America the Beautiful: UK Women Lag in Grooming

British women could stand to take a few pointers from their American counterparts when it comes to the fine art of grooming, complains Tad Safran in the Times. The single-and-looking screenwriter, who splits time between London and LA, says it's no competition. American women follow "obligatory beauty maintenance"—exercise, manicures, pedicures—while British women are more content to "tuck into a second huge plate shepherd's pie."

"You don’t exactly need callipers to figure out in which country the women look after themselves more," he writes. But US women have something to learn from the English, who "are, without a doubt, the best to have a pint and a laugh with." We'll see if they're still laughing after reading Safran's column. (More England stories.)