warm, fuzzy feeling came flooding back as I perused the legions of smiling thumbnails, luring me back into their lonely world with hot promises of everlasting love. After a recent period of cold turkey from online dating, I was apparently rehabilitated. I had no cravings, no regrets. But now that I'm back online, chatting to a brunette from Dulwich calling herself "Sandy80", that's all gone out of the window and I'm wondering why I ever left. I've got the buzz again. And it has brought with it waves of clarity. I've suddenly worked out why online dating is so addictive One of my long-standing issues with these sites is the amount of ugly people on them. I'd estimate the proportion of monsters at roughly 85 per cent. Very often a message will pop into your inbox, prompting a jolt of excitement, and then you'll see the sender's face and be disappointed. It stands to reason that this will happen, because the unattractive are more likely to be unattached. But I've now realised this doesn't matter. If there are 1,000 girls online and 850 of them are butters, there are still 150 left, which is an enormous amount to choose from. Invariably, most of these will also be culled for various reasons: poor spelling, inconvenient height, flabby arms, racist views. But as these undesirables are weeded out, you'll gradually form a fairly promising shortlist. Like X Factor finalists, they have passed numerous cruel auditions and beat off huge competition. So by definition, those that remain will be close to perfection - and it's much easier to attain perfection on paper. That is why online dating is so addictive.

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Why Guys Really Hate Being Called 'Creepy'

The newest cause célèbre for men's right activists (MRAs) has nothing to do with divorce law, "false rape allegations", or the dangers of "sperm-stealing" feminists. It's about the C-word. No, not the ladybusiness one. We're talking about "creep." As Jessica Wakeman discovered last week when she wrote about a first date gone wrong, the MRAs are up in arms about "creep-shaming." "The ability to label men as ‘creepy' is just one privilege that women enjoy, and a constant source of fear of ostracizing that all men must fear in our society," says one apparently anguished man on Reddit. Creep is "the worst casual insult that can be tossed at a guy" claims Jeremy Paul Gordon at the Hairpin. "Douchebag," "asshole," and "pussy" can't compare, Gordon insists, largely because the charge of "creep" is so much more difficult to disprove. These guys argue that "creep" has a greater power to wound than any other word, and yet it's tossed around with cavalier impunity by cruel women who ought to know better. Thus the campaign (particularly big on Tumblr, apparently) to bring awareness to the ongoing tragedy of creep-shaming. The word creep has a long history, first as a verb and only much later as a noun. Dickens gets credit for first using "the creeps" in its modern sense in 1849, but the use of the word to refer to someone disgusting or frightening is, surprisingly, less than 100 years old. (Interestingly, while the term "creeper" today is a hipper synonym for a creepy person, its use as a noun is actually much older, dating to the 17th century, when it referred to a stealthy thief.) As an adjective, it shows up regularly in headlines here on Jezebel, most recently in coverage of the dating-spreadsheet finance guy. Wakeman isn't the only female writer to wrestle with the politics of creep-shaming. Clarisse Thorn has suggested that the use of the word "demonizes men who are honest about their sexual needs," while Amanda Marcotte argues that "creepy" is a "useful, commonly understood term for a set of behaviors that absolutely are a problem." At the Good Men Project, Lu Fong noted that while in her mind, "the weight of the word was never heavier than any other insult I'd shoot back at the boys," she accepted that men found it exponentially more hurtful. One reason men despise the word "creep" so much more than any other insult is that it isn't rooted in misogyny. Jeremy Paul Gordon specifically compared the term to "pussy," "douchebag," and "asshole." The first two words, when directed at a man, insult him by comparing him either to a vagina or a device used to clean one; their pejorative power lies in the way they feminize the guy who gets called one of these names. "Asshole," as the historian Rictor Norton has suggested, is rooted in a derogatory term for men who allowed themselves to be anally fucked. A man who gets penetrated behaves like a woman and is labeled as feminine — a fate that we raise small American boys to fear more than almost anything else. (This is why, of course, words like "bitch" or "pussy" when used by one man to another, are so much more likelier to lead to blows than "dick" or "prick." Men are unlikely to be enraged by references to their own anatomy, only to a woman's.) So if fear of the feminine is what gives male insults their power, why then is "creep" worse than "pussy?" The answer is that creep is the only insult that instantly centers women's perceptions. To call a man a "pussy" is to make a comment about how his behavior appears; to call him "creepy" is to name how he makes women feel. If a man wants to disprove that he's a "pussy," all he has to do is act with sufficient macho swagger or courage to make the insult obviously inappropriate. But trying to disprove "creepy" involves trying to talk a woman out of an instinctual response to a potential threat, a much more difficult thing to do. Most men recognize (or eventually learn) that the harder they try to deny their creepiness, the creepier they appear. At the heart of the "anti-creep shaming campaign" is a concerted effort to discourage women from relying on their instincts to protect themselves from harm. Laying aside its likely etymology, calling a dude an "asshole" is a way of labeling him a jerk. Plenty of people can be jerks without being predatory. On the other hand, calling a dude "creepy" labels him as a potential threat; a creep may not be imminently violent, but there's almost always a sense that he shows consistent disregard for a woman's physical or psychological space. This is why, as Wakeman wrote, "it's a really freaking dangerous idea to twist a woman's open, honest communication about her boundaries/expectations into ‘creep shaming' that victimizes men." Though the word may be occasionally used unfairly (for example, to describe a physically unattractive guy's genuinely respectful attempt at striking up a conversation), "creepy" serves a vital function. No other word is as effective as describing when a man has crossed a woman's boundary; no other word forces a man to reflect on how his behavior makes other people feel. A guy can disprove accusations of being weak by displaying strength (often in foolish ways.) But a guy can only disprove the charge of creepiness by fundamentally altering his behavior to be more genuinely respectful of women. This, of course, is why some guys hate the word so much; it forces men to reflect carefully about how they make women feel. No wonder then that so many guys are campaigning against "creep-shaming." After all, the sooner the term becomes socially unacceptable, the sooner men can get back to not having to think about women's boundaries.

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