A French author has been criticised for saying that he was “incapable” of being attracted to women aged over 50, even though he is 50-years-old himself.

Yann Moix, a previous winner of France's prestigious Prix Goncourt literary prize, said that women over half a century old were "invisible" to him.

A 50-year-old himself, he told French magazine Marie Claire: “Let’s not exaggerate. That’s not possible … too, too old. I prefer younger women’s bodies, that’s all. End of.”

The author of 10 novels, who regularly appears on French television, added: “The body of a 25-year-old woman is extraordinary. The body of a woman of 50 is not extraordinary at all."

He went on to say that he preferred to date Asian women, particularly Koreans, Chinese and Japanese.

His comments were met with derision on social media.

French journalist and filmmaker, Colombe Schneck, 52, posted a photograph of her naked backside on Instagram.

“Voila, the buttocks of a woman aged 52… What an idiot you are, you do not know what you are missing, you and your little paunchy mind,” she wrote in the subsequently deleted post.

French female comedian Marina Foïs, who will be 49 later this month also joked at his expense.

“Only one year and 14 days to sleep with Yann Moix. Inshallah, it will happen," she wrote on Twitter.

Feminist author Mona Chollet described Mr Moix as a “sad sire”.

Addressing the criticism on French radio Mr Moix described himself as a “prisoner of himself”.

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“I do not see it as pride, but almost as a curse. One is not responsible for one’s tastes, one’s inclinations,” he said.