Mumsnet Talk

Yeah Joanna

Two important things to note in this article, I think - no, make that three -

1. I just have a real problem with people who seek to portray fatness or thinness as moral concepts.

2. Frankly, the ill-tempered tone of Joanna’s diatribe suggests a woman who — in order to court public admiration well into her 60s - has starved herself to the point of rage.

3. eat well, exercise often, die anyway - double

And that's why I love Julie Burchill!

I'm loving the phrase ‘hangry’ and the fact the model has just given a blow job to a scone

cant stand Julie Burchill... she is one of the biggest hypocrites in journalism.

She speaks very highly of you squeaky

Not a fan of Julie Burchill although she can be entertaining. I've always like Joanna Lumley but was and by what she said about eating. She seems to think that chocolate and cupcakes are the work of the devil.

I read her autobiography a few years ago and really enjoyed it, but she did talk about her weight a few times and described herself as 'not fat but not thin either'. She's always looked pretty thin to me and I thought it was a bit of an odd comment. Her description of her current diet as lettuce and more lettuce sounds a bit worrying.

good! lol!!

I am not a huge fan of Joanna "breathless fake voice" Lumley either... although the campaign work she does for lots of charities is very worthy.

the most depressing thread I've ever read on Mumsnet was one full of women sized 10/14 describing themselves as chubby or fat. It was a hideous thread. I hid it in the end.

Jilly Cooper said that when she worked with Joanna Lumley all Joanna eve ate for lunch was half a grapefruit. Lovely.

I don't love Julie Burchill.

The truth of the matter is that thin people, especially older thin people are that way because they eat a lot less than most people. That is easy enough if they naturally have a very small appetite, but takes a lot bit more willpower if they don't.

Yes, a lot of thin people say they can eat whatever they want and not get fat, but the actual fact of the matter is they don't eat whatever they want; at least not all of the time. If they did, they'd be overweight.

This is Joanna, obviously.

AutumnLights, I take it you haven't heard of the concept of Skinny Fat then?!

I think you're rigth Somerset - I also think that NOT eating, the way Joanna does (if it's true!) is just another form of addiction. It's all about the control isn't it. Anyway - her business. She looks ok on it but I bet she's not all that happy!

I love reading Julie Burchill's stuff! .

Incidentally, how much air brushing has Gillian MacKeith had and what happened to her after the Jungle lark?

I don't know what happened to her but whatever it was that removed her from our TV screens is good with me!

I don't love her. She makes some good points although she does then contradict herself a bit.

But then she's always done that.

She's a moody 14 year old semi-goth who never grew up. I bet she still writes crappy poetry in her diary, draws endless ponies, and crimps her hair.

Ouch Tiggy - that's a bit harsh! Are you telling me you don't draw endless ponies and write crappy poetry in your diary?

Tiggy LOL! I so agree!

Also...is Julie Burchill seriously calling Joanna Lumley rent a gob?

Oh the delicious irony.

Hate Julie Birchill, started refusing to read her years ago. Does she still go on about how she knew the Sex Pistols? (Yeah, you're so cool Julie, we all wish we were you .) And I remember an article she wrote about how men dominated everything - pointing out that they even dominate homelessness. Maybe it was some kind of clever irony, but I couldn't see it.

Julie Burchill misses as much as she hits, but this is a hit.

However, if the O.P had put anything about weight in the title this thread would be full of miserable buggers saying that anyone over size eight is a hideous glutton. Some would even write it in bold or italics so you definitely know it's true

I think the thing that most disappoints me is discovering that Lumley lives on lettuce. I do not think that it is necessary to lively solely on lettuce in order to be slim into old age. I happen to think that keeping active and eating well should so that. Also, i had thought she would be the type to think to hell with diets I'll eat what I like sort of thing, but no. she starves herself, how depressing and conformist of her, she is not the free spirit i thought she was.

Julie Burchill is just unbearable. On the odd occasion she says something sensible, it's meaningless because of the torrents of contrarian bollocks you have to read to get there.

I'm sure Joanna Lumley doesn't live solely on lettuce and does indeed eat the evening meal she mentions *irishchic". Otherwise she would die, wouldn't she?

I thought Burchill's article predictable and sensationalist. And hypocritical - she fails to mention that Lumley simply has more talent than she. She also misses the point, and it is a fair one - people in the west, women or not, tend to eat too much for their energy needs. Its Burchill who is attempting to turn it into, in her own words, "a bitch fest".

I always find Burchill's articles depressing, and a bit seedy somehow, and no longer read her much.

I always loved her (twirls crimped hair and doodles a pony)

I like Julie Burchill.
She's a typical fucked up, contrary Brightonian.

As am I.

Yabu. I really dislike her.

Yabu. Although the sentiment of this article is fairly reasonable , Julie Burchill's work is usually tremendously annoying. The way she calls women 'broads' irritates me beyond belief, and much of what she writes is all about her.

Bewitched - I think that's got a lot to do with why I like her! Anyway - the thing is - I can quite see that in many ways I am BU and I do agree that JB is a piece of work with a certain style that might be seen as highly annoying by some. I just like her!

Julie Birchill will be on a diet in a month or so.
She didn't need university, because she was so clever and she did university of life stuff. So, off she goes to Brighton.
Didn't need religion etc. So off she goes to study theology.
Didn't need a nice middle class abode etc.
Lives in bloody Brighton.
Sod off Julie, on occasion you may have a valid point, but actually, the piece looks as though it were written (as usual) by a sixteen year old with a grudge.

I have loved Julie Burchill since she wrote for The Face, 30 years ago. I remember her saying that she wished Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart would die in a plane crash

Has JB apologised for her comments (?tweets) about McAlpine, yet? I think McAlpine's lawyer pointedly mentioned her conspicuously absent apology, yesterday. Praised Monbiot for unreserved apology.

What did she say about McAlpine lljkk?

why should not having a degree stop you from living in a Uni town?

did Julie mention her love of coke or the Groucho Club yawn yawn

and some people do eat whatever they like and that might be lots of food that would make others put on weight my nanny always ate cream cakes, chips at least 4 times a week and she had a big appetite for her size and stayed thin until she died. my aunt is the same too and I know other people like this they are just very lucky

It doesn't sinister. The point was she was insistent on having been to the university of life and it had made her far more clever and far more aware than the rest of the university educated population. She spouted this crap for years in The Observer. She left The Observer so that she could go to university.

I don't twitter so don't know. I'm not sure if she said anything, but in the lengthy interview with McAlpine's lawyer yesterday I thought he mentioned Burchill pointedly. And lord knows how acidic she can be, and not quick to apologise either.

I believe in tea and cake and on that basis I would choose Julie over JoLo any day of the week.