The Duality of Gemma Collins

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Every morning Gemma Collins wakes up and has two cups of tea because “one is not enough” — already, the perfect analogy is provided to me within minutes of our phone conversation. One brew is not enough for The GC, and neither should it be.

My whole conversation with Gemma is quotable, because the Essex born and bred diva has the kind of star quality that makes one want to shout out her words —  accent and all — in a room full of pints and your best pals. 

When not quoting Gemma to the gals, her idioms still follow you everywhere — like on TikTok, where her catchphrases from Celebrity Big Brother echo around the app. Despite the fact the generation using TikTok didn’t weren't old enough to be watching the blonde on The Only Way Is Essex every week, they still recognise her star power. 

To Gen Z, Gemma exists under the vein of British celebrity that stays in the spotlight for their charm, likability and personality — similar to the likes of Barbara Windsor or Kenneth Williams. The difference between them and Collins herself is social media, where quotable characters are propelled even further into the spotlight than was ever possible before.

Gemma, however, repeats to me how little impact social media has on her day to day. “Whilst you're scrolling through social media, you're never getting those moments of your life back - they are minutes wasted. If you're using it as a positive platform, social media can definitely be a great place. But as a fact of life, it’s all about balance.” She queries, “Does social media stimulate the mind? Is it growing people? Is it inspiring people? Is it? Is it getting them to where they want to be in life, or is it a distraction?”

“I feel sorry for them because they are, unfortunately, the ones that have been duped into thinking that if you're overweight, or don't look a certain way, then you can't be successful in life.”

As any plus size woman who has ever existed on the internet can tell you, it’s impossible to do so without encountering hateful and hurtful comments from trolls. With Gemma’s 2.2 million following, the abuse encountered by those of us with barely one percent of her kind of reach is magnified massively. 

Collins is, as expected of a legend, unphased. “I feel sorry for them because they are, unfortunately, the ones that have been duped into thinking that if you're overweight, or don't look a certain way, then you can't be successful in life.”

“I think that the trolling comes from a place of insecurity and their own issues within themselves. They're directing that anger at others. But the reality of the situation is that they've got issues, not you. You have a quality that they haven't got and it really is their issue. It's not my issue.” She enthuses, “I don't know these people. I don't respect their opinion. They don't know me - they think they know me. So trolling actually doesn't bother me one bit and their hate doesn't come close to affecting my life.”

“I'm out there living my life like a squirrel, you know, collecting my nuts, building a nest and trying to make a positive difference on society.”

For anyone that has followed Gemma Collins’ life on screen, they already know that the reality star we see on the telly is not who she seems to be. Instead, The GC is a persona that gives the people what they want — a boisterous blonde diva who will do anything to get life done her way. The real Gemma, the one only a “trusted few and my family gets to see” is much softer and far less self obsessed.

In her own words, “Gemma Collins is a 40-year-old, successful, caring, compassionate, environmentally friendly, nature-loving woman.” She continues, “I like to go into my garden. I like to be amongst my plants, and the wildlife and just be in nature. And I like to work hard every day or achieve at least one thing every day. I'm out there living my life like a squirrel, you know, collecting my nuts, building a nest and trying to make a positive difference on society.”

And a positive impact has definitely been achieved by Miss Collins for both her British audience and those abroad. As one of the most meme’d people in existence (and probably in history) it’s important to recognise that even simply being a hilarious figure, having a laugh at herself, and providing endless one liners that become instantly translated into viral Love of Huns posts is a service to the world. 

Gemma Collins is making us laugh — purposefully, in a characterisation comparable to Steve Coogan and Sacha Baron Cohen — because with the current state of society, we all need a big giggle and an excuse to find the fun in being just a little bit dramatic. She is, as she tells us during her Valentino fitting for this cover shoot, a performance artist.

Still, making us piss ourselves is far from Gemma’s sole focus in her path to world domination. Instead, she wants to help people accept themselves, in exactly the same way she has honed such incredible levels of self confidence for herself. An act that relies on one mantra: “No one is my qualifier or my validator except for me. The only person I need to impress is myself.”

Recently, one fan reached out to Gemma for help with her daughter, who was struggling with being bullied at school. Taking matters into her own hands, Gemma spoke with the girl and gave her some patented GC tips on how to stand up for herself. Afterwards, her mum got back in touch to thank Gemma, gushing about how her daughter is “taking a stand. Although it was hard for her, she found the strength from you."

Although much of Gemma’s confidence comes from within, she shares that, in part, her conviction of self has been inherited. Spending any amount of time in conversation with Gemma will reveal that her mother is a driving force behind her success. On set and in the Valentino store, she makes time to video chat with Mrs Collins and keep her involved in everything new in her life. Because, without her mother’s flamboyant personality and body positivity, The GC would not exist. 

“My mum has always been my biggest supporter. She's a beautiful person. She just does not give a shit.” Gemma gushes,  “She's always said to me: "You’re a one-off Gemma, there is no one like you’ and to be fair, there isn't. She'd always say, ‘don't put up with no shit’, that’s how she brought me up.”

“I think personalities are beautiful. I think a kind heart is beautiful. People’s imperfections are beautiful.”

She credits her mother for inspiring not only her confidence as a powerful woman, but her confidence in her body. Her mum drilled into her from a young age that beauty is not all about looks. She gushes, “I think personalities are beautiful. I think a kind heart is beautiful. People’s imperfections are beautiful. I've met many perfect looking thin people, that people glamorise in the media, that are not actually beautiful. To be honest, some of them are the strangest people I've ever met, you know?” 

Gemma laughs before bringing it back to the point, “Society has drilled into us that the only way you can be beautiful is by being slim and having a certain look, and that's not true. Everybody's beautiful in their own way, and there is an anxiety in people's minds that if they don't look that way, they will not be allowed in society, and that's just not acceptable. Everyone has the right to feel beautiful.”

And how does The GC remind herself that she’s gorgeous? She answers with an incredible one liner — the kind that I have already spread through at least three group chats and is the official tagline for our Hot Vamp Summer — “I know I’m beautiful, because I’ve never had an ugly boyfriend.”

“I know I’m beautiful, because I’ve never had an ugly boyfriend.”

All in all, when you pay attention to the man behind the curtain, or in this case, the blonde behind the sequined kaftan, there’s a depth to be found that people do not want to see in glamorous and charismatic women. In fact, that’s a part of the GC’s shrewdness: Her priorities behind the scenes are for making a positive impact on her audience, her family and her friends and in the ten years since TOWIE, she has already achieved it. 

Finally, if you’re wondering what’s next for Gemma Collins, the answer is just as layered as her performance: “Some days I want a movie role and some days I want a gardening show, but that’s the GC and the Gemma Collins in me.” She finishes, “It's just about finding balance in life. But for my lot in life, I have made so many people feel accepted and that’s what’s important.”

Photographer: Hazel Gaskin | Writer: Gina Tonic | Creative direction: Ione Gamble | Stylist: Natalie Roar | Makeup: Grace Ellington | Hair: Jake Gallagher | Set Design: Liv Thurley | Production: Camille Mariet | Post production: Hugo Yanguela and Mitchell Severs

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