29 December 2005

Who, Do What?

Have you ever had people come up to you and say "Oh! Don't you look like 'So-and-so'!"

Sometimes it's meant as a compliment and sometimes it's downright evil. Nonetheless, thanks to Tanda (who commented somewhere else on another blog), my mind has started collecting all the famous faces I have been accused of emulating, over the years.

In rough order, if I can manage it then:



Up until about 16 my mother used to tell me how I looked soooo like Lena Zavaroni. Thanks, mum.






Soon after that a couple of very nice friends at senior school decided to name me Crystal, of Crystal Tips and Alastair. I tell ya, my hair has never done what it was told. At least, I admit, it was the time when metal hair combs were the fashion. I couldn't use them - they just bent - it even became a party trick of mine.

.


Tidying it didn't really help - that involved practically gluing it down and only got me compared to Princess Anne. I never, ever owned a Hermes headscarf; promise.


Thankfully, along came Maureen Lipman and while the first series of Agony lasted on TV I was for once more than happy to be told how much I look like someone. Her character, Jane Lucas, was funny and droll and she was a female star with brains; pretty rare stuff, then. I could definitely live with that. So, Maureen, if you ever find this post (haha I can hope) and you are related to the Russian Jewish George family who settled in North Wales - then, coooee!



In my early twenties I took my angst out on my hair, tried to go blonde, which didn't work but left me with this translucent copper coloured stuff on my head - I kid you not - it was see-through like the synthetic angelhair you can buy for Christmas trees, but orange.

I cut it all very short and toned it down to mere ginger and spent a year or so working through the copper and chestnut shades to get back down to normal. What you said I looked like depended on how kind you were but Lennox and Manilow were the main two comparisons.

The Manilow joke stuck around a while longer on account of my eventual first marriage (what was I thinking? I blame hair dye chemicals going to the brain,) but was superceded by Ex's insistent remarks that I looked more like Ken Dodd. At the time that was dreadfully wounding because darling Ex couldn't really find anything to bitch about apart from my overbite, so he was mercilessly persistent in that. Actually I think Ken Dodd is a sweetie, and there's a solid family name connection in the not too distant past that I only discovered quite recently, so evil-bastard-ex may turn out to be not too far off the mark, after all. But that's another story.


Its OK, most people were still making (do still make) the Maureen Lipman connection. Its an honour, but there are days I wish I looked more like Annie Lennox (I am sure the only point of comparison was the cropped ginger hair) or, if I could choose anybody to look like it would be....


Jamie Lee Curtis. Sadly no-one has ever made that comparison, and if they did, they'd be lying through their teeth.


So, the whole point of this post was Tanda's comment over on Wulfweard, bless her.
I get days, moreso in the winter when I look in the mirror and think 'Aargh, bloody hell, it's Dot Cotton.'


But no, apparently, according to Tanda of the perfect china doll features, I compare to Jacqueline Pearce, aka Servalan off Blakes 7.

Yes! If I have to be compared to anybody, then I guess an oversexed dominatrix who likes to toy with her prey will do nicely, thank you very much. Result!

15 comments:

Bart Treuren said...

wow... you've been referred to a lot of the well knowns and still remained yourself... very good :P
(i like the photo in the "about me" thingie, b.t.w.)

the only person i ever got compared to was when i was a teenager and had a sickening likeness to some jerk called leif garrett who was very hot at the time...

Cheryl said...

Ah but Bart, the acid test is this - did you give in to the mullet AND highlights AND lipgloss?
All the rage for young men when little Leify was around, I seem to recall...........

Milt Bogs said...

'An oversexed dominatrix who likes to toy with her prey!'
No wonder I have disturbed sleep patterns.

Cori said...

LMAO!

Oh gosh! Now you've got me remembering the time a waiter told me I looked like Lucy Lawless... I had no idea who he was talking about....!!???

My friend whispered in my ear, "Zena.... the Warrior Princess".

Oh gawd!

hahahahaaaa!

Cheryl said...

Hehehe I am googling and saving images as I write - anyone else?

:-D

Kim said...

Oh a dominatrix you say? Boy, do I have a job for you! Jeff's on my shit list today, and well, wanna come over and help me out with a little something?

Whoever it is you look like, I love ya and think you are beautiful.

Jennifer said...

Interesting. I've been compared to both Dana Delaney and Mariette Hartley, and I want to be Jamie Lee Curtis, too!

Anonymous said...

Er, try Liza Minelli. Yes, an insane bug-eyed midget who beats on her husband (allegedly) and the rest...
Am currently trying to grow out my hair in an attempt to avert this abuse... still... sympathy chicken!

fineartist said...

Cheryl I thought you resembled Jacqueline too. Huge dark brown eyes and lovely cheek bones. Yah.

Annie Lennox, love her. And Jamie has the bod from heaven....

fineartist said...

I have been told repeatedly that I look like Bette Midler, sometimes Mrs. Walton from the Walton’s show, and once Barbara Streisand, and Kim Cattrall. It’s wild isn’t it? And interesting to note how others perceive us.

Host I will take that red hair any day of the week....

and bart, Leif Garrett may have been a jerk, I don't know, but he was pretty...

She Weevil said...

I always thought your photo (the newish one) looks a bit like Emma Thompson but thought it was rude to compare you to others - you have now given me the perfect opportunity to vent my whatever it is. Happy New Year XXX

Cheryl said...

Well now thats quite a Bette Davis shot on yours, She Weevil, although its a fuzzy shot so I leave you to accept that idea or drop it as you wish!

Oh no I am VERY complimented by that, thank you very much! Cor!

Angeline Rose Larimer said...

This is a great idea! I fixated on the put-down comparisons throughout my life, but in retrospect, there have been some nice ones.

I'm totally seeing the Emma Thompson with you--and she is my favorite. Everything she does, I am transfixed (except for Dead Again...but that was long ago)...My favorite scene in Love Actually...the Joni Mitchell scene when she's alone in her bedroom. Gets me every time. Her heart is broken, but she still has to rally herself for the sake of the kids having a happy Christmas. Thompson nails it. I so want to beat her hubbie's head against the wall when she says, "Yes, but you've made the life I lead foolish too..." sniff. jerk.

*Got off track.

Jamie Lee is fantastic, but Emma Thompson is a few notches above in my book.
And now I have fused her voice as your voice. I will hear her speaking when I read your blogs.

Could you put a Jane Austen bonnet on one of these posts? Thompson ala Sense and Sensibility? That would seal it for me.
(My apologizes if that came across as kinky.)

Steve said...

Going through your list, it doesnt look too bad Cheryl.
Lena was very cute when younger, Crystal was always drawn nice ( remember Jessica Rabbit :- " I am not bad I am just drawn that way")
Princess Anne- presentable ( tho where she gets her looks from I have no idea, cos she doesnt look like Betty or Phil the Greek - her Mum & Dad.
Maureen Lipman - always been hot for an older lady ( by older I mean Older than me)
Annie Lennox - Hot Hot Hot
Barrie Manilow not my cup of tea but I am sure that he is attractive to many
Ken Dodd- hmmm now we are struggling but he is very funny and finally
Servalan:- the subject of many an adolescent crush in one of my fav shows of the time
The bit in the comments that made me giggle was writer mom's comment about hearing emma thompsons voice reading your posts, yours is much nicer :o)

Le laquet said...

I'm seeing the Maureen Lipman thing which I too would take as a huge compliment ... and fancy someone "reading your blog" in their head as Emma Thompson ... hoot! You could always come and "read" mine as Catherine Z-J crossed with Mary Hopkin ie breaking into song half way through ~ be about right I reckon!