What is ‘hun culture’ and who are its icons?
Are you familiar with ‘hun’ culture? Well, if not, don’t worry, because the Off The Telly podcast team of Natalie Cassidy (hun royalty) and Joanna Page (hun in training) are here to educate everyone.
They’ve enlisted the help of Gareth Howells, who runs the Hunsnet Instagram account, which has over 260,000 followers, to explain all. “Hun culture is basically a celebration of everything unfiltered, genuine, and a bit camp,” says Gareth. “People who love hun culture love 90s and 00s reality TV and pop culture moments.” It’s being down to earth but still a bit glam, saying exactly what’s on your mind without embarrassment, and treating everyone like they’re your best mate even if you met them 10-minutes ago.
If that’s not entirely clear, maybe we should explain it through some examples of solid gold huns…
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Gemma Collins
Former The Only Way Is Essex star, and now reality TV queen, Gemma Collins is about as hun as it gets. She’s almost always glammed up, but you can still imagine her walking round the supermarket, and she’s constantly delivering stinging one-liners. “She’s got the quotes,” says Gareth. “Anybody who’s got quotes that people will remember [is a hun]. A whole part of this hun culture is taking those quotes people say and putting them into your own life in a different context.”
Diane from The Traitors
With her sharp red bobbed hair and lack of time for anyone’s nonsense, Diane immediately announced herself as a hun. In a game where everyone was worried about what others thought, Diane said exactly as she pleased, even when it got her in big trouble. And she camply drank rosé from a goblet, which is very hun. “She suffered no fools and she had great quotes,” says Gareth.
Alison Hammond
One-time Big Brother contestant and now national treasure, presenter Alison Hammond is pure hun. She’s become one of the most powerful presenters on TV, on This Morning and The Great British Bake Off, but she still acts like she’s the same as anyone else, and treats everyone like they’re the same as her. Even massive Hollywood celebrities. Look up her interview with Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling to witness her ultimate hun-ness as she gets them laughing like they’re three friends in a pub. “She’s a massive hun,” says Natalie.
Jane McDonald
Perhaps the hun to end all huns. “She’s huge in the hun community,” says Natalie. Jane, presenter of Loose Women and belt-it-to-the-rafters singer, embodies everything it is to be a hun. She’s all good-time glamour without any pretence. She’ll break into a song at the drop of a hat; she’s always got her hair done and her nails on, whatever the occasion; and she doesn’t take herself remotely seriously. She’s constantly hilarious, even when she’s not necessarily trying to make a joke. She’s got a strong camp auntie energy, which is very hun.
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham is an interesting case in hun culture, because she is an ex-hun. “When Victoria and David [Beckham] dressed the same then she was ultimate hun,” says Natalie of a very camp era in the Beckhams’ life, “but she’s far too classy now. She’s a fashionista… I think we’ll always look at her fondly in the hun community, but she’s too glam now.” A hun will never be the most chicly dressed on a red carpet, but they’ll probably be the most fun.
Miranda Hart
Comedian Miranda Hart is probably nobody’s idea of glamorous – almost certainly by her own admission – but she’s very much a hun because of her endless supply of quotable lines and love for self-deprecation. She has that key ‘could be your best friend’ element. One listener calls in to say, “Her quirks, her charisma, the way she presents herself, she just has a don’t give a [damn] attitude”. Huns are always going to be themselves.
Letitia Dean
AKA EastEnders’ Sharon Watts. Inarguably, both Sharon and Letitia are huns. Sharon because she lives her life for nobody but herself, refuses to be shamed by anyone for any of her choices, and 90% of the time has massive hair. And Letitia because she has the sense of humour and self-awareness to play Sharon so well. “She is so iconic,” says Natalie, “because, again, of all those lines you remember.”
Pam from Gavin And Stacey
It wouldn’t be an Off The Telly episode without a Gavin And Stacey shout-out. Pam, played by Alison Steadman, gets namechecked for being, as one listener calls her, “the hun of all huns”. “It’s the glass of wine, it’s calling Mick all the time, it’s pretending to be a vegetarian, even when you’re not one,” says Natalie, of Pam’s always-enthusiastic approach to life. “And the hair is always perfect,” says Joanna. Absolute hun behaviour.
Natalie and Joanna
Of course we have to mention our presenters, who are undeniably part of hun culture. “I love a bit of camp and I just embrace that world,” says Natalie, when Gareth asks her how she feels about being so beloved by the hun community. “And you know, once you’ve been on Albert Square with a peach bridesmaid’s dress and a trumpet, there’s no getting away from it.” Gareth tells Joanna she’s definitely part of the hun world, thanks to her portrayal of Stacey in Gavin And Stacey, but she’s still learning how to go full hun and really lean in to her campness. “I’ve got room to grow, haven’t I?” she laughs. And all the time in the world to do it, hun.