Have you got the ‘Shropshire ankle’?

Farming ladies in Shropshire are not happy. TV’s Antiques Roadshow presenter Rupert Maas has caused a stir by referring to a phenomona called “Shropshire ankle”.

Discussing a painting, he described the young girl in the piece as having one – meaning it was thick set.

He later suggested that the expression may have arisen from Shropshire’s rural landscape and its contribution to the female form.

With it being a rural, hilly county he suggested a lot of the female inhabitants in previous generations – many of whom would have been farmers wives – would have worn flat, firm footwear and boots which could have led to thick-set ankles.

His comments have provoked a torrent of angry responses, many of whom have stressed their trim-ankled credentials. So, if you’re a farming lady and think the art expert is talking rubbish, send us a photo of your ankle and we’ll forward some of them to him to prove him wrong!

Email them to fwfarmlife@rbi.co.uk (feel free to send them anonomously if you don’t want to supply your name).