We’re all guilty of binge watching 4od, whether we’re hungover or simply procrastinating. And there’s no denying it, Channel 4 produces a lot of rubbish telly. But if you manage to sift through the abundance of trash, there are actually some surprising gems to be found. My most recent discovery was a documentary about Josie Cunningham, first aired a couple of weeks ago, and profoundly named ‘Josie: The Most Hated Woman in Britain?’
I know what some of you are thinking. Why would a documentary about a woman who has built a career around her controversial personality and lifestyle be any different from other reality TV shows Channel 4 makes? But (for me at least) the Josie documentary was eye-opening in many ways, and confirmed something that I think I’ve known for a while. *Trigger warning*- I really like Josie Cunningham.
It was when Josie came out saying that she would abort her pregnancy to pursue a career on Celebrity Big Brother and the subsequent media hounding that I began to have a sneaking suspicion I was on her side. Initially, I am ashamed to admit, I jumped on the Josie-hate bandwagon too. How could she get rid of a child in order to go on Big Brother, a TV show where the most interesting thing that happens is a Z-list celebrity having a temper tantrum? However, it was when my housemate sent me an article entitled ‘Why we must defend Josie Cunningham’s right to an abortion’ that I started to change my mind. If, say, I were to become pregnant halfway through my degree and decide to have an abortion, it would be exactly the same decision as Josie, had she gone through with her abortion. The only difference is our choice of career. What you think about this ultimately comes down to your opinion on abortion, but if you believe that women should have the power to control their own bodies, Josie’s decision to have an abortion to go on Big Brother should be valued just as much as an undergraduate student, a lawyer or any women in pursuit of a more ‘respectable’ career who make the same choice.
The documentary proved that as a nation we really are a bunch of snobs, because Josie is actually a nice person, with a not so nice past- as a teenager, she was diagnosed with a condition meaning she would never develop breast tissue. Because of this she was bullied, leaving school at 16 and later had the NHS pay for her breast implants. Josie decided to sell the story for some quick cash and two years later we have the tabloid favourite that is Josie Cunningham. The scandalous things she does and offensive tweets are mostly fabricated by her publicity manager. As she explains, the more controversy she creates, the more stories are generated and the more money she earns. And all of this is done on behalf of her children; she hopes the money she makes will enable them to have a better life. Providing for your children is a struggle which no doubt resonates with the masses, so the hate directed at Josie, who is supporting her family in the best way that she can, seems unfair. Yes, she has made some questionable choices, such as smoking whilst pregnant, and putting her children under the scrutiny of the media at such a young age. But Josie is far from being the only ‘celebrity’ famous for being famous- you only have to look at the success of shows such as TOWIE and Geordie Shore to see this is the case, yet Joey Essex receives nothing in comparison to poor Josie.
Although her career path might be one many of us would choose to avoid, if Josie Cunningham can make money through ignorant tweets or face painting her baby bump, and there’s an audience for it, there’s no reason why she shouldn’t milk it.
Edited by Nicole Jones
Sources
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/shameless-josie-cunningham-flashes-boobs-5076109-
http://www.theguardian.com/science/the-lay-scientist/2014/apr/23/1
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/josie-the-most-hated-woman-in-britain
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