Sharon Stone wants you to see her pert, youthful boobies

On my 50th birthday, I would very much like to flash my boobs on the cover of a magazine while wearing a bondage outfit. You? Sharon Stone heartily endorses this sentiment. Which is why she's done exactly that on the cover of Paris Match.

Here are the rest of the shots:

I am a little baffled by this, I have to say. First of all: WHY? Secondly: WHY? And also: WHY?

Madonna – also 50 – posed for similarly sexy shots (with her boobs tucked away – see them here) around her birthday so maybe it's a thing where you have to aggressively fight against the stereotype of being past your sexual prime as a woman by BEING REALLY REALLY SEXY. And showing your boobs.

I find it a little sad, frankly. Actually more than sad. It makes me uncomfortable. I'm all for women being sexy at whatever age. But why is there just this one form of put-it-all-out-there sexy that applies to women aged 16-50? Why aren't there some other forms of more…..dignified, age-appropriate sexy?

In the accompanying interview, Sharon says: "What these photos represent is nothing surprising to me, my life didn't change at 50, I didn't change. I don't see where the provocation is. Is there an age when you're supposed to refrain from doing some things like showing your body? If someone is shocked by these photos that's a reflection on his own views on age."

Maybe Sharon is right. Maybe it's my problem, not hers. But there just feels something so….desperate about these shots. Something that makes me want to look away. Digging a bit deeper, I think it also challenges my view about being a mother. And I'm going to put it out there and say that as a mother of young boys (3 of them), surely that's a bit screwed up to pose for those kinds of shots? I feel the same way about Pammy sometimes.

I'm not saying you can't be a mother and sexy – d'uh, of course you can – but I can't help but feel it must be very confusing for those boys to grow up surrounded by sexual images of their mother. Their MOTHER.

Am I having an old fart moment, people? Am I? Or is this just 99 shades of wrong?