SIR - Helen Mead (T&A November 11) complains of an author's stereotype against northern women but then commits one against middle-aged men, saying we're not sexy. Helen went on to explain that according to a speech expert, men can't make their voices sound sexy.

In another article, she makes a good point that women should be competing against men at the top level of snooker but then resorts to a tired old post-feminist girly sneer.

For many years we read research about how rubbish men are and that women can understand the offside rule better. But no female in their right mind found this at all flattering. And when I saw this sniggering article I thought I'd gone back in time to a pre-Fathers for Justice, BBC2 late night show with Germaine Greer delivering a put down with that penetrating head-mistress glare.

I'm surprised Mead didn't say WHITE men as well and then we'd have a full house in the bingo hall of fascist humbug.

And try or not, what about Mark Harman's laconic husky tones in NCIS, is he not sexy? He makes Clint Eastwood sound like Su Pollard!

Alan Bates, Bowland Avenue, Baildon