Scottee: Have you always been a fatty, Amy Lamé?
Amy Lamé: Well, my mother told me I was born fat, which I guess all babies are, but she’s convinced I was extra fat. So, I guess my destiny was set as soon as I popped out of the womb. So, why are you fat, Scottee?
Because of a long and messy relationship with food that I inherited from my Mum. Although I’m very comfortable with who I am and my body I think it’s important to be honest about our fat.
There is so much support for people who are on the other end of the eating disorder scale but if you’re fat, you’re just expected to eat carrot sticks and go to the gym – as if that will solve deep and very complicated issues. We need to embrace the diversity of body shapes and sizes.
Scottee: Tell me about it, my earliest memory of galavanting around the gay scene was crying outside Balans because a group of older queens took a disliking to me and decided to let the whole queue know how disgusted they were that I was a fatso. What motivates a group of homos to pick on a 17-year-old because of their size?
There’s a lot of body fascism on the gay scene. But on the lesbian scene we have an added layer of political engagement – feminism – to help us deal with that. It gives us a certain “fuck you” attitude towards body fascists. It’s this kind of kick-ass spirit that’s part of Hamburger Queen!
I’m totally hyped for this year’s contest with all this talk about how obesity is killing the NHS and how fat people are responsible for Western decline. I think the contestants have a lot to get off their chubby chests. What will you be looking for as head judge, Lamé?
Amy Lamé: The contestants compete in three rounds: ‘Trend’, ‘Talent’ and ‘Taste’. Taste is obviously my fave because they have to each cook a dish for the judges to eat. We have some amazing judges lined up for this year, too: Dr Christian has said he’ll pop down in between poking prolapses, plus Jenny Eclair, Su Pollard, Lisa Stansfield, Fenella Fielding, Susan Calman, and Nancy dellOlio!
“I just hope the world is ready for a bunch of fatties in sequins to take over!”
Amy Lamé
Scottee: My Mum spent the whole time crying last year! My favorite part is always the talent round. Every year the contest seems to get more and more bizarre – last year you got death threats on Channel 4, Channel 5 pulled me 15mins before going live, Vanessa even got her knickers in a twist on BBC London. This year we’ve already called the lawyers in before the doors have even opened!
I can’t wait to meet this year’s contestants; with each competition they’ve outdone themselves. But if anybody thinks presenting the judges with a kilo of lard covered in hundreds and thousands is a good idea, like one contestant did last year, it will be NUL POINTS. I’m also looking forward to see what everyone makes of our therapy session films…
I’ve just been editing the first session with Dr Charlotte Cooper. We both talk about food and our relationship with our mothers, it’s strangely quite emotional. How did you find talking on camera about your fatness?
I’ve spoken on camera quite a lot about my fatness but this is the first time it was not in a hostile environment. A feeling of vulnerability, power and relief came over me knowing I’m sharing it with a much wider audience.
Who knows what this year’s contest will bring?! I just hope the world is ready for a bunch of fatties in sequins to take over!
GLORIA SWANSONG
Hamburger Queen 2012 Winner
Apart from a storming winning night, what were your favourite memories of last year’s contest?
Amy Lamé: The whole vibe is fun and warm and welcoming. It’s also wonderful to come into a room full of people who are offering love and support and accepting of people who are not on some preconceived, superficial ideal – very life-affirming!
Scottee: What wonderful things have come out of winning the contest?
It really helped me get some of my sparkle and confidence back, just being able to get up in front of a crowd who really wanted me. Sod Patsy Kensit and Weight Watchers.
What top tips would you give this year’s prospective Hamburger Queen contestants?
The only tip I can give is to approach it all honestly. Be yourself, do your own cooking and just have as much fun as you can!
Hamburger Queen was at the RVT, 372 Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, SE11 5HY
