I won’t lie. Katie Hopkins intrigues me. I’m probably one of those followers that loves to hate her and thus inadvertently find myself fuelling her misguided career.
I’ve been trying to weigh her up for nigh on a decade and I’m not quite there yet. I’m sure once I’ve cracked the code I’ll either lose interest altogether or want to invite her for coffee (or a skinny latte, or a bitch over iced water).
At first, when she appeared on The Apprentice, my reasons for hating her were clear. She was of course capable, intelligent and a business person to admire but she was also a back stabbing bitch and a little bit of a whore.
It was easy to cast her as the Wicked Witch and I shouted at the TV when she got a part in panto, surely she shouldn’t be paid for spreading such vile innuendo?
Then I noticed her balls and my, are they big? They can only be the result of a Catholic upbringing. This girl has never been on a state school playground and endured nails in her eyes and hair pulled from the root. She’s never been slapped senseless by a sibling and she’s never had that smack in the mouth so many want to give her. She’s also never been a victim of any kind of abuse, this much is quite clear by her bravado as she spouts her conduit for truth. (No Katy being made to read the bible with one hand tied behind your back by a nun is not abuse.)
As she continues her middle class life it’s quite clear she’ll never endure any of this and those balls look a little smaller as all she has to fight is words. Words that by her own admission do not constitute a crime and therefore, do not spit out victims.
Could You Agree with Katie?
Then as she got into the swing of creating a storm on Twitter, I became even more furious. Was this just a shrewd career move or was she really this obnoxious? For now I think it’s a mixture of the two but I’m a little ashamed to say that as I read through a year’s worth of tweets I found myself laughing out loud.
Remember How She Rose to Fame
Katie first hit our screens on The Apprentice, although this wasn’t her first attempt at fame. She has previously tried to enter the BB house, as a mere civilian not a celebrity. She was actually filmed for a pilot show but didn’t make the final cut. This should remind you that she’s a comedian, a character, nothing more.
She caught the attention of the audience in the Apprentice as she delivered a USP. She’d obviously thought of a strategy to make her stand out from the crowd and it just so happened to be bitching behind everyone’s backs. Despite Lord Sugar’s disgust, after the Apprentice she won a part as the Wicked Witch in some panto in a sleepy seaside town and has doggedly tried to upset people enough on Twitter ever since in a bid to gain some more media attention. And it’s worked.
Her career is currently looking good.
Never Forget Where You’re Coming From
Despite her career taking off, Katie would do well to bring her nose out of the air and remember who put her there. We did. The media gave her attention and it’s us that can quickly flick off the light and pretend she never existed.
She’s got a hard act to keep up now, especially in the BB house as if she wants to win she needs to be nice, but if she’s nice we’ll lose interest. She’ll never be the people’s Princess.
My Personal Grievance
When working for Yahoo as a freelance writer, I pitched some article ideas. I was told that Ms Hopkins had just joined the team and she’d be covering those topics herself. As a nobody I was subjected to the worst of the trolls on Yahoo, one even made death threats against my daughter when I blogged about rearing our own turkeys for Christmas, so it was with a touch of envy but intrigue that I took this news on the chin.
Putting Fat and Scots Aside
When we take out the fat comments and the latest Ebola tweets from Katie’s Twitter Feed there are some golden nuggets of truth and some pretty good jokes. Does this make her a nice person? No but her documentary seemed to do so.
Rare Qualities from a 40 Year Old Woman
Her documentary was never going to be a failure, this is a woman that doesn’t know the meaning of the word and all credit to her for that. She’s got where she is with her own hard work and determination and has a pride that could benefit many workers today.
Although what she said to overweight people was abhorrent (I feel like I have to say that to justify my hate), she did take criticism of herself directly on the chin.
Not only this but she went into it all with an open mind and actually changed her views somewhat when she realised the emotional struggle some have with food.
It was at this point that I thought she deserved admiration. There’s not many that take criticism at our age, yet those that do are often the most successful. There’s not many who will go beyond the book to deliver on a project, yet it’s what our employment industry needs.
There’s not many who will hold their hands up and admit to being in the wrong, there’s even less who would put a flat chested frame out there, knowing the haters that would lap it up.
How to Deal with Katie Hopkins and People Like Her
Maybe, just maybe, if we all saw this nicer side to Katie, ignore the occasional Pinot Grigio induced Ebola tweet and recognise that she does have weaknesses (no matter how she tries to hide them), she may just stop making us all so angry.
As soon as her words stop having an effect, her career will be over. Try it, the next time she tweets to ruffle feathers, chuckle and remember she must need the attention. Her bank balance must be a bit low and she’s received advice from her agent to stir the hornets’ nest.
Like all bullies, if you ignore it and don’t rise to the bait, they inevitably fade away (after a bit of a fight, which could be quite amusing).
This is why I’m starting the rumour that Katie Hopkins is nice, as soon as people begin to believe it, she’ll start to lose her voice!
She may just fade into nothingness, or she may follow Jordan’s lead and find inventive ways to play the media for years. If this is the case, keep an eye out for her autobiography and a new line of equine attire endorsed by KP
