In the North American context, mistressing has become a verb, a launching pad for reality TV careers, an entrepreneurial venture, and a sexually liberating medium for women. Ashley Dupre and Tiger Woods's many mistresses, most notoriously Rachel Uchitel and Jamie Grubbs have claimed their humiliating fame by being "kept women." Moreover, riding the mistress commodity and spinning on the BBC success of the dramatic series, Mistresses, ABC recently launched the American version of the same name starring 80s teen star Alyssa Milano and produced by Gossip Girl creator KJ Steinberg.

Seated at the five-star establishment where we were dining, I looked around at all the other women in the room who had clearly made a similar effort. Nice work, ladies. And then my eyes wandered to the boys, I mean men, in the room. There were sweatshirts everywhere. Too-long pants sitting below the butt crack, scuffed sneakers, and yes, baseball caps. Some even turned off-centre.