Hun culture

Last updated

Hun culture (also hon culture) is a British subculture that is popular with women and gay men. It often revolves around the "stanning" of usually British female celebrities who are often pop singers, reality television stars and soap opera actresses and characters who are considered gay icons. It often relies on "camp" and niche humour. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Origin

Cocktails such as the cosmopolitan are popular with huns Cosmopolitan (5076906532).jpg
Cocktails such as the cosmopolitan are popular with huns

"Hun culture" (hun or hon), originating from the term of endearment honey , celebrates "naff" and deifies soap actors, reality TV icons and female pop stars. The culture mixes nostalgia, camp humour and irony-laced national pride. The Guardian wrote: "If American social media influencers are preened, puckered and always on sponsored holidays, huns are sloppy, sarcastic and off on their "holibobs"." The culture has encouraged the creation of social media accounts such as Loveofhuns, Huns and Giggles, and Hunsnet (a word play of Mumsnet), celebrating "huns". [4] [5] [6] [7] Comedian Jack Rooke made references to several "huns" in his Channel 4 sitcom Big Boys , including television presenter Alison Hammond, Big Brother 6 housemate Makosi Musambasi, and The X Factor contestant Gamu. Rooke said: "I support hun culture because it's like, no, we’re going to celebrate these women that 15 years ago would just be constantly slagged off in the press." [4]

Television presenter and actress Denise Welch, who has been referred to as a hun, said "I think if you're older and a survivor and still remaining relevant in whatever way, that makes you a hun." [4] The Hundamental Guide to Life: Learn to Live, Love & Laugh Like a True Hun, a book based on hun culture written by Gareth Howells, was released in August 2022. [4] [8] Media personality and businesswoman Gemma Collins, who rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex in 2011 and has subsequently maintained a media career, is considered a staple of "hun culture" and has been idolised for her popular catchphrases, diva behaviour and non conforming attitude. As a result, Collins became the subject of numerous internet memes and was branded a "queen". [9] Steps singer Lisa Scott-Lee is often referenced in hun culture, most frequently for a moment in her television series Totally Scott Lee where she discovered her single, Get It On had peaked at number 23 in the UK Singles Charts, with Scott-Lee saying she was "B List at Capital" (referring to the station's playlist). [10] The X Factor "rejects", applicants who failed to pass the first audition, such as Rachel Lester, Holly Jervis, Kelly Peakman, Dawn the Jockey, Debbie Stevens and girl group Ablisa are regularly referenced in "hun culture". [11] [12] [13]

Another example popular within the culture is Nadine Coyle lying about her age on the Irish version of Popstars , and then misplacing her passport when confronted. [8] "Hun culture" is often referenced on the BBC Three series RuPaul's Drag Race UK , an example being In the second series of the show, where during the episode "The RuRuvision Song Contest", the song which the contestants had to create a verse for was titled "UK Hun?". [14] [11]

Examples

Gemma Collins 2022 Birmingham.jpg
Katie Price, 2014.jpg
Nottingham Pride MMB 07 Lisa Scott-Lee.jpg
Gemma Collins, Katie Price, and Lisa Scott-Lee are prominent in "hun culture"

The following is a list of celebrities, animals, and fictional characters who have been referred to as a "hun". [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloe</span> Name list

Chloe, also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰelh₃-, which relates to the colors yellow and green. The common scientific prefix chloro- derives from the same Greek root. In Greek the word refers to the young, green foliage or shoots of plants in spring.

Alison Hammond is a British television personality and actress. She competed in the third series of the reality show Big Brother in 2002, in which she was the second housemate to be evicted. She has since become a presenter and reporter on ITV's This Morning (2002–present) and a co-presenter on the Channel 4 reality baking competition The Great British Bake Off (2023–present). In January 2024, it was announced that Hammond would take over For the Love of Dogs from Paul O'Grady, following his death in March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsy Palmer</span> English actress, DJ (b. 1972)

Julie Anne Merkell, known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is an English actress and DJ, known for her roles as Natasha in the children's drama series Grange Hill (1985–1987), and Bianca Jackson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders which earned her the British Soap Award for Best Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie</span> Name list

Katie is an English female name. It is a form of Katherine, Kate, Caitlin, Kathleen, Katey and their related forms. It is frequently used on its own.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debra Stephenson</span> English actress, comedian and impressionist (born 1972)

Deborah Lee Duffield, known professionally as Debra Stephenson, is an English actress, comedian, impressionist and singer, best known for her roles as Diane Powell in Playing the Field (1999–2000), Shell Dockley in Bad Girls and as Frankie Baldwin in Coronation Street (2004–2006).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margi Clarke</span> English actress

Margi Clarke is an English actress and radio and television presenter. She had a leading role in the film Letter to Brezhnev (1985), a low-budget film which had an international release. Later, Clarke played Jackie Dobbs in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

Lucille may refer to:

Susan Owen is an English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Eileen Grimshaw on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, which she has played since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha</span> Name list

Samantha is a feminine given name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Hills</span> Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Tony Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mark Homer from 7 September 1995 to 15 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Maxwell (actress)</span> British actress and television presenter

Lisa Maxwell is an English actress, television presenter and singer, best known for her role in The Bill as Samantha Nixon. Between 2009 and 2014, she was a regular panellist on ITV chat show series Loose Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rita Simons</span> British actress, singer (b. 1977)

Rita Joanne Simons is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed off, alongside her on screen character's sister Ronnie Mitchell. For her performance on the show Simons received many accolades, including the 2008 National Television Award for Most Popular Newcomer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate (given name)</span> Name list

Kate is a feminine given name, and a short form of the names Katherine, Caitlin and others.

Kirsten is the Scandinavian form of the name Christina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela (given name)</span> Name list

Angela is a female given name. It is derived from the Greek word ángelos (ἄγγελος), meaning angel from Greek mythology. In the United States, the name "Angela" was at its most popular between 1965 and 1979, when it was ranked among the top 10 names for girls. Between 1922 and 2021, in the United States, the name was ranked in the top 35 names for girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany (given name)</span> Name list

Tiffany is a primarily English feminine form of the Greek given name Theophania. It was formerly often given to children born on the feast of Theophania, that is, Epiphany. The equivalent Greek male name is Theophanes (Θεοφάνης), commonly shortened to Phanis (Φάνης) and the female is Theophania (Θεοφανία) or Theophano (Θεοφανώ), colloquially Phani (Φανή).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie</span> Name list

Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath, garland". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian "Stefania", the Portuguese Estefânia, and the Spanish Estefanía. The form Stéphanie is from the French language, but Stephanie is now widely used both in English- and Spanish-speaking cultures.

The given name Lisa can be a short form of Elisabeth, Melissa or Elizabeth. In the United Kingdom, the name Lisa began to gain popularity during the 1960s, by 1974 it was the fifth most popular female name there, and a decade later it was the 14th most popular female name there. However, by 1996 it had fallen out of the top 100. Similarly, in the US it was the most popular female name for most of the 1960s and in the top 10 through most of the 1970s before falling.

Gina is a feminine given name, in origin a hypocoristic form of names ending in -gina, such as Luigina, Regina or Georgina, also of Virginia or Eugenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molly Rainford</span> English singer and actress (born 2000)

Molly Anne Rainford is an English actress, singer and television presenter. She was a finalist on the sixth series of Britain's Got Talent in 2012 and was one of the presenters on Friday Download between 2014 and 2015. She has since released two extended plays and has gone on to portray the titular character in the CBBC comedy drama series Nova Jones from 2021 onwards. In 2022, Rainford competed in the twentieth series of Strictly Come Dancing; she reached the final and finished as a runner-up. In 2023, she was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Anna Knight, as well as continuing to release music.

References

  1. ↑ Minor, Laura (2022). "'U OK hun'? Classed femininities, meme culture and locating humour in the celebrity 'hun'". European Journal of Cultural Studies. doi: 10.1177/13675494221134344 . S2CID   254805980.
  2. ↑ "A Brief History of the Hun, the Most Relatable Woman in Britain". Vice. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  3. 1 2 "The rise of hun culture! How the 'relatable' woman has became [sic] an iconic in Britain". Vigour Times. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Grab your leopard print, neck a prosecco, take a holibob! How 'hun culture' conquered the world". The Guardian . 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "What are huns? The definitive guide to huns and hun culture". Indy100. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hun culture has become a safe space for me as a Black woman". Metro . 2 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "These Tweets Show Britain's Classic Camp TV Moments". Vice. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  8. 1 2 "How 'hun culture' helped us get over the Panny-D". i . 1 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Gemma Collins is the new meme queen". BBC . 5 September 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Britney, bust-ups and 'B-List at Capital': how Steps staged pop's most unlikely comeback". The Guardian . 6 January 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Trendsetters: Hun culture - The most relatable woman in Britain". The Fifth Agency. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Jervisgate: How an X Factor auditionee is at the centre of a Gay Twitter civil war". The Tab. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  13. ↑ "Ant and Seb, AbLisa and Cher Lloyd: Where are the iconic stars of X Factor now?". The Tab. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "U K, hun? Introducing a very British subculture". GQ . 8 September 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "The 32 Hunniest Huns To Ever Hun: An Apprecia-Hun". HuffPost . 20 October 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "Apprentice describes 'surreal' experience as Superdrug TikTok video goes viral". St Helens Star. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Gay Twitter Huns, Ranked by How Well They'd Do in a Horror Film". Vice. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  18. ↑ "Yahoo News".
  19. ↑ Brocklehurst, Harrison (2020-11-16). "Gay Twitter Huns, Ranked by How Well They'd Do in a Horror Film". Vice. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  20. ↑ AnOther (2024-02-14). "50 Questions With Charity Shop Sue". AnOther. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.